Social Media

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  • It’s Not Just Social. It’s Search. It’s Reputation. It’s Presence.

    Social News Watch
    JD Rucker
    18 May 2013 | 2:35 am
    Take a look at those familiar little icons in the top right corner of the screenshot above. Four of the primary social media sites’ logos adorn a prominent position on the homepage. It’s not an uncommon sight. Some put them at the top. Other put them at the bottom. Some make them large and prominent. Others make them small and subtle. One way or another, most dealerships put them somewhere. They do it for a reason. The reason is presence. We’ve all heard about the potential of social media but few local businesses and car dealers in particular have found the level of success…

  • How to Use Social Media for Marketing Research

    Social Media Era Of Poking
    Jure KLEPIC
    8 May 2013 | 8:19 am
    Social media has had a massive impact on marketing and the way that consumers view businesses. While many businesses are taking part in social media marketing, many fail to see the market research potential that the platform offers as well. These tips and tricks offer simple, easy to implement ways to turn social media into a powerful marketing research tool. Forming your Marketing Research Plan Before you can begin to sift through your various social media platforms for information, you must first form a research plan. With the sheer amount of information that is constantly streaming across…

  • 5 Instagram Keys For Marketing Your Business

    Social Fresh
    Jayson DeMers
    16 May 2013 | 6:10 am
    Since Instagram was launched on Android last year, it has continued to explode in popularity. According to Instagram’s official press page, there are 100 million monthly active users, 40 million photos per day, 8500 likes per second, and 1000 comments per second. This flurry of activity shows that not only is Instagram one of the most popular social networks, engagement is also relatively easy, making it a great opportunity for companies that are willing to post regularly. And because Instagram is relatively progressive when it comes to its API use, sites like Statigram allow companies…

  • 79 Most Popular Social Media Blogs to Comment on or Guest Post For

    SociableBlog
    John Gibb
    17 May 2013 | 5:35 am
    Ah, social media… most people can’t live without accessing their Facebook or Twitter at least once a day, if not multiple times in the morning! What about blogging? It is still one of the biggest activities in the cyberspace. It is so huge that it cannot be ignored any more. Statistics available from NM Incite, ...

  • How To Use Auto Responder Emails to Boost Your Blogging Efforts

    @ProBlogger
    Guest Blogger
    17 May 2013 | 8:22 am
    This is a guest contribution by Asher Elran of Dynamic Search. I thought emails were a waste of time and that they are ignored, but then I learned how to do it right and watched the numbers flip.   After you published a great post and pushed it through your social network, the third step is to leverage your email list too. This is where the auto-responders can help you gain new subscribers while you’re busy writing your next blog post. The majority of email marketing services are the same. I prefer Constant Contact or Mobilizemail’s new email feature. Following the steps below…
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    building43

  • Rackspace Startup Program Spotlight On Plutora: Aussie-Built Enterprise IT Release Management Software

    John McKenna
    16 May 2013 | 7:15 am
    Searching for software that automates the planning, management and deployment of complex releases and test environments across the enterprise in a simple and transparent manner? Sydney, Australia-based Plutora enables companies to manage their enterprise IT pipeline, enterprise IT releases and IT environments with an Enterprise Release Management and Planning, Test Environment Management and Deployment Plan application. It’s a robust on-demand Enterprise IT Release Management software built from the ground up to help organizations deliver effective and efficient releases while driving real…

  • Type A Machines: 3D Printing That’s Affordable and Reliable

    Robert Scoble
    15 May 2013 | 2:43 pm
    Forged in the fires of Noisebridge and TechShop, a team of dedicated hackers set out on an epic journey to bring better desktop 3D printers within everyone’s reach. Based out of San Francisco, Type A Machines was founded in 2012 by Andrew Rutter. In the many years since, Type A Machines has focused on designing and building the easiest to use and most reliable desktop 3D printers. Check them out at Maker Faire this weekend. Their booth is number 204 and is located in the Expo Hall, featuring multiple printers humming away, and some cool concept prototype machines to give you a glimpse…

  • Gild: A Solid Solution for Finding Developer Talent

    Robert Scoble
    13 May 2013 | 10:20 am
    Gild Source provides recruiters with comprehensive profiles of developers and an assessment of their coding ability, years of coding experience, and influence in the developer community. Tech recruiting has been begging for innovation. That’s why Gild is here. Gild brings meritocracy to hiring. Gild provides tech recruiting solutions that harness the power of data to liberate hiring teams from the challenges of finding developers. Using patent-pending technology, Gild evaluates the work of millions of developers so companies using Gild’s talent acquisition tools know who’s…

  • Rackspace Startup Program Spotlight On RentHouseMap: Mapping Rental And Shared Properties In The UK

    John McKenna
    9 May 2013 | 12:18 pm
    RentHouseMap (previously known as Cravify) is a property search engine that aggregates rental and shared properties from the largest real estate portals in the United Kingdom and displays them on a single, interactive map that allows users to easily browse only the properties they want. The company collects information about rental and shared properties from the most popular portals in the UK, including Zoopla, Rightmove, SpareRoom, Gumtree, Adzuna, EasyRoommate, Vivastreet and Nethouseprices. “When I relocated from Oxford to London for my job, I found it is expensive to buy new furniture…

  • Check (formerly PageOnce): Keeping Your Bills in Check

    Robert Scoble
    7 May 2013 | 3:03 pm
    Check (formerly Pageonce) is an award-winning app that stays on top of your bills & money for you, so you never miss a bill or get hit with overdraft & late fees again. Just set it up once and the app goes work — proactively staying on top of your bills and monitoring your bank accounts and credit cards, all in one place. When bills are due or funds are low, the app will let you know so you’re never caught off guard. Check pays your bills on time so you never stress about missing a bill again — we’ll remember so you don’t have to. Get reminders when bills…
 
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    Social Media Examiner

  • Google+ Redesign: This Week in Social Media

    Cindy King
    18 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news. To help you stay up to date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention. What’s New This Week? Google+ Unveils New Design: The new Google+ design “helps you easily explore content as well as dramatically improves [...]

  • Mobile Marketing: How to Get Started

    Michael Stelzner
    17 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Do you use mobile marketing for business? Are you wondering how to get started? To learn how mobile marketing and social connect, I interview Jamie Turner for this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast. More About This Show The Social Media Marketing podcast is a show from Social Media Examiner. It’s designed to help [...]

  • How to Compare Your Facebook Page With the Competition

    Ian Cleary
    16 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Are you wondering how your Facebook Page compares to competitors? What can you do to improve your performance? Insights into how your competitors are using Facebook can help you better understand your audience on Facebook and how they use Facebook. In this article, I’ll review 5 different tools that can be used to help you [...]

  • How to Network Using LinkedIn Groups

    Stephanie Sammons
    15 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Are you a member of a LinkedIn Group? Do you spend time networking in LinkedIn Groups? LinkedIn Groups are great way to build credibility and make new connections that can ultimately help grow your business. With over 1.5 million LinkedIn Groups, it can be difficult to find relevant Groups and determine which ones might be [...]

  • How to Generate More Leads With Your Blog: 5 Tips

    Kristi Hines
    14 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Does your business have a blog? Would you like your blog to bring in more leads for your business? You already know you need to create awesome blog content, but there’s more to business blogging than just that. You also need to include a few tactics to help you bring in the leads you want. [...]
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    TechCrunch

  • David Karp's Dilemma

    Alexia Tsotsis
    18 May 2013 | 10:48 pm
    As the Tumblr/Yahoo deal continues to be negotiated by press, and the world gears up for whatever is being announced Monday morning, Tumblr founder David Karp is probably having a very interesting weekend. It’s likely, in between multiple discussions with his board members and Marissa Mayer, that he’ll take a break, like a walk or something, to gather his thoughts. On this walk (or jog or glass of wine at a bar), he will likely mull over two main outcomes. He could take Yahoo’s money, whether it be the $1.1 billion that the board is trying to approve giving him, or the more…

  • Backed Or Whacked: Reading And Writing Through Crowdfunding

    Ross Rubin
    18 May 2013 | 10:30 pm
    Editor’s note: Ross Rubin is principal analyst at Reticle Research and blogs at Techspressive. Each column looks at crowdfunded products that have either met or missed their funding goals. Follow him on Twitter @rossrubin. An ancient and once-sacred bond between author and audience, reading and writing have become but two more tasks along with a multitude of other things that we do on a host of digital devices — watcing videos, listening to music, playing games, and really anything except using Facebook Home. Still, there are some for whom the intimate act of interface between pen and…

  • Mark Suster Talks Founder CEOs, The Acqui-Hire Frenzy, And Much More [TCTV]

    Colleen Taylor
    18 May 2013 | 9:05 pm
    Mark Suster of Los Angeles’ GRP Partners is known for his unique insights on the tech and digital media worlds, having famously had success on “both sides of the table” as a repeat entrepreneur turned investor over nearly two decades in the industry. And he hit headlines several times this past week, with his viewpoints on acqui-hires (he says they’re often very bad) and founders stepping down from the CEO role such as what happened with GRP portfolio startup Awe.sm (he says sometimes, it’s the best thing that can happen.) So when we heard that Suster was in San…

  • Confronting The Reality Of US Broadband Performance

    Richard Bennett
    18 May 2013 | 9:00 pm
    Editor’s note: Richard Bennett is a Senior Fellow with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and co-author of ITIF’s 2013 report, “The Whole Picture: Where America’s Broadband Networks Really Stand.” Follow him on Twitter @iPolicy. We’ve all heard the story: America’s broadband networks are second-rate. We pay exorbitant prices for shoddy service because broadband providers print money and hold innovation in a death grip. While America languishes, our competitors in Europe and Asia are racing ahead to a user-generated content utopia. The only way…

  • The Future Of Mobile-Social Could Spell The End For Social Networks

    Keith Teare
    18 May 2013 | 7:16 pm
    Editor’s note: Keith Teare is the founder of just.me and a partner at Archimedes Labs. He is also the co-founder of TechCrunch. Follow him on Twitter @kteare. Because of Google I/O, this was a momentous week for those of us who are watching the rapid transition that is taking place from desktop computing to mobile, and particularly for those focused on mobile-social as I am because of my job at just.me. Here is my take on what we just witnessed. Standalone Hangouts. Google announced at its I/O event that Hangouts was to be launched as a separate app from Google Plus, taking personal…
 
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    ReadWrite

  • Google's Flirtation With Being A Hardware Company Is Over

    17 May 2013 | 2:03 pm
    A year ago, I left Google's annual I/O developers conference convinced it was making a major strategic shift into being a hardware company. As this year's I/O wraps up, I'm left questioning that conclusion. The message Google is putting forward in 2013 is very different: It's all about what developers can do with the software tools it provides, whether that means broad digital platforms like the Chrome Web browser and the Android mobile operating system, or fungible, ubiquitous services like Google+, YouTube and Google Maps. A Retreat From Hardware In 2012, the keynote offered a drumbeat of…

  • App Not Working? It Might Be Time To Check The 'Weather'

    17 May 2013 | 1:04 pm
    If you've ever used the Internet — and you know who you are — you've undoubtedly had apps or various services stop working unexpectedly. For ordinary users, this usually just means no access to Twitter or Gmail for a while. But for developers, whose apps and services rely increasingly heavily on hooks into popular Web services, the problem can be far more complicated. That's because modern Web services (and the apps that facilitate them) can fail for a variety of reasons. One of the most common problems arises when some other service has gone down — more specifically, when the…

  • Google: Please Fix The Crippling Problem Plaguing Google+

    17 May 2013 | 11:10 am
    Google+ has never looked and felt as it good as it does right now. Alas, looks aren't everything. A massive overhaul of the service, announced Wednesday during a keynote at Google's I/O conference for developers, has brought it in line with the most modern and functionally powerful Web design principles. It now has a multi-column layout, scrolling menu bars, and enormous images. Google also rolled out an umbrella messaging service called Hangouts, a standalone app for Web and mobile that neatens up the sloppy mess that was Voice, Talk, and Google+ messaging.   All of this is great news…

  • Yahoo Reportedly Looking To Buy Tumblr For That Magic $1B

    17 May 2013 | 10:30 am
    Yahoo is in talks to acquire the fast-growing blogging site Tumblr for as much as $1 billion, AllThingsD reports. This could be the "big deal" Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has reportedly been looking for.

  • New 'Social' Businesses Want To Know All About You. No Thanks!

    17 May 2013 | 8:09 am
    Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com's hyperbolic CEO, has been telling anyone who will listen that the "sudden convergence of cloud, social and mobile spheres" is forcing - and allowing - companies to connect with customers in new ways, and to listen with an intensity never before possible. I'm sure the benefits of social business are dramatic and undeniable, but am I alone in being totally creeped out at what seems to be an obvious invastion of privacy? I don't know about you, but I'm just not ready for companies - even companies I choose to do business with - to closely follow everything I do and…
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    Mashable

  • How Facebook Has Changed Since Going Public 1 Year Ago

    Seth Fiegerman
    18 May 2013 | 2:50 pm
    "Facebook was not originally created to be a company," CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in his SEC Registration letter a little more than three months before Facebook went public on May 18, 2012. "It was built to accomplish a social mission — to make the world more open and connected." In the year since the Facebook IPO, some things haven't changed: Zuckerberg still sports his trademark hoodies, employees still rate their company and their founder highly, and Facebook still talks about its grand mission to make the world more open and connected. But the era of Facebook operating or being…

  • Giant Stop Sign Is Laser-Projected Onto a Sheet of Water

    Charlie White
    18 May 2013 | 2:37 pm
    Imagine you're a truck driver. You're coming up to a tunnel that might be too low for your truck to fit under, but you're not sure. Suddenly, a gigantic red stop sign appears to obstruct the road in front of the tunnel entrance, giving you no doubt. Stop! You're not going to overlook that explicit warning What is this sorcery? See the video above to find out more about how this remarkable sign is created with a instantaneously produced sheet of water and — you guessed it — frickin' lasers SEE ALSO: Laser System Paints Information on the Road Ahead These pop-up stop signs made by…

  • Top 10 Tech This Week

    Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
    18 May 2013 | 2:27 pm
    It was a big week in tech, the week of Google I/O. But apart from the annual Google geekfest that its developers conference is, there was much more. We were in San Francisco to cover Google I/O, but we also kept an eye on the rest of the world of tech for Top 10 Tech This Week The biggest story of the week — which in turn contained countless big stories — was Google I/O, the company's developers conference. Even though this time nobody parachuted onto the conference building wearing Google Glass, the conference was still full of juicy announcements: new Hangouts, new Google Maps,…

  • AOL, Yahoo Were Better Investments This Year Than Facebook Stock

    Lauren Indvik
    18 May 2013 | 2:07 pm
    Ah, the benefit of hindsight. Those who rushed to buy Facebook stock at its initial public offering price of $38 per share on May 18, 2012, are likely a little disappointed with their investment one year later. Though the stock has recovered from its $17.55 September 4 low, the price of the stock today, at a little more than $26 per share, is still closer to its all-time low than its opening price. What if investors had put their money into other technology or Internet companies? Statistics database Statista looked at how a $1,000 investment made on the day of Facebook's IPO would have…

  • 6 Apps You Don't Want To Miss

    Emily Price
    18 May 2013 | 1:51 pm
    It can be tough to keep up with all the new apps released every week. But you're in luck — Mashable takes care of that for you, creating a roundup each weekend of our favorite new and updated apps. This week Google launched its own streaming music service, and another music service got a new mode designed specifically to be used while driving. Airbnb's Android app was updated with some new tools for hosts, and Highlight got a little more personal. Check out the gallery above for a look at this week's highlights. Still looking for more? See last week's Apps You Don't Want to Miss for…
 
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    Sensei Marketing

  • Has Your Distinction Gone Stale?

    Rebel Brown
    15 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    We all nod our heads when someone talks about the need to deliver distinct, compelling value to our buyers. We just assume that our value is as distinct and compelling as it was last month, or six months ago or…. But is our value really distinct? And if it is distinct, is it compelling to our markets? All too often our distinction becomes stale. We get comfortable, resting in the laurels of our past. That’s human nature because sticking to the known is what we’re wired to do. We also tend to get stuck in the follower mode thanks to herd behaviors. We watch what our competition…

  • Customer Journeys Are More Jungle Gym Than Funnel

    Jeannie Walters
    13 May 2013 | 5:29 am
    Humans like things that make sense. Math. Logic. GPS Directions. Customer journeys are often represented in the same way. The sales funnel is so simple, in theory. We put the many prospects in the top, they travel willingly and orderly through the funnel, and POP! They exit into a converting customer. Bravo! But customer experience travels on, past the prospecting and sales phase and well into the relationship with the customer. And while there are many ways to map out the journey – awareness through advocacy – many still rely on thinking the experience itself is linear. It is…

  • Are You A Company Or An Online Clique?

    Margie Clayman
    6 May 2013 | 7:19 am
    When we interact online with people that we work with and hence talk to on a regular basis, we run into a few potential pitfalls that can negatively impact customer acquisition. This is an easy problem to experience. It is natural for us to gravitate towards people we know, especially if we can share experiences and conversations from the offline, “real” world.  The problem begins when our co-workers begin to dominate our online presence to the point where we begin to seem inaccessible to other people. There are few greater obstacles in the way of customer acquisition via the online…

  • Are You Ignoring Your Real Customer’s Buying Behavior?

    Jeannie Walters
    1 May 2013 | 4:47 am
    My sister remembers when the “fancy” mall opened in our hometown. She and my mom would dress up to go. By the time I was ready to hang out at the mall, I trudged from one store to the next in jeans or even (oh goodness) sweat pants. After the novelty wore off, customers came as they were – on their own terms. No amount of well-polished marble could compensate for the need to rush into the mall to grab something on the way home from a babysitting gig. My “customer buying behavior” was far from fancy, even though the mall wanted me to believe otherwise. These…

  • Board governance and the social revolution: Just the beginning

    NigelCameron Ph.D., M.B.A.
    29 Apr 2013 | 6:05 am
    I hear that the National Association of Corporate Directors has been taking baby steps toward engaging its members in social media. Plainly, this is great news. But I did say baby steps. A standard talking-point in business schools is what is called the “principal-agent” problem. It has never been more relevant than it is today. In brief, the problem is that it is surprisingly difficult for someone who owns something to hire someone to run it for them in a way that is consistent with their long-term interests. Principals have a lot of power, but unless they are prepared to be their…
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    Martin Shervington

  • Google Glass – the start of something truly incredible

    Martin Shervington
    18 May 2013 | 7:34 am
    Google Glass is project to be launched from the lab of ‘Google X’ for the masses. But maybe you thinking “this just another gadget”? Well, when you start to put the pieces of the puzzle together you too may start to think this is a step along the way to ‘think and search’ capabilities for the [...]The post Google Glass – the start of something truly incredible appeared first on Martin Shervington.

  • How to write awesome marketing copy!

    Martin Shervington
    13 May 2013 | 12:00 am
    This article is a real “back to basics” on writing marketing copy with loads of hints and tips. Do you ever feel swamped by all the marketing channels now available? Should you be tweeting, setting up a Facebook page, managing your Adwords account, utilising log ins on Foursquare, Google+? I could go on. This “busy-ness” [...]The post How to write awesome marketing copy! appeared first on Martin Shervington.

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO), using Google Plus

    Martin Shervington
    2 May 2013 | 7:56 am
    In the past couple of years Search Engine Optimization may well have gone through a transformation. Since the launch of Google Plus people are talking more and more about Social SEO. As such, I would suggest this has as much to do with psychology as it does with hyperlinks… This article will explore how you [...]The post Search Engine Optimization (SEO), using Google Plus appeared first on Martin Shervington.

  • The Psychology of ‘Comment Threads’ on Google Plus

    Martin Shervington
    30 Apr 2013 | 3:39 am
    Every thread on a post, especially those I have observed on Google Plus, has a culture… So, how  does a culture get built? How does it develop? And what do you do when it starts to shift in an odd direction? Well, when you understand a little more about  the psychology of ‘what is going [...]The post The Psychology of ‘Comment Threads’ on Google Plus appeared first on Martin Shervington.

  • What is Google Local? And how to set up a Page!

    Martin Shervington
    29 Apr 2013 | 2:37 am
    In 2012 ‘Google Places’ changed it’s name to ‘Google Local’. If you are a local business with a physical location then this part is something you will want to set up. In essence, it is a Google Plus Page and has the ability for people to give you local reviews as well. They are very [...]The post What is Google Local? And how to set up a Page! appeared first on Martin Shervington.
 
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    Social Solutions Collective

  • What Really Drives Webinar Attendance?

    Tara Lamboley
    17 May 2013 | 5:38 am
    If you’ve ever hosted a Webinar, you know that active promotion is critical to building an audience large enough to justify the time and effort.  There are a number of ways to promote your Webinar[...]Author informationTara LamboleyOwner at REV DemandAfter serving in the trenches of technology sales and marketing for over 16 years, Tara Lamboley founded REV Demand in 2011. REV focuses on helping owners of B2B services organizations achieve the sales success they envisioned when starting out in business. Tara has found that one of the best ways for B2B companies to build an interested…

  • HootSuite University and Certification

    Laurie Thompson
    17 May 2013 | 4:58 am
    Anyone can call themselves a “social media expert” in this rapidly changing social media world. What can you do to set yourself apart from all of the so called “ninjas” and “gurus”? If you are[...]Author informationLaurie ThompsonOwner at SiteMastLaurie is the ship's captain at SiteMast, where WordPress and Social Media meet. She obtained SiteMast over a year ago, and is thrilled to keep SiteMast's legacy going for the coming years. Originally, SiteMast dealt with WordPress only, but slowly and surely the boat is sailing into the busy waters of Social Media. Laurie's goal is to…

  • Google+ Goes Bold & Bountiful

    Mallie Hart
    16 May 2013 | 11:35 am
    Wow! And can I just say WOW again? While we all knew “something” was in the works for Google+, they took my breath away with yesterday’s revised look and bountiful bevy of new and improved[...]Author informationMallie HartCreative Director at The Media BaristaWhen Mallie isn’t contemplating the creativity of her graphics design work at Go Creative Go!, she’s crafting creative social designs for her social media clients as the Media Barista. This coffee chugging, pretentious hipster music listening, book devouring, mountain biking social media enthusiast thinks there’s…

  • Pinterest Mobile: New Look, New Features!

    Dorien Morin
    16 May 2013 | 8:08 am
    Whether you access Pinterest on your desktop or with your mobile device (Android, iPhone or iPad), truth is that a large part of your audience will most likely see your posts and streams while mobile.[...]Author informationDorien MorinOwner at More In MediaDorien Morin-van Dam is the face behind the orange glasses! Proud to be Dutch, Dorien wears orange glasses in real life, too! As manager of 5 kids, 2 dogs, 1 business and 1 husband, multi-tasking is her middle name. When she’s not engaged online, Dorien loves to engage with all those kids and their friends. Dorien is a marathon runner,…

  • A Smarter Way to Stay In Touch: LinkedIn Contacts

    Mandy Edwards
    16 May 2013 | 4:53 am
    I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from LinkedIn last week inviting me to try something new they were debuting – LinkedIn Contacts. Of course, since I am still waiting on Facebook’s new profile[...]Author informationMandy EdwardsFounder at ME Marketing ServicesMandy wears many hats in her day-to-day life: wife, mom, business owner. The founder of ME Marketing Services, Mandy has a heart to serve small to medium –sized businesses in increasing their reach online through social media. She provides social media marketing, management and consulting to her clients. Social…
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    Social Media Today

  • Promoting Content with Google+

    Mike Allton
    18 May 2013 | 12:00 pm
    Many bloggers stop the promotion of their content at Facebook and Twitter. Google+, however, has broadcasting components that can make the promotion of content easier and can create more interactive reader experience.

  • 5 Career Tips for Recent Graduates

    edwardboches
    18 May 2013 | 11:00 am
    Given that I actually looked forward to work every day for 30 years, and given that I never felt that I had to answer to anyone but myself I thought I’d share some tips for recent graduates.

  • Inbound Marketing: A Salesperson's Perspective

    Jacey Gulden
    18 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    Inbound Marketing is a salesperson’s dream. As long as you are willing to properly review the data analytics, it shortens the sales cycle timeline, allowing for more conversions and more success.

  • Amy's Bakery Meltdown: Yelp Is Broken and Social Flashmobs Apparently Rule

    MarcMeyer
    18 May 2013 | 1:01 am
    Yelp may not be the go-to source for restaurant reviews. Why? Amy's Baking Company has 1131 reviews, 99.9% of which are snarky, mean, negative “reviews.” How many of those 1131 reviewers actually ate at the restaurant and how many just piled on for flash mob social media bashing? 99.9%

  • 5 Ways to Turn Your Facebook Cover Photo into a Call-to-Action That Converts

    Cara Tarbaj
    18 May 2013 | 1:00 am
    The cover photo of your Facebook Page is a great piece of marketing real estate. But how can you use it to drive user actions and conversions? In light of Facebook’s new policy that allows for cover photos to include calls-to-action (CTAs), here are five ways to start converting visitors.
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    Social Media Explorer

  • Highs and Lows in the Parent Blogging World

    Stephanie Schwab
    17 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    There’s never a dull moment in the parent blogging world. This past month has brought new highs and lows to this group, a group I’m firmly enmeshed in both as an agency which works with bloggers and as the founder of a conference bloggers attend. (I also happen to be married to a parenting blogger – my husband blogs on his own dad blog as well as in a number of other outlets.) Mom 2.0 Summit The high was most certainly the Mom 2.0 Summit, a fantastic conference for moms (and others) who blog (there were many men in attendance, and many non-moms too – my husband joined me). This was my…

  • Forget about Personas. Meet some real people.

    Doug Kessler
    16 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    As new disciplines emerge – like content marketing in the digital age – new jargon blossoms like wildflowers in a new meadow. Or sometimes like clods of cow shit. Whichever category you put the term ‘Persona’ into (for me, it’s bovine-centric), you can’t deny that it’s won a permanent place in the B2B content marketing canon. “Don’t even think about doing content marketing without personas.” is Commandment Six last time I checked. At Velocity, we’ve propagated the cult of the persona ourselves, with round-up blog posts and the…

  • The Trick Is Applying General Knowledge To Specific Needs

    Jason Falls
    15 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    How does this apply to me? That should be the question we ask when encountering learning about the digital marketing world. Whether you’re reading a blog, a book, attending a webinar or conference, the one thing you won’t likely get is advice and examples that are directly applicable to your specific business. Conference speakers are generalists. People who write books are, too. Their job is to be informative and helpful but appeal to as broad an audience as possible. If I were to speak at an event about how to leverage Twitter in medium-sized floral shops, I would only help a few…

  • SPARK – #GivingTuesday

    Marc A. Pitman
    14 May 2013 | 11:00 am
    While doing some fundraising training in Philadelphia last week, I was introduced to an incredibly cool program called Spark. Spark was founded by a 7th grade science teacher who wanted his students to see why school mattered. The premise is really simple: place 7th and 8th grade students in apprenticeships with people in their community. They’ve placed students in apprenticeships with all sorts of professionals: fire fighters, chefs, pilots, artists, and tech folks. The results speak for themselves Spark has grown to serve in students in at-risk neighborhoods in San Francisco, Los…

  • Recharging Your Digital Marketing Batteries

    Nichole Kelly
    14 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    As I write this, I’m listening to the waves crash along the beach during my own recharge. The Social Media Explorer team trekked its way down to Oak Island, North Carolina for a workation designed to evaluate and refresh our perspectives on every part of the business. It got me thinking about the importance of recharging our digital presence. I’ll give you a look at what we’ve been reviewing over the last 10 days in an effort to help others step back and recharge their perspective. Get Out of the Office It may not be feasible to take your team on a company retreat to a beach, however,…
 
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    Peg Fitzpatrick

  • Google+ gets pretty!

    Peg
    15 May 2013 | 5:00 pm
    Google+ got a fancy new update with 46 new features which looks very much like a Pinteresty Facebook but in a very good, user friendly way. Let’s look at some of the new Google+ features. From Google+: A multi-column layout. You’ll see one, two, or three columns of content depending on your screen size and orientation. Awesome-sized media. Photos and videos can fill the entire width of the stream, making it easier to scan, and nicer to look at. Delightful animations. The sharebox bounces, the menus slide, and the cards flip and fade — just to name a few. When you go in for the…

  • How writers can use Pinterest

    Peg
    13 May 2013 | 5:40 am
    Recently I had the pleasure of being the guest on #PinChat to talk Pinterest for authors and bloggers with Kelly Lieberman, we talked about how writers and bloggers can use Pinterest. I contributed to APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur — How to Publish a Book, with a section called  How to Pin your Way to Success — An Author’s Guide to Pinterest in which I discuss how and why authors can use Pinterest. Writers have much to think about when building their online presence and Pinterest can be a smart part of it. Pinterest has consistently been in the top four traffic referrers for…

  • Five traits of a kick ass Plusser

    Peg
    10 May 2013 | 6:20 am
    Today’s Fab Five Friday is all about YOU Google+! I want to talk about the traits that make a kick ass Plusser. There are some people who are really rocking Google+ so I analyzed a bit to see what the successful people were doing and came up with some resources to help you get there too. So, is you a kick ass Plusser or ain’t ya? Five traits of a kick ass Plusser 1. Posts consistently on Google+: reliable Sharing on Google+ with Do Share Don’t be a spammer! What is link litter? And how to avoid it. Social media post length? Use the proper size for the win! 2. Comments on…

  • Getting Social with Holly

    Peg
    6 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    I had the honor of being interviewed by Holly Homer this week, a new friend that I met on Google+. Holly does some really interesting things around the web so I thought I’d introduce her to you.  Holly is just wonderful, you’ll love her. Her bio:  Hi.  I am Holly.  I have a blog.  Of the mom variety.  Yep, I am a mom blogger.  I write June Cleaver Nirvana and Kids Activities Blog.  My hometown is Dallas which is why I started She is Dallas and DFW Bloggers.  If you are headed to a casino, please stop by and pick me up.  I like to play poker. Oh, and if you think…

  • The ultimate in fascination: be yourself

    Peg
    29 Apr 2013 | 6:00 am
    Don’t we all want to be fascinating? Sally Hogshead’s book Fascinate: Unlocking the Secret Triggers of Influence, Persuasion, and Captivation discusses this concept or more accurately teaches you that you are already fascinating and how to use your natural abilities to be more fascinating. Interested? Of course you are, this is all about you, baby! Ideas from Fascinate: Anyone, and anything, can become more fascinating Fascination affects every part of our life This is the new competitive advantage Why do you need to be more fascinating? We are barraged with an overload of…
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    Social Media Era Of Poking

  • LinkedIn: Now Multi-Media

    megantotka
    14 May 2013 | 8:45 am
    LinkedIn is now arguably one of the most important social networks to be a part of, particularly if you are a part of the professional world. LinkedIn allows professionals from all over the world and nearly every industry to connect. Both those who are seeking jobs and those who are looking to hire new employees can take advantage of LinkedIn. The network has grown exponentially in the past few years, and now has millions of users and can compete with the other social media giants like Facebook and Twitter. Your LinkedIn profile is a bit more in-depth than other social media networks that you…

  • How to Use Social Media for Marketing Research

    Jure KLEPIC
    8 May 2013 | 8:19 am
    Social media has had a massive impact on marketing and the way that consumers view businesses. While many businesses are taking part in social media marketing, many fail to see the market research potential that the platform offers as well. These tips and tricks offer simple, easy to implement ways to turn social media into a powerful marketing research tool. Forming your Marketing Research Plan Before you can begin to sift through your various social media platforms for information, you must first form a research plan. With the sheer amount of information that is constantly streaming across…

  • Social Media Marketing: You’re Doing It Wrong

    megantotka
    6 May 2013 | 8:37 am
    Social Media Marketing: You’re Doing It Wrong While browsing the web recently for news and how I could translate stories I read into blog topics, I found an article titled Social Media Marketing: Get Out Now, You’re Doomed to Fail. I was surprised to read this, because in my experience, many companies have had success with social media marketing; plus, it’s virtually free. Since the headline captured my attention, I went on to read the article. To my surprise, it wasn’t really about getting out of social media marketing, it was about how to be successful at it. Perfect!

  • What Can a CRM Do for Your Small Business?

    megantotka
    3 May 2013 | 10:37 am
    Some of the first killer applications for personal computers were electronic address books that replaced the Rolodex. They were simply contact management systems, electronic databases that made it easier to keep all of your contacts up to date. In the era before office networks, laptops, smart phones and the World Wide Web, many businesses would print out contact lists and share them with employees. The modern equivalent is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, software designed to connect customer interactions such as email, phone calls and contracts with appointments, fulfillment…

  • Social Media: The True Impact

    megantotka
    24 Apr 2013 | 9:46 am
    We spend a lot of time talking about how to make social media work for business and what kind of marketing targets social media users. But we don’t often take a step back and see the true impact that the addition of social media networks has had on our everyday lives. Ten years ago, could you ever have imagined what social media is, let alone how it has changed our world? The addition of social media to our everyday landscape has been both a positive and a negative influence. Social media has made it incredibly easy for news to spread. It seems as though people are more educated as to…
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    @ProBlogger

  • How To Use Auto Responder Emails to Boost Your Blogging Efforts

    Guest Blogger
    17 May 2013 | 8:22 am
    This is a guest contribution by Asher Elran of Dynamic Search. I thought emails were a waste of time and that they are ignored, but then I learned how to do it right and watched the numbers flip.   After you published a great post and pushed it through your social network, the third step is to leverage your email list too. This is where the auto-responders can help you gain new subscribers while you’re busy writing your next blog post. The majority of email marketing services are the same. I prefer Constant Contact or Mobilizemail’s new email feature. Following the steps below…

  • How Much Content Should I Have Ready to Go When I Launch a Blog?

    Darren Rowse
    16 May 2013 | 8:23 am
    I recently had the opportunity to sit with a small group of Pre-Bloggers – people about to start their first blogs. One of the questions I was about how much content should be written before launching a new blog. My answer came in two parts: The Ideal Scenario What I actually have done The reality is that what I ‘preach’ isn’t always what I ‘do’ – so let me tell you about both! Note: we give a lot of teaching and some great exercises on this topic in ProBlogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging. The Ideal Scenario OK – here’s…

  • Blog This! Sometimes Going Back to Basics Leads to the Best Posts

    Darren Rowse
    15 May 2013 | 8:47 am
    Today, I’m preparing some slides for a keynote I’m doing tomorrow. I included this diagram – something that Chris Garrett came up with years ago as a way to show new bloggers what they should blog about. The idea – obviously – is to find the connecting point between what YOU know (lessons you’ve learned, problems you’ve overcome, experiences that you’ve had etc) and what your readers (or potential readers) want (or need) to know. The intersecting point is GOLD! The problem with this diagram is when I show it to people they sometimes respond…

  • Why Interlinking Your Blogs Posts is a Must (and Not Just For SEO)

    Guest Blogger
    14 May 2013 | 8:15 am
    This is a guest contribution by Daniel Vassiliou of Endurance SEO. Everybody loves (LOVES) to talk about link building and find the latest and greatest technique for building backlinks to your blog. While this gets you more traffic and better rankings in the search engines, it can draw away from an equally important aspect of your blog – internal (or onsite) SEO. Not only does a good internal SEO practice help boost your rankings by making it easier for Google’s crawlers to access your pages, but it also allows real people (yeah, they’re still on the internet) to navigate your site…

  • How Many Posts Should a Blogger Post? [Pros and Cons of Daily Posting]

    Darren Rowse
    13 May 2013 | 8:46 am
    Almost every time I do a Q&A at a conference I’m asked this question – How many posts should I post? The frequency of blog posts is something that gets talked about a lot and there is no perfect answer for all blogs – but here are a few thoughts on the topic. The Pros of Daily Posting I’ve heard many people answer the ‘how many posts’ question with the suggestion that you should aim for a daily post. While I will name some reasons why this may not be ideal below there are certainly some benefits of posting on a daily level including: Daily Posts Can…
 
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    The Social Media Marketing Blog

  • This Week in Social Media – 5/15/2013

    Scott Monty
    15 May 2013 | 1:31 pm
    A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry. Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep our wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links. If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in the This Week in Social…

  • This Week in Social Media – 5/8/2013

    Scott Monty
    8 May 2013 | 10:08 pm
    A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep our wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links.If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in the This Week in Social…

  • Must-Not-See TV

    Scott Monty
    7 May 2013 | 8:33 pm
    It wasn't all that long ago that we viewed TV by appointment. NBC's "Must-See TV" lineup of Thursday nights included legendary shows like The Cosby Show, Seinfeld and Cheers, among others, and audiences turned out in droves to see them.Things are drastically different now, as you know. Beyond DVRs and on-demand viewing, we now have online options that include Netflix, Hulu and others, and cable providers like Xfinity, DirecTV and Dish Networks, not to mention specialty apps like HBO Go. We not only have a wide variety in when we view our shows, but where we watch them as well.At the same…

  • This Week in Social Media – 5/1/2013

    Scott Monty
    1 May 2013 | 7:27 pm
    A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep the wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links.If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in my new This Week in…

  • This Week in Social Media – 4/24/2013

    Scott Monty
    23 Apr 2013 | 10:29 pm
    A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep the wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links. If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in my new This Week…
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    Social Fresh

  • 5 Instagram Keys For Marketing Your Business

    Jayson DeMers
    16 May 2013 | 6:10 am
    Since Instagram was launched on Android last year, it has continued to explode in popularity. According to Instagram’s official press page, there are 100 million monthly active users, 40 million photos per day, 8500 likes per second, and 1000 comments per second. This flurry of activity shows that not only is Instagram one of the most popular social networks, engagement is also relatively easy, making it a great opportunity for companies that are willing to post regularly. And because Instagram is relatively progressive when it comes to its API use, sites like Statigram allow companies…

  • 3 Keys to Successful Content Marketing on Wikipedia

    David King
    15 May 2013 | 9:33 am
    Wikipedia marketing is hard. Offering content to Wikipedia’s editorial community is different than traditional content marketing. The content is rule-bound. The editors are thorough. And these editors have to produce neutral content about the company, rather than a thought-leadership subject. Some companies have such strong opinions about themselves and certain controversies they are involved in, it can be an emotional process to write neutrally on it. Recently I’ve seen many public relations professionals following the best practices established by Chartered Institute of Public…

  • Instagram gets personal with User Tags

    Nick Cicero
    2 May 2013 | 1:15 pm
    New Instagram features were released this week allowing users to tag friends and display photos of themselves on their Instagram profiles. While there are many well developed communities and active users on the platform already without user tagging, the ability to see a group of photos with common topics had previously been limited to locations (thanks to Foursquare’s API) or hashtags. Tagging other users was just something that only provided a link to another person’s Instagram account and a notification. In this update, when someone tags a photo of a friend (or brand), users…

  • The Influence Hierarchy

    Jason Keath
    30 Apr 2013 | 2:11 am
    Influence is like the Simpsons. Meaning, whether you love it or hate it, influencer marketing is the social media topic that will never die. Why? Because it is a mythical, wonderful, tool that many of us view as a magical shortcut to dollars and cents. Influence marketing is cool. It is fun. It is sexy. The idea of tapping into this flowing river of fans that bloggers and youtubers and Twitter users have, just sitting there, ready to act, ready to buy, sounds amazing. And there are some real opportunities there. But at the end of the day influencer marketing runs smack into the wall we call…

  • Passion Is Key To Finding Your Buyer Personas and The Secret To Selling Online

    Ashley Verrill
    25 Apr 2013 | 3:04 am
    This is the first part in a three-part series on how to build your online presence for real social selling, inspired by research from Jon Ferrara, founder and CEO of social CRM developer Nimble. Socialized selling isn’t about blasting mass emails on Linkedin, or sending out coupon codes on Twitter – customers are becoming increasingly disenchanted with this kind of push messaging. It’s about finding what attracts customer to you, then executing on that strategy. “With social selling, you’re no longer simply pushing information about products and services out to your…
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    Noah Kagan's Okdork.com

  • How to Get More Subscribers

    Noah Kagan
    16 May 2013 | 8:21 pm
    Recently, I ASSUMED all my Twitter followers also subscribed to this newsletter. But I figured it was worth seeing if that was the case or not. With marketing / business / life, it’s helpful to test your assumptions to see for yourself. So I posted this one tweet: …Got me over 50 new subscribers (daily average is 15) to Okdork. Since it worked on Twitter, I tried posting on Facebook: Can you tell below which day I posted this?? Good guess Okay, let’s check out what I did with My YouTube Channel. I have been hacking with YouTube to grow my readership which I’ll share in FULL detail…

  • How I made $2,000 in 20 seconds

    Noah Kagan
    30 Apr 2013 | 7:35 pm
    A few weeks ago I was graciously invited to speak in Australia. They offered to cover flights and hotels. I generally don’t ask for speakers fees cause I love sharing my stories and working with people. And I have put on conferences so I know there are always more costs than expected. …But traveling costs me time, money and I like being at home with my tacos. Because of the coffee challenge, it encouraged me at the end of the conversation, to ask, “What kind of speaker’s fee can you include?” She mentioned, “Uh….I’ll have to ask my team about that.” Noah: “That’s cool.

  • One of the Best Cold Emails I’ve EVER Received

    Noah Kagan
    18 Apr 2013 | 4:00 am
    I get about 2 emails a day asking for coffee or advice. Lately, I’ve been deleting them because no one takes even a minute to write a well crafted email. I used to feel guilty but I figure since the person is being selfish, I can be as well. A few days ago I got a surprising email from Dave Daily. BLEW MY MIND. I want to share what an amazing cold email looks like (and dissect WHY it’s so great). Subject: How I lost your Sperry’s.. and apt. And why you should meet with me. (He referenced spending money to meet me already. SEE ARTICLE.) I kept bidding them up.. to…

  • My Travel Hacks & Free Luggage for Your Next Adventure (Part 2)

    Noah Kagan
    9 Apr 2013 | 4:00 am
    While I was in India, I learned a few travel hacks that I thought you could use when you travel in your country or others. All I Packed for 33 days in India (thanks for the bag Lisa F!)  1- Nice clothes. You can use this at the airport counter to ask for upgrades or do a tuxedo experience like my friend Ikrima: http://youtu.be/dpt2AInCkoE (via Susan Su) 2- Bring $1 bills. Assuming your currency is “more” valuable than another it’s a great tip and souvenir to hand these out to people. An alternative is snacks or candies you can give out to children. (via Nick Gray) 3- Using hotels.

  • How to Sell Anything

    Noah Kagan
    2 Apr 2013 | 6:24 am
    Recently my good friend Adam from MyBodyTutor.com was in town and I was blown away by how bad he is at sales. To give him credit his service is outstanding (I’m a customer) and it’s extremely impressive how he’s created a profitable business. Okay, back to bashing him. So I spent the weekend explaining how he sells his product completely wrong. The easiest way to break it down was that he is speaking French to potential customers who only know Italian. What makes me qualified to help him? Over $30,000,000 in sales in my past 2 companies 1.5 years of being the top salesperson…
 
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    socialmouths

  • Facebook Ads vs Promoted Posts: A Side-by-Side Comparison

    Kapil Jekishan
    14 May 2013 | 8:52 am
    Guest post by Kapil Jekishan from Latestcrunchs Targeting your audience on Facebook is not only painful, but confusing – especially if you want to go down the ‘organic’ path. Hey, I can’t blame them, as any business with interested parties and dollar driven investors want return on their profits. So whilst I don’t agree, I can understand why Facebook has made it difficult for business owners to connect with their followers unless you show them the money. Understandably, several individuals are unhappy with this new paid approach, including Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, who…

  • Photos Dominate Facebook’s News Feed, Here Is How To Optimize Them

    Francisco Rosales
    8 May 2013 | 7:54 am
    You shouldn’t be surprised to hear that photos dominate Facebook’s News Feed. When we talk about content marketing on Facebook, there are different media types: Status, Link, Video and Images. But images, as in many other online platforms and networks, have become the most consumed content format and today, they take about 50% of the News Feed. What’s shocking on the other hand, is that only 1 out of 500 stories posted on Facebook actually make it to the News Feed. PostRocket made the funniest reference and I thought it would make a cool tweet… “It’s almost…

  • The State of Influence Marketing and Scoring Platforms

    Francisco Rosales
    2 May 2013 | 8:47 am
    As some of you know, Influence (or I should say the attempt of measuring influence online), continues to make waves in controversial waters. The latest: a list of “top 50 influencers” in social media published by Forbes (no link love). The problem: a score by Peek Analytics is used to measure influence triggering an obvious and, in my opinion, well deserved negative reaction. Check out my favorite responses from Mark Schaefer and Jure Klepic. Influence is a big part of the social media conversation and will continue to be as it, hopefully, shapes into something we can all live…

  • The Perfect Facebook Contest App [Infographic]

    Francisco Rosales
    26 Apr 2013 | 8:03 am
    As you know, Facebook contest have become a huge part of social media in the last year or so, specially as a vehicle for brands trying to increase their digital footprint and implement loyalty programs. Here is the problem, a huge percentage of these contests fall short in one way or another, from failing to follow Facebook guidelines to ineffective calls to action, not following with a good promotion, or even not having clear instructions on how to participate. This Infographic by Shortstack outlines all the elements you should consider when planning your next contest, designing the…

  • 5 Free Tools to Manage Your Online Reputation

    Shanna Mallon
    25 Apr 2013 | 8:20 am
    This is a guest post by Shanna Mallon from StraightNorth. When it comes to business, few things are more powerful than a good name. With a strong reputation, you attract new clients, keep the ones you have, and grow. And while in the old days, managing a company reputation meant managing public perception across geography, today the Internet adds another important layer. Is your brand being talked about on blogs and social media? Do you know what people are saying about you online? You should. Here’s a look at five of the top tools for managing your online reputation: 1. Google Alerts Every…
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    Bazaarvoice blog

  • Who are the real product experts: Brands, consumers, or media?

    Tara DeMarco
    16 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    Expert opinions can carry more influence in purchase decisions than others. Not always, of course, but in some situations. Home Depot launched a new video series last month featuring an expert influencer, Martha Stewart, to inspire new home gardening projects and steer viewers toward certain products. In “Ask Martha” videos, she answers some of the most-asked questions across categories, pulled from the brand’s consumer Q&A on the brand site. And in “Learn & Do” videos, she walks viewers through do-it-yourself projects like home organization and gardening. It’s a great…

  • Connected Perspectives: Mike Maples, Jr., FLOODGATE founder

    Ian Greenleigh
    15 May 2013 | 7:01 am
    “Social networking, and social media, and user-generated content allow the act of marketing to not be an art of war, but an art of syndicating the truth,” says Mike Maples, Jr., founder and managing partner at FLOODGATE Fund, LP. In the next installments of our video series, Connected Perspectives, Mike describes how the next wave of technologies, our ever-increasing connectedness, and the evolving nature of marketing are changing the way businesses must operate to stay alive. First, he observes that technology waves affect everyone, while advancing the standard of living “across the…

  • Digital Darwinism: Brian Solis on surviving in a market evolving too quickly to keep up

    Natalie Barnard
    14 May 2013 | 7:58 am
    The message today is the same as it was 10 years ago: Your most important customer is the one you already have. But the tactics through which you retain, satisfy, and impress your current customers have dramatically changed. It’s critical, as a business, to go beyond traditional marketing to integrating customer service and marketing in order to create a customer experience before people even try your product or service… and long after they have tried it. Many companies cannot keep up with what Altimeter Group analyst and author Brian Solis has termed “Digital Darwinism,” which is…

  • Moms trust each other over anyone else – how to influence social, mobile mothers

    Scott Bonneau
    13 May 2013 | 7:02 am
    The saying “Mother knows best” now extends to social media and brand recommendations. More moms than ever before are active on social media, and they aren’t shy about writing about products or interacting with brands they like. Moms also turn to other moms for advice on shopping and products, making them some of the most influential and social consumers. Moms are ubersocial  The vast majority of moms (91%) make regular use of social media, which is a 20% increase from 2010. Mothers are not only using social media more often than ever, they are also using it more than the…

  • Rethink shopper marketing for a mobile, digital world

    Scott Williams
    9 May 2013 | 7:02 am
    What if you could have an adviser with you every time you shop that tells you what product is good and what product is a dud? You do. It’s on your smartphone. Let me introduce you to Trevor and Jane, fictional expecting parents. They’re deciding which diaper pail to choose. Jane uses her iPhone while in the store to scan UPC codes of each diaper pail to compare online prices, in-store prices and, more importantly, owner reviews. She doesn’t want a diaper pail that, well, stinks. Now imagine you’re a major family care brand advertiser with a product relevant to expecting parents, and…
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    12 Most

  • 12 Most Lip-Smacking Recipes for a Memorial Day Cookout

    Mary Dell Harrington
    17 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    12 Most HE6TKNU4H59Q By Mary Dell Harrington   At the end of every month, I tear off another page of our oversize family calendar and toss the tattered sheet away. April lands in the recycling bin and I am gleeful. There, on the last line for May, is the gateway to summer: Memorial Day Weekend. At Grown and [...]

  • 12 Most Critical Prerequisites of a Brand Refresh

    Frank Gullo
    16 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    12 Most HE6TKNU4H59Q By Frank Gullo My company recently completed a major brand refresh project. The new brand was unveiled after nearly two years of research, deliberation, ideation, and creative execution. In the end, everything came together successfully, but it was a challenging process at times. For others contemplating a brand refresh or for the merely curious, here [...]

  • 12 Most Surefire Ways Your Business Can Think Like Zuck and WIN!

    Rebekah Radice
    15 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    12 Most HE6TKNU4H59Q By Rebekah Radice   Ekaterina Walter is a recognized business and marketing thought leader and the author of “Think Like Zuck: The Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s Improbably Brilliant CEO Mark Zuckerberg.” Her book can be misconstrued as being completely about Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerburg, yet it is so much more. I had the great [...]

  • 12 Most Annoying Ways to Tick People Off on Social Media

    Rachel Thompson
    14 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    12 Most HE6TKNU4H59Q By Rachel Thompson Are you one of those people on social media who lives to “mix it up?” Then this article is for you. There are numerous ways to irritate and annoy others in real life, of course. But I’m talking about the online world — blogging started as the original place to speak your [...]

  • 12 Most Magnetic Ways to Curate Awesome Content

    Susan Silver
    13 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    12 Most HE6TKNU4H59Q By Susan Silver A community manager needs to stay organized. It is the only way to stay on top of our PR, marketing, and outreach responsibilities. One of the most difficult aspects is finding the great content to share when there isn’t a marketing message going through the pipes. That, for me, is the real [...]
 
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    chrisbrogan.com

  • Be Open to Inspiration

    ceb
    10 May 2013 | 8:41 am
    I’ve been in a bit of a fog the last week or so. Nothing worth talking about, really. Depression stuff. But then it lifted. What’s interesting to me is how I found my footing and how I got back on track, and so there are two items I want to share with you from this: the actual learning, and more importantly, the realization of what got me there. Be Open to Inspiration Humans have this way they deal with too much information. They discard tons of inputs and keep what they feel is important. This is necessary, by the way. Can you imagine how busy your brain would be if you thought…

  • Do Local Businesses Deserve Your Money?

    ceb
    7 May 2013 | 1:38 pm
    I sat at the counter at my local restaurant the other day and waited for over 7 minutes without anyone bothering to acknowledge that I was there. And then I walked out. And so did my money. For good. In fact, I drove to McDonalds, got some scrambled eggs and an iced coffee, and was in and out of the system within the same 7 minutes. (You can save your comments with disdain for McDonalds. If you’re a parent, you go there, unless you don’t. Either way. It’s not the point.) Now, before you try to defend this other place, no, it wasn’t busy. Yes, at least two employees had seen me, and…

  • Why Use These Outlier Social Media Tools?

    ceb
    30 Apr 2013 | 4:21 pm
    Why should you bother using tools like Vine and Instagram, and the like? That question was asked to me by Pam Vitaz, and she asked it somewhat in this context (my words not hers): Vine’s interesting, but you basically just shot a funny video. Why do that? Here’s the video she meant: Can’t see the video? Click Here. Can’t hear sound? Hover over it and click the little sound thingy. On the surface, it’s the kind of question you can answer with “why not?” But that’s not good enough. Why Use These Outlier Social Media Tools? First, it’s your…

  • Can You Work at Being Fearless?

    ceb
    29 Apr 2013 | 7:03 am
    Fear is at the heart of most of our worst choices. I read this facebook post by James Altucher and it really punched me in the stomach. But that’s just one punch in a series, because every time I question how I ended up somewhere, the real answer (underneath all the bull answers) is fear. It’s why most stupid things happen, why all bad things happen (when humans are involved), and is even worse than you think. I’m afraid of a weird collection of things. I’m afraid of sharks (ever since seeing Jaws at a very young age – because I pestered my parents tirelessly til…

  • Sponsored Post – Mobile Productivity and the Future

    ceb
    24 Apr 2013 | 4:53 am
    Can you be productive while on the road? I say yes. In fact, I’m writing this from a hotel room before heading off to a meeting with a client. The following is sponsored by Cloud Powered Work, which is a project with IDG, LinkedIn, and Microsoft’s Office365. Everything in this post is mine, and my opinions are my own. I just produced an episode of my radio show from my hotel room, because I realized that an episode was due and I hadn’t done the work before I took off for the day. Last night, while I waited for my slightly delayed airplane, I cracked open SkyDrive pulled down…
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    Logic+Emotion

  • Brands Who Used The Force on Star Wars Day #Maythe4thbewithyou

    David Armano
    4 May 2013 | 12:05 pm
    Brands that insert themselves into relevant cultural events is now becoming a norm in marketing. Did you know that May 4th is considered Star Wars Day? These brands did, and they inserted themselves in the conversation by producing content which reflected it. Here's a few that went to the dark side: Pop Chips went the simple route and used an action figure to do the heavy lifting. Harrods did some subtle and clever Photoshop to go over to the dark side of marketing. PayPal traveled to a galaxy far far away and kept their branding intact ...while Red Bull played it safe and stayed closer to…

  • Content as Currency and Other Thoughts From #Snowcial

    David Armano
    1 Mar 2013 | 6:35 am
    I'm in Lake Tahoe this week combining some business and down-time and recently spoke at "Snowcial"—billed as "SXSW for the snow sports and hospitality industry, it attracts a really cool cross section of people who span marketing, technology and even journalism. If you love skiing or snowboarding and marketing/technology, it's worth considering for your event calendar. I kicked off day one yesterday with a short talk about content, convergence and connectivity. Below are a few themes from my talk: Content As Currency  There's a good reason everyone is talking about the role of *content…

  • Every Brand Will Need A Content Strategy

    David Armano
    26 Feb 2013 | 8:18 am
    Somewhere in the debate to define what was hot or not as a worthy "real-time marketing" example during the Oscars, we lost sight of the bigger picture. We're not really talking about the benefits of marketing in a timely fashion as much as we are talking about the birthright of an organization or brand to produce, circulate and curate conversations around valuable content. I had to take a pause recently to remind myself of the bigger picture and consider other activations we have in play like working with the organization who represents the US Dairy industry. In this approach, we've gotten…

  • How The Marketing Community Lost Last Night #OscarsRTM

    David Armano
    24 Feb 2013 | 11:16 pm
    I'm not surprised, but that doesn't mean I'm not concerned. I witnessed something sad last night, while the Oscars were going down. As I anticipated, there was a great deal of activity by brands and their partners who took a shot at producing content connected to the Academy Awards. Some of the content was just OK. Some wasn't. And to be honest, some of it was pretty good even if not earth shattering. Because I had a feeling there would be a great deal of activity going on—I set up a simple hash tag, because I wanted a way to organize what brands would be doing. So, I set up #OscarsRTM…

  • It's Time to Re-Invent Advertising

    David Armano
    23 Feb 2013 | 8:51 am
    Several weeks ago I drafted a post articulating the need for the Public Relations industry to re-invent itself. That still needs to happen—and there's a lot of work to do. What I didn't communicate in that post is the fact that it's becoming increasingly meaningless to distinguish yourself as a practitioner of "advertising" or "public relations" because increasingly to the end consumer, user or stakeholder—it's all just becoming content. And as I've stated many times before: Content is today's currency in marketing and communications. And context dictates how that currency gets spent. …
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    New Media Expo Blog

  • The Top 12 Sites in the Marketing with Social Media Course

    Bill Belew
    17 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    Below is a list of the top 12 sites by unique visitors, visits and page views (they are different) upon completion of the Marketing with Social Media MBA course taught by Bill Belew (that’s me writing about myself in the 3rd person). The course focused on content/inbound/social media marketing and was taught at the graduate level in an accredited university in Silicon Valley. Here are the details: The students had different blogging rhythms - 1-3 times daily and wrote various lengths of posts – 200+ to 600+ words. All actively created internal and external links and fished,…

  • 25 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Vine

    Allison
    16 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    Brilliant Bloggers is a bi-weekly series here at NMX where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every other week, we’ll feature a brilliant blogger, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here. This Week’s Topic: Vine Vine is the hottest new kid on the block, and although people are still a little tentative about using anything that involved video, this is really helping to introduce a new medium to people in…

  • How to Track Conversions from YouTube Viewers [Video]

    Allison
    14 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    YouTube Partners can now link out to other sites within their video annotations, which can be a great way to drive new readers to a blog, ecommerce site, landing page, etc. You can also, of course, add links to your description and channel page. Very few people are creating video content consistently, so you have the opportunity to really stand out in your niche if you create videos. But traffic (from YouTube or otherwise) is nothing if that traffic doesn’t convert. Once someone comes to your website, are they actually performing the action that you want them to perform? Are they buying…

  • 12 Ways Blogging Would Be Different Without Twitter

    Allison
    13 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    It’s hard to imagine a world without Twitter. It was the faster-growing social network in 2012, and 1/5 of all US Internet users are also active on Twitter.* For bloggers especially, the world would be very different without Twitter. But maybe there’s something we can lean from that. Twitter is an amazing way to reach your community, but it can perhaps cloud our vision. By thinking about what the world would be like without Twitter, we can perhaps find some new opportunities for our blogs. Here’s how blogging would be different if Twitter did not exist: 1. We’d would…

  • 4 Essential Apps for Increasing Profits in a Small Business

    Teddy Hunt
    10 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    When it comes to running a business, it’s important to take advantage of every tool you can find to make things run more efficiently. This is especially true of small businesses where you don’t have as many employees to take care of organization, payment and other tasks. Fortunately, the following apps are examples of tools  that can help your small business become more profitable by helping you save time and keep organized. PayPal – Stay Connected to Your Transactions PayPal is easily one of the most used services for payment on the Internet. It’s become practically…
 
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    News from SMP

  • Baidu $370 million acquisition creates largest Chinese video platform

    6 May 2013 | 5:00 pm
    ISP Baidu creates largest Chinese video platform with $370 million acquisition of PPSChinese ISP Baidu creates China’s biggest internet video provider with acquisition of PPS for $370 million and merging it with its own service iQiyiChinese intern...

  • FSB hits out at London streets with Parking Crowdmap

    11 Apr 2013 | 5:00 pm
    Federation of Small Businesses runs social media campaign to highlight impact of parking on London's high streetThe Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has today announced a new tool it hopes will tackle what it describes as a ‘burning political ...

  • The British Library to archive a 100 terabytes of web data annually

    8 Apr 2013 | 5:00 pm
    The British Library to archive a 100 terabytes of data annually to capture the webThe British Library five other libraries will archive 100 terabytes of data annually including UK webpages in a preservative initiative called ‘Capturing the Digital...

  • Cyberbullying gets taught a lesson with SUBMIT Documentary Film campaign

    26 Mar 2013 | 5:00 pm
    Cyberbullying gets taught a lesson with SUBMIT Documentary Film campaignProducers and filmmakers use film combined with digital and social media to raise awareness of cyberbullying SUBMIT The Documentary initiative integrates face-to-face connecti...

  • Red Nose Day gets digi-fied

    14 Mar 2013 | 5:00 pm
    Red Nose Day gets digi-fiedToday is officially when the UK goes bonkers for Red Nose Day with the 25 year-old charity providing digital assets to help people fundraise or supportToday is officially when the UK and further a field literally goes bo...
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    idaconcpts.com - Ideas and Concepts from Damian Davila

  • 4 Great Gadgets for Ocean Sports

    Damian Davila
    10 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    Since 2007 I have called Honolulu, Hawaii my home. After traveling around the world for many years, from Ecuador to the United States to Canada to Germany to Italy to Mexico and then back to the United States, I cannot imagine living anywhere else. Living in the island of Oahu, I am surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and I love it. With my wife we love to practice many ocean sports, particularly surfing, stand-up paddle boarding and spearfishing. Based on our ocean adventures here in Hawaii, I recommend these four great gadgets for ocean sports. Underwater Camera If you don’t have a…

  • Ergonomic Consultancy: A Business Opportunity

    Damian Davila
    6 May 2013 | 3:03 pm
    Does this picture seem familiar? It may even reflect how you are sitting right now. Now you may even be rearranging your sitting position as you are reading this. As a blogger and marketing consultant I spend a lot of time sitting down in front of a computer typing away and taking calls. I am guilty of improper posture myself. Since one of my coworkers, who is around of my same age, got diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and had to go through a very invasive surgery, I have taken several steps towards improving the ergonomics from my workspace at both the office and home. In the process of…

  • Pinterest’s List of Imitators – Part 2

    Damian Davila
    5 May 2013 | 8:57 pm
    Here is the second part to the list of Pinterest imitators that have risen to ride on the wave of popularity from the social media site. Trippy The main point of Trippy is to create Pinterest-style boards for travel so that they will help and guide you on your next trip. You connect to the app through Facebook so that the app can find whether your friends are using Trippy and if in the case that they cannot, then they can suggest friends of friends who are using it. Also, the app features a couple of well known artists and travel experts (e.g. Andrew Zimmern), who have saved places in your…

  • Responsive Design is 2013′s Web Design Trend

    Damian Davila
    3 May 2013 | 9:31 pm
    In a May 2013 webinar, Peter Goodman, VP of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, discussed the current state of advertising in the social media space. He took a look at the major advertising platforms on the leading social networks. Goodman explained how social advertising is the hottest topic in advertising, forecasted to reach a $11 billion in the US by 2017, according to BIA/Kelsey in April 2013. He explained that one of the critical decisions for advertisers is what placements to select. Goodman has found that while desktop placements see an engagement of 1 to 3%, mobile placements see over 3%…

  • Younger Consumers Turn Up Digital Music Listening

    Damian Davila
    25 Apr 2013 | 2:40 pm
    As a previous user of Pandora and a current user of Spotify, I understand the increasing trend of U.S. consumers ages 13 to 35 to use digital sources for music listening. While AM/FM radio is still the primary source for music listening, Internet radio (e.g. Pandora, Spotify) is quickly catching up. From the graph above, it becomes obvious that Internet radio will eventually take over AM/FM radio. Where the Digital Music Listeners Are From those tuning in to online music services in the United States, here is an approximate breakdown as of Q4 2012: In another study from the NPD Group released…
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    Forum One Blog Posts - All Blogs

  • The Dream of Drupal Is Alive in Portland

    Kerry Thell
    14 May 2013 | 6:25 am
    Like the ’90s, Drupal really is alive in Portland, the city made popular again from the much-watched TV show, Portlandia. Portland is the homebase for the Drupal Association and host for this year’s DrupalCon, Drupal’s largest North American conference.  Like the ’90s, Drupal really is alive in Portland, the city made popular again from the much-watched TV show, Portlandia. Portland is the homebase for the Drupal Association and host for this year’s DrupalCon, Drupal’s largest North American conference. read more

  • Riccardo de Marchi Trevisan Joins Forum One, Contributes to Expanding International Profile

    Chris Wolz
    10 May 2013 | 7:08 am
    I’m excited to announce that Riccardo de Marchi Trevisan has joined Forum One as a Project Director. In his new role, Riccardo will help us expand Forum One’s work in delivering digital solutions to support organizations focused on international development. Riccardo de Marchi Trevisan has joined Forum One as a Project Director. In his new role, Riccardo will help us expand Forum One’s work in delivering digital solutions to support organizations focused on international development. read more

  • Five Reasons I'm Attending Health Datapalooza

    Jim Cashel
    25 Apr 2013 | 7:10 am
    Health Datapalooza is fast approaching! The event, June 3-4 in Washington DC, is the largest and most consequential national conference focusing on health data.     With everything from a coding sprint to a health data apps expo, everyone has his or her own reasons for attending. My top five reasons for going include: Health Datapalooza is fast approaching! The event, June 3-4 in Washington DC, is the largest and most consequential national conference focusing on health data. read more

  • Drupal is Among the Big Boys in Open Source Communities

    Kurt Voelker
    24 Apr 2013 | 7:32 am
    Black Duck Software recently released the results of its 7th annual “Future of Open Source” survey, and one data point in particular caught my eye. With 613 active distributions from more than 25,000 contributors, the Drupal Community is, in sheer numbers, larger than the world’s most recognized open source projects. read more

  • Center For Global Development Launches Next Generation Website in Drupal

    Michaela Hackner
    22 Apr 2013 | 2:42 pm
    Recently, Forum One and our client, Center for Global Development (CGD), re-launched their website, CGDev.org, as a more intuitive and interactive experience on the content management system Drupal. Recently, Forum One and our client, Center for Global Development (CGD), re-launched their website, CGDev.org, as a more intuitive and interactive experience on the content management system Drupal.   read more
 
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    NowSourcing.Com » Blog

  • It’s a SaaS World

    ashley
    11 May 2013 | 9:00 am
    Courtesy of: ProfitBricks – Cloud Computing 2.0

  • How is Media Affecting Kids?

    ashley
    10 May 2013 | 1:54 pm
    Source: Early Childhood Education Degrees

  • The Love Connection

    ashley
    10 May 2013 | 1:50 pm
    Image compliments of Master of Health Administration Degrees

  • The Placebo Effect

    ashley
    10 May 2013 | 6:14 am
    Source: Nursing School Hub

  • This Week in Infographics #60: Effects

    ashley
    9 May 2013 | 3:08 pm
    This week we’ll be taking a look at a few infographics about how different things affect us, from the placebo effect to love. The first infographic we are going to check out takes a look at the placebo effect. This infographic delves into the history behind this age-old practice and how it really works. Next up, we will look at how media is affecting our kids. Seems like kids of all ages have every form of technology available, from iPhones to tablets kids are being bombarded with different types of media. This infographic focuses on how this is affecting them. Then, we take a look at…
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    Bokardo

  • Justifying fit and finish

    Josh
    2 May 2013 | 6:13 am
    If you’re a product designer this is one of the most important topics you have to deal with. Braden Kowitz of Google Ventures Design, in his recent post Why you should move that button 3px to the left: “Designers notice the gap between functional and delightful, and that’s why we obsess over the little details. But there’s a very real tradeoff between perfecting the design details and building more functionality: getting the details right often means moving slower…So it’s not enough to say “it looks better this way”. Designers need to make a case for why the team…

  • Two goals of giving feedback

    Josh
    1 May 2013 | 6:03 am
    Great post by Zach Holman of Github: You Won’t Regret Positive Feedback: I think our industry does feedback really poorly. I sure as hell do. My first impulse whenever I see a comp is to shit on it. Honestly. Even if it looks great. Especially if it looks great. We instinctively want to pick apart any deficiencies as soon as possible because that’s how product is created. We build things incrementally, chipping away the rough edges until we have a clean polished surface underneath it all. I think that leads to a feeling that being emotional or cruel is actually helpful during…

  • Product design replacing UX?

    Josh
    30 Apr 2013 | 6:02 am
    Product designer David Cole of Quora writes in The Rise of Product Design: “Looking back at the ideas espoused by the UX community, I find their relevance to my work winnowing by the year. Many of the practices seem forged in the fires of consultancy. Advocacy is a repeat theme in UX writing, but is borderline irrelevant when working for a product- and design-centric organization. Similarly, when you have internal stakeholders who understand the design process, you don’t need to worry about constantly building consensus. Deliverables like lengthy specs, comprehensive wireframes,…

  • To flat or not to flat?

    Josh
    24 Apr 2013 | 6:39 am
    Solid piece by Nick Bilton in the New York Times about the trend of flat UI: The Flattening of Design Several thoughts: 1) I’m not convinced that flat UI is a good thing…in my experience it does make UIs seem simpler but often at the expense of visual priority and affordances. Many flat UIs suffer from a very real problem in which clickable elements are not obvious, and often look like non-clickable elements (because everything is flat) 2) Design as news still fascinates me. Three or four years ago you would never have seen an article about a UI design trend like this published in…

  • How Facebook did UX testing for Home

    Josh
    21 Apr 2013 | 7:08 am
    Interesting piece on how Facebook did UX testing for their new Home software. Some of the more interesting bits include: Did most of the testing on Facebook employees (non-design or development) Utilized diary testing to find out about long-term effects of content (initial reaction is often positive, wanted to see how people liked it over time) Testing priority was on first-time user experience Live stream testing that anybody can view in real-time Send out a weekly email to the team with highlights of testing FYI: I’m writing a new book on how to communicate your product or service…
 
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    Collective Thoughts

  • Your Doctor is Drowning in Debt [Infographic]

    Brian Wallace
    17 May 2013 | 1:01 pm
    Over half of undergraduate medical students are in debt and 35 percent of them have between $20,000 and $40,000 in debt. It gets worse, a little over 85 percent of med students and physicians are in debt, with 37 percent of them with over $200,000 in debt. Debt can have a big impact on medical professionals’ life decisions as well. Check out the infographic below presented by StudentDoctor.net to learn more.

  • The Liberalization of TV [Infographic]

    Brian Wallace
    14 May 2013 | 1:52 pm
    The courage of producers to continuously push the envelope has slowly molded television into programming as we know it today. Check out the newest infographic from directtvdeal.com to see a few of the scenes from past shows that made society just a little uncomfortable. Source: The Liberalization of TV

  • How is Media Affecting Kids? [Infographic]

    Brian Wallace
    14 May 2013 | 12:48 pm
    Seems like kids are being overrun with media and technology. What happened to the days where “playing” meant going outside and running around, not sitting at the computer for hours on end. Media and technology is definitely affecting children. Check out the infographic below presented by early-childhood-education-degrees.com to learn about how media and technology affects kids. Source: Early Childhood Education Degrees

  • It’s a SaaS World [Infographic]

    Brian Wallace
    14 May 2013 | 10:59 am
    SaaS is becoming an integrated part of many businesses, but how exactly does it work, what are it’s key drivers, and what does the future look like for cloud computing? Check out this infographic to learn the answers to these questions and more.

  • The Placebo Effect [Infographic]

    Brian Wallace
    10 May 2013 | 1:25 pm
    The world of medicine has experienced significant changes since the discovery of the “Placebo effect” in the 1700s. In this infographic, nursingschoolhub.com details the history of placebo drugs and how they have affected the world of medicine. Source: Nursing School Hub
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    Brian Solis

  • Internal social networks improve communication + collaboration when empowered to do so

    Brian Solis
    17 May 2013 | 4:49 am
    I received an email from my friend at CIO Journal just as I boarded a United flight from Mexico City to San Francisco. He was on deadline and the topic was too good to miss. I’ve spent more than a fair amount of time studying and reporting on the social landscape as it pertained to internal engagement, communication and collaboration. I frantically typed on my iPhone with my thumbs before the door closed. Time was.running.out. With the hit of the send button, the door closed, and I was relieved to know that I made the deadline.  Fast forward….the article recently ran in…

  • New Digital Influencers: The Coming Youthquake

    Brian Solis
    14 May 2013 | 7:32 am
    Elements of inspiration that went on to become my new book, What’s the Future of Business, Changing the Way Businesses Create Experiences Blame it on the youth they say. Indeed, there’s a great assumption that the future of technology falls in the hands of emergent generations. The youth of today will someday represent the majority of consumers, employees and citizens. That’s always the case, but what we don’t yet fully appreciate is just how different young adults think today. We don’t yet understand what it is they value and why. We’ve not yet assimilated how they make decisions…

  • Part 2: The Broken Link of Social Customer Service

    Brian Solis
    9 May 2013 | 8:05 am
    Part Two. An edited excerpt of What’s the Future of Business, Changing the Way Businesses Create Experiences In Part 1 of this series, The First Mile: The Broken Link of Social Media Customer Service, we reviewed the opportunities and challenges that face any business seeking to engage customers in social networks. To become customer-centric requires a culture that supports customer-centricity and an active investment in defining the first mile experience. The first mile of customer engagement is a post-commerce or post-transaction strategy that invests in an ongoing experience to keep…

  • The First Mile: The Broken Link of Social Media Customer Service

    Brian Solis
    7 May 2013 | 7:03 am
      Part One. An edited excerpt of What’s the Future of Business, Changing the Way Businesses Create Experiences For all that social media is doing to change business for the better, it’s not yet enough. Interview any executive and ask them what their priority business goals are for 2013 and I’m sure you’ll see some element of customer-centricity on the list. Yet the challenge that exists for any organization trying to get closer to customers lies in the definition of customer-centricity. If getting closer to customers is a key objective, why do many businesses neglect the…

  • The Imminent Shift from Social to Digital Engagement

    Brian Solis
    29 Apr 2013 | 6:53 am
    How do you define engagement? No matter how you define it, engagement is something that we most likely underestimate. Engagement symbolizes the touches that occur in various moments of truth and this should completely change not only how you engage someone in each moment but also how the inside of your company works with one another to make it frictionless and experiential. Whether a customer stands on the stage of awareness, consideration, purchase, or post purchase, touch points open and close. And, it is in those moments that engagement, regardless of source or shape, affects the next…
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    Geek Girlfriends

  • A Month of Free Yoga and a Yoga Giveaway

    Christina
    8 May 2013 | 1:15 pm
    Need a little “me” time? Trying to squeeze more exercise into a busy life. Me too. I’ve been going to Bikram Yoga lately. It’s crazy. But I’m turning into one of those crazy hot yoga people I once mocked. I wish, though, that I had a room in my house and a source of video classes so I could fit in more of it without the commute. Hot Yoga requires more than just a mat and stretchy pants, though. You need heat and humidity. But now that I’m started on this obsession, maybe I’ll branch out to yoga at normal temperatures. My Yoga Online offers more…

  • NextIssue: Netflix for Magazines

    Christina
    7 May 2013 | 1:07 pm
    I am a magazine addict. I would subscribe to everything I could get my hands on if it weren’t for the clutter. And the cost. So I am thrilled with NextIssue, a all-I-can-read newsstand for my tablet. I run the Windows 8 app. But it is available for Android Tablets and iPads. For one price ($10 or $15 depending on plan), every magazine I want shows up on my tablet the minute it arrives on newsstands. (This is the digital version of the print magazine, not the magazine’s Web site or a subset of the print version.) Here’s a video of the Windows 8 app in action: I can read…

  • Going to College via Tablet

    Christina
    16 Apr 2013 | 9:53 am
    My son will soon be a high school senior soon. So whenever he is willing to talk to his parents, we discuss where he wants to go and how he’s going to get there. I loved college. And he seems to be dreading it. So I’m jealous that he gets to go and I don’t. But since I have a job, car, house, and family I don’t think dropping everything to get a degree in Philosophy is in the immediate cards. But that’s okay. I think I can fit some liberal arts in by cutting down on TV and email. All I really need is a laptop or tablet and a Web browser or iTunes U. The secret, as in most…
 
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    Dan Zarrella

  • [Infographic] Exclamation Points Get More Retweets, but Fewer Clicks

    Dan Zarrella
    13 May 2013 | 9:10 pm
    For more social media data like this, order my latest book “The Science of Marketing” now! In response to a tweeted question from Rand Fishkin I decided to take a quick look at the relationship between exclamation points in tweets and retweets and clicks. I used a dataset of more than 2 million link-containing tweets sent by accounts with at least 1,000 followers and found something interesting. Tweets with exclamation points got more retweets-per-follower, but fewer clicks-per-follower. Tweet This! Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Share this on Reddit Stumble upon…

  • New Data Shows the 7 Most Powerful Calls-to-Action for More Retweets

    Dan Zarrella
    6 May 2013 | 9:14 pm
    For more social media data like this, order my latest book “The Science of Marketing” now! I’m a big fan of social calls-to-action. Previously, I’ve found evidence that they work on Facebook and Twitter. So I wanted to expand my research and see if I could find more words and phrases that were good at spurring people to social action. Using a huge data set of more than 2.7 million Tweets provided to me by the awesome folks at Buffer, I analyzed the use of calls-to-action (like “please retweet”) and their relationship to retweets. To control for number of…

  • New Data Shows the Importance of Hashtags on Instagram

    Dan Zarrella
    29 Apr 2013 | 10:19 pm
    For more social media data like this, order my latest book “The Science of Marketing” now! One of the quickest growing social media platforms on the web at the moment is Instagram, but there’s a lack of marketing data about it. I decided to collect data on just over 1 million images posted to the site and found several interesting takeaways. The first, which you’ll find in the infographic below, is the importance of hashtags. Not only do images that include hashtags get more likes than images that do not, there are certain hashtags that are correlated with more likes…

  • My Data Shows Email Popups Work and Don’t Hurt

    Dan Zarrella
    24 Jun 2012 | 10:26 pm
    I’ve had several conversations with marketers about email subscription popups like the one new visitors to my site see. Many of the most experienced and results focused are in favor, but there are some “marketing gurus” who are very vocal in their opposition. Never one to leave a debate like this to gut feeling and guesswork, I decided to actually look at my own stats to see what story they had to tell. These stats are from a single data point, this site. Your site may be different, you should experiment with any tactic like this to see if it works for you, don’t just…

  • [Infographic] How to Get More Likes, Comments and Shares on Facebook

    Dan Zarrella
    18 Jun 2012 | 11:00 pm
    In preparation for our attempt to break last year’s Guinness World record for largest webinar ever–July 12th’s Science of Inbound Marketing–I’ve been collecting piles and piles of new marketing data. One area I focused on recently was Facebook. I collected data on more than 1.3 million posts published on the top 10,000 pages to put together this infographic to help you get more likes, comments and shares on your Facebook posts. For more marketing data like this, be sure to register for the Science of Inbound Marketing. Tweet This! Share this on Facebook Share…
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    Bazaarvoice blog

  • Who are the real product experts: Brands, consumers, or media?

    Tara DeMarco
    16 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    Expert opinions can carry more influence in purchase decisions than others. Not always, of course, but in some situations. Home Depot launched a new video series last month featuring an expert influencer, Martha Stewart, to inspire new home gardening projects and steer viewers toward certain products. In “Ask Martha” videos, she answers some of the most-asked questions across categories, pulled from the brand’s consumer Q&A on the brand site. And in “Learn & Do” videos, she walks viewers through do-it-yourself projects like home organization and gardening. It’s a great…

  • Connected Perspectives: Mike Maples, Jr., FLOODGATE founder

    Ian Greenleigh
    15 May 2013 | 7:01 am
    “Social networking, and social media, and user-generated content allow the act of marketing to not be an art of war, but an art of syndicating the truth,” says Mike Maples, Jr., founder and managing partner at FLOODGATE Fund, LP. In the next installments of our video series, Connected Perspectives, Mike describes how the next wave of technologies, our ever-increasing connectedness, and the evolving nature of marketing are changing the way businesses must operate to stay alive. First, he observes that technology waves affect everyone, while advancing the standard of living “across the…

  • Digital Darwinism: Brian Solis on surviving in a market evolving too quickly to keep up

    Natalie Barnard
    14 May 2013 | 7:58 am
    The message today is the same as it was 10 years ago: Your most important customer is the one you already have. But the tactics through which you retain, satisfy, and impress your current customers have dramatically changed. It’s critical, as a business, to go beyond traditional marketing to integrating customer service and marketing in order to create a customer experience before people even try your product or service… and long after they have tried it. Many companies cannot keep up with what Altimeter Group analyst and author Brian Solis has termed “Digital Darwinism,” which is…

  • Moms trust each other over anyone else – how to influence social, mobile mothers

    Scott Bonneau
    13 May 2013 | 7:02 am
    The saying “Mother knows best” now extends to social media and brand recommendations. More moms than ever before are active on social media, and they aren’t shy about writing about products or interacting with brands they like. Moms also turn to other moms for advice on shopping and products, making them some of the most influential and social consumers. Moms are ubersocial  The vast majority of moms (91%) make regular use of social media, which is a 20% increase from 2010. Mothers are not only using social media more often than ever, they are also using it more than the…

  • Rethink shopper marketing for a mobile, digital world

    Scott Williams
    9 May 2013 | 7:02 am
    What if you could have an adviser with you every time you shop that tells you what product is good and what product is a dud? You do. It’s on your smartphone. Let me introduce you to Trevor and Jane, fictional expecting parents. They’re deciding which diaper pail to choose. Jane uses her iPhone while in the store to scan UPC codes of each diaper pail to compare online prices, in-store prices and, more importantly, owner reviews. She doesn’t want a diaper pail that, well, stinks. Now imagine you’re a major family care brand advertiser with a product relevant to expecting parents, and…
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    Beth’s Blog

  • Get the Scoop at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington, DC in June #NCVS

    Beth
    15 May 2013 | 2:32 pm
    Note from Beth: I’ve just finished doing some social media workshops in New Zealand with Volunteering Auckland and now in Australia.  Next month,  I will be traveling to Washington, DC for the NCVS Conference and can’t wait.  I will be doing  a panel on using social media as part of volunteer recruitment.   While I’m still “down under,”  Michelle Nunn agreed to share this guest post about conference highlight   Get the Scoop at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington, DC #NCVS guest post by Michelle Nunn I’m eager to let…

  • A Dog Named Red Helps Best Friends Animal Society Get Results on Facebook

    Beth
    14 May 2013 | 2:28 pm
    Note from Beth: Greetings from the Gold Coast in Australia.  I’m here to keynote Connecting Up Conference,  While I am in OZ,  I invited Jon Stahl to share this amazing case study.   Enjoy For several years now, nonprofits have been investing time, energy and money building Facebook pages and working to engage supporters on Facebook. Unfortunately, as Beth has pointed out , Facebook doesn’t always make it easy to generate meaningful and measurable results that drive your mission or your bottom line. About a year ago, Facebook began rolling out a series of important changes, most…

  • #datanerds: Six Steps to Great Graphs and Charts

    Beth
    10 May 2013 | 11:14 am
    Source: Gemma Correll – I Love Charts Note from Beth: I just knew that I was going to start obsessing about charts and graphs after my Excel spreadsheet obsessions started.  I thought if I set up a tumblr blog curating great nonprofit spreadsheets, but the next logical step is create visualizations of your data.  What better way than in Excel.    I got into a wonderful conversation with Stephanie Evergreen, another nonprofit datanerd who loves spreadsheets who offered to write up this guest post about how to create the perfect graph. Six Steps to Great Graphs By Stephanie Evergreen…

  • Transmedia — Making Change Across Mediums

    Beth
    9 May 2013 | 8:06 am
      Note From Beth: I’m on my way to Australia and New Zealand lead a series of workshops on Networked Nonprofits and Measurement, culminating with a keynote at this year’s ConnectingUp Conference in Australia, so expect to see a few interesting guest posts. I caught up with Danny Alpert at the NTC Conference in Minneapolis, MN where he briefed me on how he is using a “Transmedia” strategy to raise awareness and funding to support homeless services. He graciously agreed to pen this guest post while I was in transit to “down under.” Enjoy. Transmedia…

  • The Networked NGO in Australia and New Zealand: Te Ao Maori

    Beth
    8 May 2013 | 10:17 am
    Flickr Photo by TomtheJet I’m headed to New Zealand and Australia to facilitate workshops in both countries and to keynote the ConnectingUp Conference (Australia’s version of the Nonprofit Technology Conference).   I am excited for a return visit to Australia.   I delivered the keynote there in 2008 and taught a workshop, “Take Me To The Social Web.”     One of the workshop participants was Stephen Blyth of Common Knowledge - a long time nonprofit capacity builder and trainer – who invited me to come over to New Zealand to facilitate some workshops to NGOs…
 
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    Chris Heuer's Insytes

  • Invaluable Advisors, Off to a Great Start

    cheuer
    29 Apr 2013 | 7:10 pm
    In the world of startups, a great advisory board is often used to demonstrate to potential investors that you know people who will let you use their name, which in today’s market conditions, probably means you can get a better chance of getting into an incubator/accelerator and might be able to convince some other first [...]

  • Seeking Co-Founders for My New Startup

    cheuer
    9 Apr 2013 | 6:19 pm
    So I am finally making some of the information about the startup I am developing public, starting with the company profile on Angels List and a simple list of the co-founder roles I am seeking to fill. While in stealth, I am operating under AdHocnium until we go public with the name and the alpha [...]

  • Moving on from Deloitte, Returning to Independent Startup Life

    cheuer
    8 Mar 2013 | 2:04 pm
    Today is my last day working for Deloitte Digital/Deloitte Consulting as a Specialist Leader focused on Social Business and Digital Strategy. I will be hanging out with my soon to be former colleagues a little bit at our Deloitte Lounge here at SxSW later today and enjoying the rest of SxSWi and all the #badgeless [...]

  • Egypt: More Than the Power of the Network, It’s Also Pervasive, Simple and Cheap

    cheuer
    30 Jan 2011 | 10:12 am
    Broadly I agree with Matthew Ingram in his post It’s Not Twitter or Facebook, It’s the Power of the Network, though I think the Foreign Policy columnist Evgeny Morozov he cites is missing the point. It is seemingly clear that the tools, and Social Media broadly, played a crucial role in changing the rules of [...]

  • I’ve Joined Deloitte Consulting LLP

    cheuer
    26 Jan 2011 | 4:20 pm
    Since a few of my colleagues at Deloitte began tweeting about it Monday night, and my friend Luke Fretwell (founder of GovFresh) retweeted it yesterday, I realized the cat was out of the bag and I couldn’t wait any longer to talk about it myself. So I mentioned it briefly last night at our Social [...]
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    Blogworks: India Social Media, Brand Consulting, Marketing, Strategy, Brand Consulting, Branding, Insights, Research, Brands for the future

  • Creative Commons 101

    Anurag Bhattacharyya
    12 May 2013 | 9:50 pm
    There is so much creativity out there. We continuously walk towards excellence and improving our projects. Photography, fonts, music and code are perfect examples. Looking for objects and existing implementations is often quicker and more practical than creating  your own. For professionals, understanding the boundaries of a license is critical; with this knowledge, one would be surprised by what is available.  Creative Commons provides an appreciated source for the modern ‘cut and paste’ culture that has been neglected by traditional copyright law. The necessity for content management…

  • Video case study: Harley-Davidson India celebrates 110 years of Freedom on social

    admin
    3 May 2013 | 3:21 am
    Harley-Davidson India’s  celebrates 110 Years of Freedom on social. The celebration was marked by the biggest event in Harley-Davidson India’s history – the first National H.O.G. Rally in Goa, from  31 January to 3 February, 2013. To amplify the event further, since the entire community couldn’t be with us in Goa, we took the celebrations to them via Facebook.  To create buzz and build anticipation for the event, an exciting cover photo campaign was initiated. We also shared live content from the event, in the form of quotes from the participants, photographs…

  • Infographic: Allen Solly’s End of Season Sale application – earning through Facebook

    admin
    2 May 2013 | 5:20 am
    We created an infographic on Allen Solly’s End of Season Sale application that shows how the Blogworks Three ‘I’ Model - Insights  Intimacy and Income – was the focus behind putting together an application that was able to translate the engagement with fans and customers online into sales at physical stores for Allen Solly and achieve an unprecedented ROI in the process. You can also read the detailed case study here.

  • Conducting a workshop at the Sankalp Unconvention 2013

    admin
    30 Apr 2013 | 3:55 am
    We were invited to conduct a workshop on the topic ‘Social Media: Going Beyond The Obvious’ at the Sankalp Unconvention 2013 in Mumbai, said to be the the Kumbh Mela of Social Entrepreneurship in India. The presentation was in two parts, The Content Challenge and The Engagement Challenge. Do read through

  • Allen Solly presents the ‘Vogue School of Style’

    admin
    30 Apr 2013 | 3:20 am
    Allen Solly, in association with Vogue magazine, organised a fashion-focused event in Mumbai, that showcased the most popular trends of the season. Called the ‘School of Style’, the event brought together fashion bloggers and experts to discuss everything fashion – wardrobe essentials, must-have accessories, how to shop smart, and the best ways to blend Spring/Summer staples in their daily look. The platform served to showcase Allen Solly’s Spring-Summer 2013 collection, and was a palpable hit with the city’s fashionistas. Allen Solly played the role of the…
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    Social Media Dudes - Internet & Mobile Marketing Strategies

  • Spring Cleaning

    Dennis
    21 Apr 2013 | 2:43 pm
    The Social Media Dudes are doing some spring cleaning. Our website is going to be down for a few days.  We are in the process of making some major changes – for the better.  So don’t freak out if you happen to land on a “coming soon” page here in the next few days.  We’ll [...] Related posts: Social Media Spring Cleaning – 5 Tips Social Media Spring Cleaning – 5 Tips So it’s not... QR Codes: Put A Spring Into Mobile QR Codes.  Some people love them.  Some people hate them. ... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts…

  • QR Codes: Put A Spring Into Mobile

    Dennis
    11 Mar 2013 | 2:25 pm
    QR Codes.  Some people love them.  Some people hate them.  Some people swear by them.  Some people laugh at them. Having said that – most people have no idea what a QR Code is.  We LOVE QR Codes.  We see endless possibilities for the average small business owner to leverage this technology to develop new [...] Related posts: The 5 Step Mobile Marketing Blueprint We all keep hearing how hot mobile is. AllthingsD reported... Social Media Spring Cleaning – 5 Tips Social Media Spring Cleaning – 5 Tips So it’s not... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related…

  • How To Build Instant Trust On Your Website

    Dennis
    10 Mar 2013 | 7:48 am
    We all understand trust is not built instantly. Right? So what do we mean when we talk about building instant trust on a website? Well, here goes 2,500+ words, 13 images, lots of stats and even an infographic to explain why it is important to have clear trust indicators on your site, several ways to [...] Related posts: How to Speed Up Your WordPress Site Is your blog slow? Do you want to improve the... Website Development Social Media Dudes is all about creating and improving online... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

  • Quick LinkedIn Checkup

    Dennis
    3 Mar 2013 | 4:05 pm
    By Charles Mburugu LinkedIn is the world’s leading professional social network. With a membership of almost 80 million, it has become a popular marketing tool for many businesses and individuals. Here are some tips which will help you make the most out of LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn Profile Your LinkedIn profile is basically an online resume. [...] Related posts: 4 Ways to Profit From LinkedIn Are you a LinkedIn newbie? Do you struggle to network... 7 Things You\’re Doing Wrong on LinkedIn Most professionals use the social networking site in some capacity–but... 7 Ways to Prospect…

  • Social Media Spring Cleaning – 5 Tips

    Dennis
    2 Mar 2013 | 6:31 am
    Social Media Spring Cleaning – 5 Tips So it’s not quite spring but we’re getting there.  When we think of spring we think of spring cleaning.  Here are 5 tips that will help you with your 2013 social media spring cleaning: 1)  Don’t forget that your website and blog are part of your social media.  [...] Related posts: 5 Tips for Avoiding Social Media Burnout I often hear from people that they have social media... 8 Tips for Using Facebook Scheduled Posts   8 Tips for Using Facebook Scheduled Posts Are you... 9 Facebook Marketing Tips From Top Experts Are you…
 
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    Soshable | Social Media Blog

  • Facebook is Feeling “Emotion” About Watching “Film”

    Lewis Austin
    18 May 2013 | 12:32 pm
    Facebook has brought out a brilliant new addition to status updates that was desperately needed. Prepare for your news feed to be flooded with emoticons and more than likely irrelevant adjectives. Without being too cynical, I’d like to bring to the forefront that MySpace had this feature back in the day, and if I remember correctly, there were a lot more emotions too choose from. In fairness, I think there are too many choices as there is. Please someone explain the definition of feeling “meh”. For a business, this feature is almost useless, however there are some parts of…

  • Avoid KGB Fan Acquisition and Algo-Buster Techniques Like the Plague

    JD Rucker
    17 May 2013 | 6:26 pm
    The KBG. Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti. The Committee for State Security for the former Soviet Union was one of the most feared agencies in history. Thankfully, this post isn’t about them. Here, we’re going to talk about a different type of KGB, the type that is plaguing social media on pages across the internet, hurting businesses and striking fear into the hearts of knowledgeable internet marketing professionals around the world. It’s the type of bad posts that were once thought to be effective but that have been debunked time and time again, yet so many businesses…

  • Getting More Facebook Fans is NOT the Key to Social Success

    JD Rucker
    17 May 2013 | 12:02 pm
    I’m not a broken record, at least I’m not trying to be. It seems that I’ve covered this topic from different angles a lot lately, but it’s simply that important to understand. In business in general and in automotive marketing in particular, getting more Facebook fans is a very low priority compared to reaching more people. This seems to be counter-intuitive. One might argue that getting more fans on Facebook is the way to reach more people, but they dynamics of the social network make it to where this isn’t the case. A page can be extremely successful and reach…

  • Role of Social Networking Websites in Blogging

    Brianne Walter
    17 May 2013 | 1:38 am
    Blogging is an easy way to express your views and reach out to the world. People usually connect with blogs and their content as they do not preach. The language of blogs is mostly in simple English and easy going which further helps people to connect with the blog content easily. Another form of social media is social networking websites. These websites help you to build social network, connect with new friends, keep in touch with old friends, build social relations among people, etc. Nowadays social networking sites not only help you connect with other people but they also help in various…

  • 2nd Annual NBA Social Media Awards Ceremony to be Held June 12 on NBA TV

    Mike Sherman
    16 May 2013 | 5:03 pm
    On Wednesday June 12, Chris Webber will be hosting the 2nd Annual NBA Social Media Awards, which will be televised live on NBA TV at 8 P.M. Players and celebrities will be making appearances at the awards show as well.  The awards will recognize players, teams, and fans for their engagement on social media during the 2012-2013 regular season. The awards take into account activity on platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram among others. Four new awards are being added on to those that were given out last year. There is the #TrendSetter Award for the most stylish players…
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    Brains On Fire Blog

  • A Beautiful Space

    Katie Scully
    16 May 2013 | 7:02 am
    I feel fortunate to have grown up in a beautiful place. When I was younger, my family and I would take the train from the suburbs and head north to the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago. I was surrounded by beauty. Even in the dead of winter, the snow gently fell on hundred-year-old buildings, historic landmarks, and bridges over icy water. The city was, and still is, beautiful. At first it seemed trivial, just another silly way to boast why you, or your city, is better than another. In some cases that might be true. Florence, Italy came from a place of arrogant opulence. So much money…

  • Being ‘Wholehearted’

    Emily Everhart
    15 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    I regularly get lost down a proverbial rabbit hole on the Internet. I start Googling a restaurant’s hours of operation and end up watching 40 dogs-running-in-their-sleep videos YouTube (meet Bizkit here), then ordering new glasses. Sometimes these ‘trips’ are expensive and sometimes they are incredibly valuable. Today was the latter. This TED Talk dates back to 2010 and you may have already seen it, but it’s one I’ve never come across before and is now my favorite. The featured speaker Brené Brown is a researcher of human connection. What a fascinating thing to consider from a…

  • Diving into to life.

    Robbin
    14 May 2013 | 4:41 am
    Photo from my friend Libby Williams I’ve been struggling a bit lately. Having just come off a long stretch of helping craft and co-author a book called The Passion Conversation, I have that sort of post angst that comes from hitting a huge milestone and finishing a fun project. It was remarkable to be able to think so intently about something I care so deeply about. Writing for this new book actually caused me to stop and really think about my own passions, my own calling. Am I really following my passions? Oh, I have plenty that I’m passionate about. Seeking happiness and…

  • When someone responds

    Katie Scully
    10 May 2013 | 6:41 am
    I have to brag. I feel loved. On three separate occasions, I “spoke” with four different people from Crate&Barrel. Five if you include the supervisor. I’m in wedding registry mode. It’s been interesting. But this is not a rant, I promise. It’s a reminder that people are awesome. First impression: if you call the customer service number and there is a wait, they offer to call you back. They recognize your time is valuable. How considerate. Anthony, my first C&B friend, was incredibly kind. He even called me back, twice, after he spoke with his IT team.

  • Focus on what’s right in front of you

    Nathan
    9 May 2013 | 10:10 am
    For the past couple of weeks I’ve been watching the tech world go back and forth about Google’s latest creation, Google Glass. It’s been announced for a while, but the product has actually been shipped out to the lottery winners who wanted to pay 1500 bucks to test it out. If you’re not familiar with the product, it’s essentially a computer that you wear on your face like a pair of glasses. It projects a heads up display in the corner of your vision that enables you to see the weather, get directions, take video or pictures, you get the idea. Once you look past the privacy issues…
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    Shai Coggins

  • Still: May 2013 Theme

    Shai Coggins
    4 May 2013 | 6:19 am
    “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” - Lao Tzu Over the last few years, the month of May has become a tough month for me. Tomorrow is my late dad’s birthday. In a few days’ time, we will be commemorating the fifth year anniversary of his passing. About this time last year, I also had to say goodbye to a job I once loved*. It seems to me that I can’t go through this month without tears. Admittedly, I’m already wiping some away as I write this, especially as I re-read some old posts (and comments) like the ones I’ve linked to, as…

  • 5 Books of the Month

    Shai Coggins
    26 Apr 2013 | 5:08 am
    The month is almost over and I realised that I haven’t had the chance to share with you my latest reads since February. And, since I haven’t done a Friday Five in a while as well, I thought I’d combine them in this post. Is that clever or just lazy? Anyway, here are the five books to cover my March and April 2013 reads: 1. Prodigy by Marie Lu Prodigy is Book Two of the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu. I’ve been meaning to write about the Legend series since I first came across it last year. The basic premise: Legend/Prodigy is in the YA dystopian genre. It is similar to…

  • Gelli Arts Gelatin Plate: Creative Gadget of the Moment

    Shai Coggins
    22 Apr 2013 | 7:08 am
    When it comes to art-making, I go through different phases. I love mixed media most of all, of course. That’s why I’m such an art skill and creative tools hoarder. They all tend to be very useful for bringing depth in to my mixed media work. But yes, I go through different favourites at any given time. Right now, I am very much in love with gelatin printmaking. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that I fell in love with gel monotype printmaking, as I’ve got a bit of a thing for all things printmaking. Even though my last printmaking experiments were done around 6 years ago, when…

  • Weekend Wonder: Exploration

    Shai Coggins
    19 Apr 2013 | 4:35 am
    Being a life explorer is something that I wish I can be more of. But, I seem to have become more and more risk averse as I grow older. Slowly settling in to this strangely alluring thing called “the comfort zone”. I have begun to like it there, you see. It’s easier. Less scary. So, even if I know that the explorer in me will sooner or later knock me on the head, I make myself at home in my comfort zone. Lately, though, I am finding more and more reasons to get out of that comfort zone to explore. Of course, when we talk explorations, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with…

  • An Epic Birthday

    Shai Coggins
    11 Apr 2013 | 7:01 am
    As far as birthdays go, this year has got to take the award for the most epic, most spoilt birthday in my 39 years of existence. At least, in my memory anyway. Some of you might know that I have a strange history when it comes to celebrating my birthday. Last year, however, I decided to start changing my attitude by holding my first fundraiser + celebrating with new friends and some fabulous strangers in San Francisco. I also had a small belated celebration with the family when I returned to Adelaide as well. It was wonderful! This year, I wanted to recreate all that. But, I thought I needed…
 
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    Social Media Marketing

  • This Week in Social Media – 5/15/2013

    Scott Monty
    15 May 2013 | 1:31 pm
    A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry. Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep our wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links. If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in the This Week in Social…

  • This Week in Social Media – 5/8/2013

    Scott Monty
    8 May 2013 | 10:08 pm
    A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep our wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links.If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in the This Week in Social…

  • Must-Not-See TV

    Scott Monty
    7 May 2013 | 8:33 pm
    It wasn't all that long ago that we viewed TV by appointment. NBC's "Must-See TV" lineup of Thursday nights included legendary shows like The Cosby Show, Seinfeld and Cheers, among others, and audiences turned out in droves to see them.Things are drastically different now, as you know. Beyond DVRs and on-demand viewing, we now have online options that include Netflix, Hulu and others, and cable providers like Xfinity, DirecTV and Dish Networks, not to mention specialty apps like HBO Go. We not only have a wide variety in when we view our shows, but where we watch them as well.At the same…

  • This Week in Social Media – 5/1/2013

    Scott Monty
    1 May 2013 | 7:27 pm
    A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep the wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links.If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in my new This Week in…

  • This Week in Social Media – 4/24/2013

    Scott Monty
    23 Apr 2013 | 10:29 pm
    A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep the wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links. If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in my new This Week…
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    Ignite Social Media

  • Social You Should Know: Google+ Updates and YouTube Live Streaming

    Jim Tobin
    17 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    With our company's famous Mystery Trip kicking off Friday, here is this week's Social You Should Know with a heavy emphasis on the folks at Google and some changes they rolled out this week. Google+ Gets 41 Updates Google has long said that they are in the G+ business for the long haul, and Wednesday's announcement of 41 updates gave credence to that. Google+ now has an improved multi-column stream, improved photo editing and sharing, automatically added hashtags and more socially centered Google maps. They also announced a new way to get brand logos into search results, similar to the…

  • 7 Ways Jetsetter Used Pinterest to Grow Their Brand

    Amie
    16 May 2013 | 6:53 am
    Though pint-sized compared to other social platforms, Pinterest offers businesses the greatest ROI of all social networks. Why? Because Pinterest is relatively young and its audience is already primed for making online purchases. Consider the statistics: YouTube delivers 2 billion views per day Facebook has 850 million monthly users Twitter boasts 200 million users LinkedIn connects 100 million business users With less than 30 million unique monthly users, Pinterest definitely has the smallest audience. Despite its youth, Pinterest delivers targeted traffic that brands desire because 83…

  • The ROI of Empathy

    Chris Badders
    14 May 2013 | 8:10 am
    When dealing with a market as competitive as the current one, the bottom line can sometimes trump the demands of your followers. However, as I learned in a webinar from Social Today, you can get excellent ROI by focusing on your customers. Webinar Summary The two main speakers were Executive Consultant for Marketing and Internet Services for Kaiser Permanente Tim Kieschnick and Senior Vice President of Customer Experience for Fidelity Personal and Workplace Investing Parrish Arturi. Both work within industries, finance and health insurance respectively, that are increasingly toeing the…

  • Social You Should Know: Social Video is Changing Rapidly

    Jim Tobin
    12 May 2013 | 4:51 pm
    Two big shifts in what social media means and more data on Facebook ad performance in this week's Social You Should Know. Highly Shared Vines Creeping Into Brand Marketing Plans New research from Unruly Media shows that branded Vines are shared four times more often than branded Internet videos. They also found that four percent of the top Vines came from brands, while only one percent of the top viral videos were from brands. Vine is now only 100 days old, but big brands are starting to see some success. I suspect that the spread is because a six second, ad-free Vine is a much smaller…

  • 10 Most Popular YouTube Channels by Subscribers

    Craig Carter
    9 May 2013 | 5:30 am
    It's been a while since we last updated our list of the top 10 YouTube channels with the most subscribers. So, here they are as of May 9, 2013: 10. Movies YouTube's own channel where you can buy and rent movies online has cracked the Top 10 list. I have to say I'm a little confused as to what the benefit of subscribing is. There is no original content that you can view for free. Maybe YouTube has plans to change that. 9. One Direction VEVO One Direction wins the efficiency award with the lowest amount of videos (70) of any channel in the top 10. Despite not having published a video in over a…
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    Technosailor.com

  • I hate social networking

    Aaron
    1 May 2013 | 5:21 pm
    I hate social networking. I despise it. All of it. For me it’s a tool (like me, some would say). “But, Aaron. You have 1500 friends on Facebook and nearly 10,000 on Twitter. You’re lying.” Oh but I’m not. I used to love social networking. I used to travel to conferences where other social media people were just to, in hindsight, make myself look more like a stud. That’s why there are so many. I’ve dated or slept with social media women just for access. I’ve been that guy at SXSW that, as a former Austinite, I now mock. That one cutting to the…

  • Two-Factor Authentication: What it is and Why You Should be Using it Now

    Aaron
    26 Apr 2013 | 8:46 am
    Photo by m thierry on Flickr.Not too long ago, WordPress sites around the world started getting attacked with automated botnet traffic trying to brute force admin passwords. The other day, the official Twitter account of the Associated Press was hacked. Last year, Wired reporter Mat Honan was hacked when his Amazon account was compromised. That compromise allowed an attacker to access his Apple ID which gave him access to Mat’s Google account which, in turn, let the attacker into Twitter. Email, in my opinion, is the gateway to identity theft. It’s bad if your Twitter or website…

  • WordPress Hacking and Cleanup

    Aaron
    12 Apr 2013 | 4:34 pm
    There’s a brute force attack underway on a global scale. Massive. The attack vector? Keep attempting user/pass combos in an automated way until a breakin happens. If your WordPress site gets hacked, I am available for cleanup and an audit. Aaron@technosailor.com It absolutely will cost you a minor fortune. That’s the way it goes. Don’t complain or whine, just get your credit card out. It would be cheaper to have a strong password and install a plugin that limits failed login attempts though. But if you don’t, rest assured I can help you despite you having to postpone a…

  • Abusing Twitter Direct Messages, Spam and Classlessness

    Aaron
    11 Apr 2013 | 8:01 am
    This morning I received a Twitter direct message from the official account for I hate JJ Reddick, one of the best Baltimore sports blogs I know of. I like these guys. I read the blog almost every day and follow many of the writers on Twitter. I live in Baltimore, or as we call it… “Smalltimore”. It’s a small town. You get to know people. You run into them all the time. (To be fair, I have yet to personally meet any of them, but it’s only a matter of time. Most of the writers are one degree of separation away.) As a Ravens fan, I am on board with them. I’m a…

  • Sublime 2 Power Tools

    Aaron
    28 Mar 2013 | 7:24 am
    This is a very advanced technical article. For years, as a developer, I used the fantastic Textmate software for writing code. I got used to it. It’s a power editor for Mac OS X and has bundle support (think of bundles as extensions or plugins) that enhance the functionality of the software) for just about every technology, from Subversion to Git to a bunch of things I don’t use in a PHP environment like C/C++ mallloc (memory allocation), Python, Ruby, etc. It’s even got a WordPress bundle! The problem with Textmate, however, is that active development is slow. Like,…
 
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    The Social Customer Manifesto

  • Understanding what customers really care about

    Christopher Carfi
    1 May 2013 | 12:31 pm
    When I was invited to join Swipp earlier this year, I was blown away with the opportunity. I’m fortunate to be part of an experienced team that’s working on a tough, interesting problem – creating a new way to answer the age-old question of “who cares?” (Not only that, but it’s a blast getting a chance to help build an entire platform and ecosystem, not just another app.) We launched our consumer offering back in January and have been receiving great feedback. Since then, we’ve been heads-down making sure that our business customers can tap into the…

  • Street Use

    Christopher Carfi
    24 Mar 2013 | 4:57 pm
      When do we lose our creativity? At what age do we stop seeing possibility, and start only seeing what’s being shown and fed to us? I was at a neighborhood park today and it was packed. The swings were swinging. The teeter-totter was teetering and tottering. The jungle gym was…jungling. The water fountain had a line of kids filling up water balloons. They were filling them up, inventing games and having a great old time. The buzz was palpable. I looked a little more closely, and realized the water balloons weren’t actually water balloons. They were plastic bags. They…

  • The Age of Social Intelligence

    Christopher Carfi
    19 Feb 2013 | 11:49 am
    Current point of view on where social intelligence is headed. Would love your thoughts, comments and feedback! Are we on the right track? Age of Social Intelligence from Swipp

  • The Top Five Superbowl Ads (2013)

    Christopher Carfi
    4 Feb 2013 | 7:01 am
    The top five SuperBowl commercials, according to the Swipp community: (All commercials ranked by their Swipp Index -5 to +5, +5 being the best) Tide Stain Saver (+4.6) NFL: Leon Sandcastle (+4.0) Budweiser Clydesdales (+3.9) Gopro (+3.5) Dodge Ram: Paul Harvey (+3.4) Rounding out the top group were Mercedes, Oreo, Audi, Taco Bell and Kia. Mercedes-Benz: The Devil (+3.2) Oreo (+3.2) Audi – Have Fun Tonight – Black Eye (+3.2) Taco Bell – Live Mas (+3.2) Kia Forte: Respect The Tech (+3.2) You can see all the results here: http://swipperbowl.swipp.com. More commentary on how…

  • Thank you, Dr. King

    Christopher Carfi
    21 Jan 2013 | 7:09 am
    (The part you know starts around 12:10.)
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    @KokaSexton | Social Selling Expert | Social Marketing

  • A LinkedIn Birthday, Great Pictures and Some Awesome Tweets of the Week

    Koka Sexton
    3 May 2013 | 7:45 pm
    It was a busy week and now that it’s Friday I’m reflecting on some of my favorite moments from social media. I’ve made some nice strides at LinkedIn and some of my work is beginning to pay off. I met some great people in the company this week about how to leverage my talent to help some causes (more on that soon) and I continue to feel blessed that I got a role in a company that gives me the opportunity to grow and help others. I’m also pretty excited for the LinkedIn Cinco de Mayo party this weekend. Happy Birthday LinkedIn! View the story “Favorite Tweets of…

  • A Busy Week of Events: #S20C #MUS13 and #LISalesConnect

    Koka Sexton
    14 Apr 2013 | 6:02 am
    It was a busy week for me. I was part of three separate events in San Francisco. First was the Sales 2.0 Conference, then I spoke with Jason Miller at the Marketo User Summit on the best practices of using social media for lead generation and then the biggest event of all (for me) was the LinkedIn Sales Connect event. It’s always fun and exciting when I get to go up on stage and talk to people about social media and how it can be applied for measurable business results. Big thanks to Marketo for inviting me to your user conference and letting me be a part of the sessions. All of the…

  • An #inDay with Sheryl Sandberg and Gina Bianchini

    Koka Sexton
    31 Mar 2013 | 4:18 pm
    InDay is a special day at LinkedIn where employees are given a chance to be creative and work on inspirational projects. All employees and interns are encouraged to participate and interact across the organization. We also have inDay speakers who come in and talk about a cause or project. You can see a list of past LinkedIn inDay speakers on Twitter here. I missed Gavin Newsom when he came to the office but I did win the seat lottery with Sheryl Sandberg and Gina Bianchi. This is a breakdown of the tweets during the inDay event. View the story “#inDay with @sherylsandberg @ginab…

  • A Surge of Social Selling Experts

    Koka Sexton
    25 Mar 2013 | 8:40 pm
    One thing I have noticed over the past year is an increase in the number of people adding some variation of “Social Selling Expert” in their LinkedIn profiles or creating a website that has this highlighted. I don’t presume to think I should know who all of them are but there are a few that I’ve dug a little deeper into and found very little evidence that they are experts or have contributed much in the domain of Social Selling. So I am wondering if social selling is just being used as a buzz word or something different than my interpretation   I thought…

  • 10 Great Posts about #LinkedIn Company Pages

    Koka Sexton
    24 Mar 2013 | 12:09 pm
    If your customers use LinkedIn (Which I’m sure they do) then you should have a LinkedIn company page. As a B2B marketer having a polished company page can make you stand out from the rest of the companies you’re up against, it also gives your customers a place to engage with your brand. It helps that they are already spending their time in LinkedIn too. We’ve already found that generating leads in Facebook is possible but that having a great page in LinkedIn could be a game-changer for your company. I collected some great resources and wanted to share: New LinkedIn…
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    MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog

  • The Psychology of Sales: Six Facts Every Brand Should Know

    Jhon Wlaschin
    17 May 2013 | 7:02 am
    Discount retailers, such as Target, Macy’s, and J.C. Penney, have tried various pricing strategies over the years to lure customers to buy more of their products. The primary tool in the competitive arsenal is to offer the best value because they know that customers are motivated to seek out price savings and great deals on frequently purchased products. Seems simple right? Just offer low prices and people will come. That is not necessarily the case, though. Feelings Affect Our Shopping Decisions An economist would say that customers are rational beings who try to get the most value for…

  • iStrategy Miami: Crucial Takeaways From the Digital Marketing Event

    Kerry O'Shea Gorgone
    16 May 2013 | 6:55 am
    iStrategy Miami in April brought together an all-star lineup, including Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith, business development and marketing media executive Dorothea Bozicolona-Volpe of Social Espionage, and Ken Segall, formerly of Apple. For those folks who couldn’t make it to iStrategy Miami, here are some key takeaways from an action-packed two-day event. Harness the power of simplicity. “Simplicity is instantly likable,” says Ken Segall. To best serve your audience, boil complex concepts down to simple turns of phrase, and use common words, familiar to your audience. This makes…

  • What Marketers Can Learn From Moneyball

    Irv Shapiro
    15 May 2013 | 7:01 am
    Any CEO will tell you that running a company is a lot like running a sports team. You put together a strong team, give them the tools to become all-stars, and motivate them every step of the way to beat the competition. But many businesses aren’t operating on an all-star budget; when a company is growing, the funds are tight and the stakes are high. As CEO, I’ve always thought of myself as my team’s GM and now–as we’ve entered baseball season–I’ve been thinking about the success of Billy Beane, who, as the general manager of the Oakland A’s, used one of the smallest budgets in…

  • Ice Cream Slingers Turn a Good Product Into a Great Customer Experience

    Jeanne Bliss
    14 May 2013 | 7:04 am
    Amy’s Ice Creams in Austin, Texas, is beloved for two things: the ice cream and the floor show.  Ice cream scoops are thrown from one worker to another and caught in cups balanced on their chins… while standing on one foot… hopping. You’ll see ice cream slingers sliding across the counters on their knees and bellies. It’s a carnival ride in there. Finding people who are fearless and creative enough to come up with stunts like flinging scooped ice cream across a room just can’t happen in the normal interview process. How exactly do you ask, “Are you a little bit nuts?”…

  • The Frugal Content Marketer’s Secret Weapon: Fiverr

    Jason Miller
    13 May 2013 | 7:07 am
    There are three things that every marketer needs to be successful: creativity, resources, and freedom. Creativity brings the ideas to the table, the resources put them into play, and the freedom gives them the ability to try new things. Trial and error is the key here, but the problem is that it can get expensive. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be. Fiverr is a website where people offer an insanely wide variety of services for only five dollars. Advertised listings include helpful services, such as “I will fix your Wordpress issue” to the creative “I will write a sweet…
 
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    Social Business Strategist

  • Social Networking to Advance Your Career

    fouts
    29 Apr 2013 | 2:40 pm
    Silicon Valley Tech Women held a panel at the shiny new SalesForce offices in downtown San Francisco entitled Leveraging Social Networking to Advance Your Career. See the photos  from DJ Cline here. I moderated this panel of tech rockstars. LaSandra Brill  Sr. Mgr., Global Social Media Marketing,  Cisco Systems Marilyn Lin Director, Product Intelligence & Enablement, Salesforce.com Erica Lockheimer  Sr. Engineering Manager, LinkedIn Jana Messerschmidt VP of Business Development & Platform Relations, Twitter Takeaways from the discussion were many, and largely about developing a…

  • Marketing Automation Discussion at SFAMA

    fouts
    24 Apr 2013 | 1:17 pm
    Last night I moderated a very interesting panel for the San Francisco American Marketing Association on marketing automation. It was an great group for this kind of discussion and I wanted to share some of the takeaways with you. Anyone interested in digital marketing needs to understand these concepts, whether you use automation tools or not. On the panel: Jason Miller – Marketo Kim Stieglitz – Vertical Response Lindsay Mahoney – Silverpop Sean Stoffstall – Ozone David Mitroff – Piedmont Avenue Consulting I’m not going to go in depth here, (you should have…

  • The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    fouts
    8 Apr 2013 | 1:56 pm
    Oh boy, here’s a hot button topic for you. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)  was created with good intentions. When it was passed in the mid 1980′s it was intended to protect us from fraud by making it illegal to use someone else’s password for a social media site, a website or even their computer (even at their request). What’s the big deal? Well, if you work for your clients on multiple accounts on social networks, websites or even log into their computer as a support person, you could be breaking the law right now. The House Judiciary Committee wants to…

  • Bing and Instagram – How will they affect Klout scores?

    fouts
    29 Mar 2013 | 10:46 am
    Klout recently announced the addition of Instagram interaction and Bing searches to their algorithm. While I don’t take Klout scores as the be-all end-all of social value, it’s still a useful metrics tool when evaluating how much an individual or a brand engages with the rest of the world. I see that my Klout score did jump a bit when they made this change, though Bing is not showing up yet in my score. Actually I use Bing very rarely, I prefer Google, even after I took the Bing Challenge. Even though Bing now offers Bing rewards, I still prefer Google. But this post isn’t…

  • What Makes a Business Social?

    fouts
    12 Mar 2013 | 1:16 pm
    A social business could be most simply defined as a business which engages with it’s customer base socially. It used to be all businesses were social. You made friends in the neighborhood and responded to their interests or you failed. Today we may think it has to mean they use social media, but there’s more to it than that. Just having millions of followers, fans and “interactions” on social networks doesn’t make you social. Talking to your customers, listening to what their concerns and ideas are and responding to them is what being a social business is about.
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    SocialTimes

  • Social Media Jobs: KBS+, Newsday, Time Inc

    Nadine Cheung
    17 May 2013 | 10:38 am
    This week, KBS+ is hiring a community manager, while Newsday needs a social media coordinator. Time Inc. is hiring a social media editor for RealSimple.com, and Moosylvania is on the hunt for a director of social media. Get the scoop on these openings below, and find additional social media jobs on Mediabistro. Community Manager KBS+ (New York, NY) Social Media Coordinator Newsday (Melville, NY) Social Media Editor – RealSimple.com Time Inc. (New York, NY) Director, Social Media Moosylvania (St. Louis, MO) Digital and Social Media Marketing Specialist National Geographic Channel…

  • Google’s Overhauled Maps Make Geography Social

    Cameron Scott
    17 May 2013 | 9:34 am
    Other than Google Glass, the standout launch at Google’s I/O conference has been a major update of Maps, with much of the new functionality drawing on Google’s increasing social intelligence. The overhauled user experience eliminates the white space on the Maps page, putting more information onto the maps themselves. It brings in ratings and reviews and makes Google Earth available in the browser. It also displays thumbnails of user photos of common landmarks beneath the map, when available. Google draws the local ratings and social context for Maps from Google+. When Bernhard…

  • Google Brings Discounts and Deals from Merchants to Google+

    Devon Glenn
    17 May 2013 | 7:19 am
    Certain brands are now sharing discounts and deals with the people in their circles on Google+, Google announced today.  The deals can be redeemed online with a code or in-store using the Google Offers mobile app. The first companies to test out the offer feature are +ZAGAT , +Hello Kitty , +Art.com ,+NOOK , and +Adafruit Industries, all of which have posted percentage discounts and free-gift-with-purchase deals on their pages. Here’s a quick run-down of what happens when you click on a deal: Clicking on the offer will automatically send an email to your associated Gmail…

  • Friday Morning Laughs: Don’t Be a Glasshole

    Devon Glenn
    17 May 2013 | 4:26 am
    Happy Friday, SocialTimes readers! Google has been all up in our faces this week with the new Google glasses, which have replaced the pager belt clip as the fashion statement of The Future. They look pretty cool (charcoal, right?), but before we get too carried away with our wardrobe planning, let’s take a look at some of this week’s viral videos. If you squint, you can see other ways the internet is creeping into our daily lives: into our bedrooms, our bathrooms, and even classic works of literature. A Facebook Update In Real Life, by ExtremelyDecentFilms Published on May 11,…

  • The Great Catsby: An Internet Musical

    Phi Tran
    17 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    The Great Catsby is an internet phenomenon that started with a symphony of cat-shopped covers of Fitzgerald’s literary masterpiece and emerged as naturally as cats and musicals often do – with lots of singing. The final cat-daptation deserves some serious accolades. Cats, music, and great literature – how can you go wrong?   Photoshop is the queen of memes, but internet artists really impressed me with some original renderings…   until the Trailer Cats provided us with a tease hinting at what could be. This was naturally followed by more variations and…
 
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    Biz Growth News - branding, business development and new media tips to attract more clients in less time

  • 6 Steps To Using LinkedIn To Develop Productive And Profitable Business Relationships

    Krishna De
    15 May 2013 | 6:08 pm
    If you are a professional in financial services, you may be using LinkedIn as part of your networking and business development plan. Investors are active in social media with research in the US undertaken by LinkedIn in 2013 identifying that investors  use social media  to keep up to date with financial trends and to help them financial decisions. Research in the US undertaken by LinkedIn in 2012 identified that investors  research information about their financial decisions on LinkedIn. I recently had the opportunity to deliver a workshop for women who are in the Pensions industry about…

  • How To Use Pinterest For Business – Three Tips From A Pinterest Super User

    Krishna De
    14 May 2013 | 12:49 pm
    We hear that Pinterest is a really only used by younger females – so let me introduce you to Dan Ashbach, who is a retired airline pilot, just to provide a different perspective. You might have read my article about how many boards should we have on Pinterest where I comment that Dan has just 38 boards (I wonder if that is a coincidence that he has been married for 38 years) that versus many accounts I see with well over 100 Pinterest boards. Dan recently participated in a Google Plus Hangout with PinLeague and this is a recap of some of his ideas and perspectives about Pinterest as a super…

  • Five brands embracing Star Wars Day #MayThe4thBeWithYou

    Krishna De
    5 May 2013 | 5:20 pm
    If you were active on social media on the 4 May this year you would have noticed many updates about what is now known to be ‘Star Wars Day’. In 2011, the first organised celebration of ‘Star Wars Day’ took place in Toronto, Ontario and this year Disney’s Hollywood Studios planned to celebrate the day with events. We also saw a number of brands participate through their visual marketing and these included: - Harrods who did a clever photo editing job with the shadow of their concierge sharing it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - Oreo shared a picture of blue milk and a cookie on…

  • How to turn your Pinterest boards into a PDF or JPEG image so you can refer to them off line

    Krishna De
    5 May 2013 | 4:42 pm
    If you have been using Pinterest in your content marketing  you will know how powerful a platform it is for visual content curation and discovery – both for business and personal use. But perhaps you have wondered how you could turn the images you create into a PDF that you could then print and use in your meetings perhaps with your team or with clients? This is where the content curation platform Clipzine.me just might prove efficient for you. I recently tested the platform to turn a Pinterest board I had curated after an event into a PDF and JPEG presentation and below you will find a…

  • Pinterest Visual Marketing Tip – Using Diptic To Create Instructographics

    Krishna De
    22 Mar 2013 | 8:58 am
    If you are using Pinterest you will know how important great images in your blog and web pages are to encourage sharing of your content by visitors to your site. This is sometimes a challenge for those of us who are offering services rather than beautiful products. But even if you have great visual content to share, I came across a challenge at a recent Pinterest training programme I was running where  the course delegates were in the fashion and beauty business. They post great images to their blog, mostly when on location, and often have only their smart phone which they use to create and…
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    Techipedia | Tamar Weinberg

  • The Ultimate Guide to Search Retargeting, Part 2

    Guest Author
    25 Apr 2013 | 5:22 am
    This is a guest post by Ben Plomion.  In Part 1 of our Ultimate Guide to Search Retargeting, we looked at the players involved in this revolutionary tactic, how it works, and the impressive “Power Ups” it can give your marketing effort. Today, we’re going to look at how to take your Search Retargeting efforts to the next level through Advanced Prospecting. In particular, we’re going to look at two key levels you need to master—traditional Search Retargeting and Search Retargeting on the Facebook Ad Exchange (FBX)—as well as the villains you need to avoid along the way. Level 1:…

  • STOP YOUR ONLINE MARKETING.

    Tamar Weinberg
    8 Apr 2013 | 7:40 am
    Originally posted on Real Time Email. Stop your online marketing right now. Tell me the truth: have you signed up to SEO, PPC, or social media services in the last few years, paid a couple of grand per month for visibility, and found that you were seeing slow uptake but no ROI? You and maybe one hundred thousand other small businesses. Yes, you, small business owner. The problem with marketing today versus marketing in 2006 is volume. There’s volume everywhere. There are more websites today than there were 7 years ago. There are more SEO savvy folks, so you’re vying for eyes you…

  • The Ultimate Guide to Targeting Search Profiles on Facebook

    Guest Author
    12 Feb 2013 | 5:23 am
    This is a guest post by Ben Plomion of Chango. When Facebook launched Facebook Exchange (FBX) last September, it was an important day in the history of online advertising.  Facebook accounts for some 25 percent of U.S. display inventory on the web. Now that inventory can be purchased with real-time bidding (RTB), and marketers can target their most valuable customers with a display ad on Facebook. But, though it didn’t receive as much attention as the launch of FBX, Facebook made another critical move in December when it allowed advertisers to target customers based on what they searched…

  • 2013: The Rise of Customer Service Marketing (and Techipedia’s New Direction)

    Tamar Weinberg
    30 Jan 2013 | 5:51 am
    The social media marketing landscape has changed in the past 3 years. With intermittent signal, you’ll struggle to build momentum around your product or service. If you don’t do it right, you might not even want to do it at all. Social Media is an Answer but it’s Not THE Answer Those of you who know me know me as someone who was an early proponent about the importance of social media. I was selling social media services before most of today’s practitioners even realized what social media is. My book, The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web, which was…

  • Think Like Zuck: 5 Secrets of Success of Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg

    Guest Author
    15 Jan 2013 | 5:32 am
    This is a guest post by Ekaterina Walter. There can be few companies that have become part of so many people’s daily lives in such a short space of time as Facebook. Since 2004 it has grown to over one billion users globally, with over half of those logging on daily. What can we learn from founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s incredible journey, and what are the keys to his success? I discuss the answers to this question in more detail in my book “Think Like Zuck: The Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s Improbably Brilliant CEO Mark Zuckerberg”, but in this post I wanted to share…
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    Stay N Alive

  • Vlog #1 - JJ Talks About Holding the Cat

    14 May 2013 | 9:30 am
    While I have certainly shared many videos about my life and my family, I don't think I've ever called it a "vlog". Let's make this post the first - I officially call this "Vlog #1". In today's Vlog JJ talks about holding our cat #hashtag, and yes, we spell it that way! Enjoy, and please subscribe to our STAYTube channel!:

  • We've come a long way - Disqus is Now as big as Youtube

    13 May 2013 | 10:14 pm
    It seems like just yesterday that Robert Scoble invited me to go with him to visit Disqus Headquarters with their founders Daniel Ha and Jason Yan out at their new offices in San Francisco. They had recently launched their new commenting platform for blogs the year before, and wanted some exposure from the Scobleizer himself (see the interview in 2008 here and here, where I'm in the background - filmed on Qik - remember that?). Just today, Disqus announced 1 billion monthly unique visitors -- yes, that's as big as Youtube! While other bloggers are calling for the death of RSS, this puts…

  • On My Own Again - I'm Back in the Saddle

    13 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    When I started working for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the first role with the title "social" in it (see my sum-up here), I came in with a desire to serve, but only planning to be there for 6 months. I had been on my own for several years at that point and really enjoyed my independence. I had no idea I'd end up there for 3 years, but thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent there and was able to help organize and shape the organization of social media within the Church. I learned of the Spirit there that guides the Church and its employees, and the wonderful things the…

  • The Death of Google Reader: Did Email Kill the RSS Star?

    22 Mar 2013 | 11:44 am
    Alas, the day has come. We knew it was coming and we were all just digging in our heels waiting for the day. I admit I'm not as mad as before, as the dust has settled off since they killed sharing and replaced it with a very limited Google+ sharing feature (on top of the "send to" feature that was there before). At the same time we see other "social networks" of Google's (Youtube) hitting over a billion active users. Compared to that, Google Reader was minuscule. With all that though, there's no doubt to those of us, the most devoted and perhaps heaviest users of Google Reader (I saw…

  • "The Chappys": How a Utah Construction Manager Built His Own Trending Awards Show on Twitter

    18 Mar 2013 | 2:02 pm
    I've talked before about how growing a Twitter audience is simple. It turns out it's even more simple than I thought - The Deseret News (owned by the company I work for) wrote today about a local Utah construction manager who created his own Twitter awards show called "The Chappy Awards". In his "virtual award show" Dustin Chapman awarded various celebrities and media "Chappy Awards" on Twitter, and before he knew it, #2013Chappys was a trending term on Twitter and hundreds were all getting in on the fun. Chapman, who created the awards show to (according to the Deseret News) "encourage the…
 
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    Colin Walker - Social Thoughts

  • Of circles, communities and serendipitous discovery.

    Colin Walker
    18 May 2013 | 12:58 pm
    Social discovery is key for social growth. I have long said that saved searches are isolated events and treated as second class data when they should, in fact, be an incredibly valuable means of discovery. We have the ability to save searches on networks such as Twitter and Google+ but when you consider that Google a “search first” company it is surprising that this does not feature more prominently within its social network. Let’s consider how we connect and discover with people and content on Google+: when we circle someone we have a permanent connection and can choose the…

  • Social relevance, algorithms and choice.

    Colin Walker
    13 May 2013 | 3:03 pm
    Apart from family and existing friends … the interest graph is actually the primary driver behind expanding the social graph – The lines are blurring. One of the most important factors in social growth is discovery, discovery of posts and of people. Google+ was launched on the premise of being “real world sharing for the web” – it aimed to make it easier and more natural to divide our online lives into “circles” just as we are part of different groups offline (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) Social networks afford us multiple stages of relevance…

  • Facebook, Waze and Apple – a new dynamic.

    Colin Walker
    9 May 2013 | 1:23 pm
    The news that Facebook is considering a $1 billion acquisition of Waze seems like an obvious move but it also brings me back to a few ideas I had previously considered. Location is becoming increasingly important with “local” being vital for marketing, advertising and targeting as separate from the global, social conversation. Facebook changed the importance of location in social by killing the check-in and making location integral to everything we do so having access to crowd-sourced data from Waze will take this to another level. Apple and Facebook As Waze is one of the…

  • Could Author Rank influence the display of Authorship snippets?

    Colin Walker
    28 Apr 2013 | 3:16 am
    Author rank seeks to highlight influential authors based on links, citations and peer review but how will this be presented to the public? Could Author Rank influence the display of authorship snippets in search results? Google authorship and the concept of author (or agent) rank has captured the popular imagination in a way virtually nothing else search related has been able to do. Authorship is so easy to set up that anyone can do it but a misguided belief that authorship equates to author rank means that many feel their rankings will improve just by ensuring their rich snippets show up in…

  • Facebook Home – the shape of things to come?

    Colin Walker
    5 Apr 2013 | 10:10 am
    After watching the Facebook Home announcement I was instantly enamoured with the concept of people not apps, of content not containers, but after a few hours was left with one thought: is Home the future of Facebook? While I am not a big Facebook user I am fascinated by the principles of network science so the company interests me because it displays the most obvious adherence to these principles both in structure and terminology. Networks are about people and the connections we make with those people rather than the means of that connection. In this context Facebook Home seems a logical next…
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    Social Media Mom

  • How is Media Affecting Kids? [Infographic]

    socialmediamom
    14 May 2013 | 12:52 pm
    Keeping your children’s mind and bodies healthy is a big part of parenting. But how do you do that when they are being overrun by media and technology on a daily basis? A child’s idea of “playing” used to be enjoying the outdoors, now they prefer iPhones, iPads, gaming consoles and many other forms of gaming technology. How is this affecting them? Check out the infographic below to learn about how media and technology is affecting children. Source: Early Childhood Education Degrees

  • ABCs of Motherhood [Infographic]

    socialmediamom
    9 May 2013 | 2:35 pm
    Did you know there are 2 billion Moms in the world? That means lots of babies! Check out the infographic below presented by Mommy.com to learn some interesting numbers behind motherhood.

  • Technology in the Classroom [Infographic]

    socialmediamom
    26 Apr 2013 | 10:32 am
    If you are in your early thirties or over, you may remember some modern technology being introduced in school.  You probably took a typing class and may have worked on computers for one or two classes. Today, the classroom looks quite a bit different.  With the advancement of technology and the growing concern for the environment, schools are shifting their focus.  The days of backpacks heavy laden with oversized textbooks are becoming a thing of the past. Today’s textbooks are neatly compressed data stored on an iPad or other digital devices.  Such devices are, in some cases, also…

  • Are Women Bad Drivers? [Infographic]

    socialmediamom
    17 Apr 2013 | 10:44 am
    Are women really bad drivers? According to a study, 6.5 million car crashes happen when both drivers are women, which only accounts for 20.5 percent of all car crashes. Ninety-four percent of all crashes involving death or bodily harm involve male drivers. Also, women are 27 percent less likely to cause auto accidents than men. Check out the infographic below to learn more about the numbers behind both men and women drivers to decide for yourself if women are bad drivers or not. Source: Shift Insurance

  • The Lottery’s Biggest Winning Losers [Infographic]

    socialmediamom
    15 Apr 2013 | 6:53 am
    We all dream about what we would do if we were to win the lottery. And many of use swear up and down that we would save most of it or invest it. However, once you have all that money, that is usually the last thing on your mind. About 44 percent of lottery winners spend their entire winnings within just five years! The infographic below presented by Casino.org takes a look at some of the lottery’s biggest winning losers as well as winners who didn’t blow their winnings. Check it out below to learn more. How would you spend your lotto winnings? © 2013 Casino.org
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    Quick Online Tips

  • 10 Quick Tips to Make CSS Load Faster

    P. Chandra
    18 May 2013 | 8:27 am
    How can you make your CSS files load faster and quickly. Cascading stylesheets are an important component of your site design and it is essential your CSS files download fast and showcase your superb design element before other site components load. But as we continue to redesign websites, CSS bloat and poor CSS practices makes us forget the  importance of quick CSS delivery to visitors and need to increase site speed. Faster CSS Download So here some quick tips to make your CSS load faster. External stylesheets – Always avoid inline CSS in the html code to style individual elements,…

  • How to Add Google+ Content Recommendations to Your Mobile Site

    P. Chandra
    13 May 2013 | 10:58 am
    Google+ Content Recommendations is a great way to add more interactivity to your mobile site. Google has introduced this new feature to enhance the Google+ integration with your site, recommending the articles which have been +1 by your visitors and lead them to deeper engagement with your site. It will work on the latest Android as well as iOS browsers on the native Android browser, Safari, and Chrome. You can increase mobile site pageviews for sure by adding this feature in a few minutes. Add Google+ Content Recommendations For most websites and blogs which already display the +1 button or…

  • 500 Free Amazon Coins to Kindle Fire Users

    P. Chandra
    13 May 2013 | 9:37 am
    If you own a Kindle Fire in US, Amazon just deposited 500 free Amazon coins into your account. Amazon coins promise to change the way you buy Kindle Fire apps and games and even in-app purchases – and the free Amazon coins is a great way to get all customers started experiencing it. Free Amazon Coins What are Amazon Coins? It is the Amazon virtual currency with which you can buy stuff on Amazon Kindle Fire. Kindle Fire is the bestselling 7 inches tablet by Amazon. How much are 500 Amazon coins worth? They are worth $5. Which means each Amazon coin is worth 1 cent. You can always buy…

  • Get VaultPress Lite: Cheaper WordPress Backup

    P. Chandra
    9 May 2013 | 10:10 am
    We use Vaultpress WordPress backups and the new Vaultpress Lite plans they released make it more cheaper and affordable to a larger number of bloggers. I started using Vaultpress real time WordPress backup long time back and it has give me peace of mind that the whole blog, its image uploads, posts in database, themes and plugins are safely backed up and can be restored in one click. VaultPress Lite While I used to pay $15/month for the basic plan, I am now considering shifting to the cheaper $5/month Lite plan. The main difference now will be Daily backups – right now Vaultpress does…

  • How to Use Google Glass [Video]

    P. Chandra
    1 May 2013 | 11:20 am
    How to use Google glass? This video shows how you can use controls on Google glass, the revolutionary Google wearable technology that promises to change the way we use social media sharing and interface with current smart devices and gadgets. Google glass You remember how you could become the first to buy Google glass – the explorer edition, through a social media campaign on Twitter and Google plus. Well some people did get to own the $1500 Google Glass and test it out. In fact word is that its getting more common to see it around the Google campus. Here is the video recently released…
 
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    PR-Squared - Social Media Marketing and Public Relations

  • Nibbling at the Apple

    cpenn
    7 May 2013 | 4:22 am
    It’s becoming fashionable to take a bite out of Apple. There was Jean-Louis Gassée’s scathing article in the Guardian. There was Jon Gruber (of Daring Fireball) damning Apple with faint praise: blaming the media for cherrypicking the news to weave a narrative about Apple’s slow demise. I expect the chorus to grow louder before it weakens. Blood in the water, and all that. Apple doesn’t do itself many favors. Its trenchant secrecy used to seem cool – and I daresay it would still be considered cool – if not for the fact that a) competitive technologies are legitimately “catching…

  • Did you know 70% of Facebook users are mobile?

    cpenn
    3 May 2013 | 5:56 am
    …at least some of the time. That’s the latest in our findings after reading through Facebook’s Q12013 SEC Filing. See what other surprises are on tap for marketers in our summary on the SHIFT Communications blog post.

  • SHIFT Turns 10: Reflecting Back, Looking Forward

    cpenn
    30 Apr 2013 | 5:55 am
    When we sat around a conference table and battled through the process of defining our values a few years ago, SHIFT changed as an organization – we now had criteria that helped us define what it meant to be a SHIFTer and helped guide us through decisions, whether it was about our people, clients or services. We had a roadmap in a way we never had one before – sure, the instinct had been there, but now it was tangible and the fact that those values have lived far beyond a poster on a wall, is something we all take tremendous pride in as an organization. Want to see what we did with those…

  • Put out the fires with effective crisis communications

    cpenn
    2 Apr 2013 | 5:41 am
    Over on the SHIFT blog, we’re looking at the strategy for extinguishing the fires when your brand is ablaze. Knowledge, speed, and ownership are the three keys that will help you get things under control quickly with effective crisis communications. Learn more and download the free infographic now!

  • How to measure PR, parts 4-8

    cpenn
    28 Mar 2013 | 4:51 am
    Measuring PR and earned media has always been something of a challenge in the past, but thanks to digital marketing and metrics tools, it’s easier today to find the impact of PR, even with businesses that have significant offline components. In this series on the SHIFT blog, we’re looking at 7 different ways to see how PR is improving the performance of your digital marketing and sales programs for organizations of all kinds. Take a look at the whole series, just finished today: Sales/business goals Marketing metrics Social media Search marketing Paid advertising Primary research…
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    The Responsible Marketing Blog

  • Role Reversal: Perceptions of Men and Women in Advertising

    Andrea
    9 May 2013 | 2:20 pm
    Check out this eye-opening video put together by a Women and Gender Studies class at the University of Saskatchewan by Sarah Zelinski, Kayla Hatzel and Dylan Lambi-Raine. They wanted to show how ridiculous media portrays gender roles and stereotypes in advertising through presenting gender roll reversals. As depicted in the video, our parents went through their own generational stereotypes with women striving for perfection at home and men expecting it. At least that’s what the ads told us. So, what if  my husband finds out I’m not buying the freshest coffee? Well, he can take…

  • Holy Shift: Creepy George will “Fix your transmission”

    Patrick
    1 May 2013 | 12:38 am
    Oh, this ad for Arlen Transmission is so bad in so many ways – but like a car accident, I can’t take my eyes off it. It’s got the tackiness and female objectification of the Beacon Plumbing’s ‘fix my pipes’ lady: . . . with a little touch of the classic Vern Fonk “Shipoopi” – Dance! video: Sure, it’s driving word of mouth, but would an ad like this make you more or less apt to hire Arlen Transmission? - – - Credit where it’s due: “Holy Shift” was a comment by Pavos Bannout in the video’s YouTube…

  • Nonprofits must differentiate or die

    Reeves
    22 Apr 2013 | 2:05 am
    It’s not a fear tactic deployed by marketing agencies to scare the bejesus out of nonprofits. It is, in fact, a hard truth about the nature of the nonprofit sector. Dissimilar, indistinctive and alike will get you killed in any fiercely competitive, over-saturated market – let alone the nonprofit sector. In today’s market, nonprofits (and businesses alike) must differentiate or die. Why fast, cheap, and fast design is killing your nonprofit’s brand tackles the subject head on, and we couldn’t agree more: “Only 20% of causes report having a formal, written marketing…

  • Dove Real Beauty Sketches: Responsible Marketing, I think.

    Andrea
    19 Apr 2013 | 5:11 pm
    If you haven’t already seen this “Dove Real Beauty Sketches” clip that everyone is posting on Facebook, take a gander: Dove once again pulls through in this touching video about how women view themselves in such poor light compared to how others see them. It is sad how women are especially critical of every mole, point, curve, bump, and supposed flaw on their bodies.Dove does a wonderful job conveying that we are our worst critics and you need to be confident in who you are because others do see you as beautiful. Dove’s message: “Imagine a world where beauty is a source of…

  • Announcing the 2013 Master Recycler Composter (MRC) volunteer training!

    Patrick
    16 Apr 2013 | 10:50 pm
    You probably know Outsource Marketing has been awarded a Best Workplace for Waste Prevention and Recycling for six years straight, right? Now you do. Did you also know that 60 percent of what goes to Cedar Hills Regional Landfill could be recycled? The King County Solid Waste Division is looking for outgoing individuals who want to inspire others to reduce waste and recycle more. Learn all about the do’s and don’ts of curbside recycling, including food scrap recycling, and then put your training to work through volunteer outreach. This FREE training is open to King County…
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    Web Strategy by Jeremiah

  • Google better organizes our world –and sells us back the experience

    jeremiah_owyang
    15 May 2013 | 2:15 pm
    Above Photo:  Google showcases interconnected screens at Google IO conference in SF. By Chris Silva (cross posted) and Jeremiah Owyang, Industry Analysts at Altimeter Group Last year’s over hyped skydiving was replaced by down to earth by grounded product enhancements. We’re live from the Google IO conference in SF with 6,000 developers, press, and media in San Francisco’s Moscone event center. We noticed a lot of Glass Explorer units (which surprisingly was barely mentioned in the keynote) we’ve purchased two to test, and will write up a detailed post on them after we’ve done a…

  • Resources: Converged Media, Integrating your Paid, Owned, and Earned

    jeremiah_owyang
    15 May 2013 | 5:08 am
    Is Facebook paid, owned or earned? The answer is yes. Facebook is all. They integrate advertising units along with content created by brands on their Facebook pages, and allow for consumers to share their opinions right in the comments. Sometimes, ads look like social content, and it’s hard to distinguish the difference. At Altimeter, we see this convergence only increasing, and these Venn diagrams will continue to have overlapping circles of paid, owned, and earned. To meet this converging media types, Altimeter kicked off a research project with Rebecca Lieb (a fantastic speaker in…

  • Social Business Buyers Invest in Scaling

    jeremiah_owyang
    14 May 2013 | 5:08 am
    Brands Focused on Managing Social Proliferation For those that like to be where they money be, this data is for you. Altimeter’s research continues to survey buyers of disruptive technologies, and continues our coverage on social technologies. In our recent Q4 survey to enterprise buyers, focused on marketing business decision makers, which are global national corporations with over 1000 employees, we posed a series of questions in our survey battery. In particular, we wanted to find out where decision makers are bullish on investing and found the following trends on marketers with…

  • Dear Brands, Our Relationship has Changed

    jeremiah_owyang
    13 May 2013 | 9:16 am
    Dear Brands, I want an open relationship. All my life, we’ve had a committed and dedicated relationship. You told me what to buy, I bought it, bought it again. But now, it’s about to change. I don’t want to buy from you directly, I want to rent, subscribe, and borrow your goods. If I end up buying your product, I want to use it with others to resell, rent to others, swap or lend. It’s not you, it’s me. Our world has changed, and along with it my preferences. From a more socially responsible mindset, economic pressures to be efficient, and how easy technology…

  • The Three Market Drivers: Causes for the Collaborative Economy

    jeremiah_owyang
    9 May 2013 | 6:10 am
    Above Image: Fire Dancers metaphorically ignite movement in Union Square, the center of SF commerce. Your customers are trading products and goods –rather than buying them from you! Want to know why? We’re conducting research in a pragmatic method to find out why, and then answer what companies should do to respond. Below is a preview of the upcoming report. [Business Disruption: Consumers don't need to continually buy from companies, as they are sharing, renting, lending, goods & services among themselves] I’m knee deep in interviews for the upcoming report on this…
 
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    Future Visions

  • Forget Google Glass, this is the value of wearables

    Jonathan Burg
    6 May 2013 | 3:21 am
    The team at Eidos is really on to something here. Augmenting our reality, focusing our reality and enhancing our human experience rather than distracting from it. Art, science, health, culture, life... this is the future of computing. Eidos - Sensory augmentation equipment (full version) from TJB on Vimeo.

  • Imitation is the sincerest form of plagiarism

    Jonathan Burg
    24 Apr 2013 | 10:35 am
    Here's the latest Evian commercial, which my kids adore and I thought was pretty original. And here's a Turkish commercial for water from a few years ago...

  • Where is the luxury phone market?

    Jonathan Burg
    24 Apr 2013 | 5:49 am
    A Ford is a great car and it's fine for the general public. But there is also a large, premium/luxury market for the discerning enthusiast and people of means. Where is our luxury phone market? Firstly, there is a real market need. Every device on the market has it's trade-offs. The HTC One has the nicest feel in the hand and a stunning screen, but the camera and polish of the Android skin leave something to be desired. The iPhone and the Lumia have stunning cameras but each have their own tradeoffs. The Galaxy S4 has a nice camera, but a horrible plasticy feel in your hand. And virtually all…

  • In breaking news, the market demands a rumor mill

    Jonathan Burg
    22 Apr 2013 | 12:26 am
    By the third day after the Boston attacks, we all knew that the breaking news rumors in social media and on 24 hour networks were likely less than accurate. Yet, despite the inaccuracy of this information and with our skepticism meters running high, we found ourselves glued to Twitter and the 24 hour networks.  Here's the sad truth: in a time of crises, we thirst for information to quench our frenzied minds. We want this information so badly that we will lower our standards and tune in to real-time and social sourced quasi-journalism. Is this good for the news industry? Does it hurt the…

  • The biggest computing trend we aren't discussing

    Jonathan Burg
    17 Apr 2013 | 12:39 am
    Ambience. Serendipity. Personality. These are sensory experiences. They are human sensory experiences. These are emotional triggers and instinctual reactions. These are not attributes one would normally ascribe to a computer-driven experience.  As our computers learn from and augment our connected lives, they are learning to mirror our behaviors, quirks and honesty. Google Now holds incredible power - the eventual power to deliver many of these sensory experiences. But it is still an appendage, separate from our natural lives. Using Google Now requires that the user lift a phone, push a…
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    Chris Saad

  • Building in someone else’s yard

    Chris Saad
    23 Apr 2013 | 11:17 am
    Loic Le Meur writes over on LinkedIn about his mistakes betting on Twitter with his company Seesmic. Seesmic was a company that produced a series of great Twitter clients for multiple platforms (Mobile, Web, Desktop etc). When Twitter started shutting down developers and releasing their own official clients Seesmic’s business was undermined and ultimately shuttered. I’m not blaming Twitter for this strategic change – they did not know they would take that decision at the time when they were fully supporting their ecosystem. I blame myself entirely. I should have never dedicated…

  • The upside of Hyper Expectations and Ambitions (HEA)

    Chris Saad
    11 Jan 2013 | 4:17 pm
    At the end of last year I wrote a post about the downside of Hyper Expectations and Ambitions (HEA). I guess living in silicon valley it’s easy to get jaded with the negative effects of our fast paced journey to change the world. It also didn’t help that I hadn’t had a holiday for 3 years. Since then, however, I’ve visited my hometown in Brisbane Australia for 3 weeks. The truth is they live a very different lifestyle there. The government and other institutions help provide a powerful safety net for those who are sick or unable to find work, the environment is beautiful, warm…

  • Thank you 2012

    Chris Saad
    21 Dec 2012 | 11:32 pm
    To say this year was a roller coaster is somewhat of an understatement. It’s been the stage for some of my lowest lows and my highest highs. It basically started with the ending of a relationship with someone I thought I’d spend a very long time with. Like most of these things they are both sudden and a long time coming. In either case, though, its heart breaking and emotionally wrenching to say the least. What followed for the rest of the year, however, was a personal and professional journey of discovery and growth. I continued working with my colleagues learning how to turn…

  • The downside of Hyper Expectations and Ambitions (HEA)

    Chris Saad
    12 Dec 2012 | 9:02 am
    Disclaimer: I’ve personally flirted with much of what I’ve written about below. This isn’t about anyone else, but rather about what I’ve seen in myself and how some of it could have played out if left unchecked. Thankfully I feel pretty happy and comfortable most of the time – but I find that it helps to write this stuff down to keep myself in check. – Silicon Valley is a place where people come to change the world. They seek it out and travel great distances to be in the place where entrepreneurial dreams come true. Even those who first arrive looking for love or…

  • Dark Social and Facebook+

    Chris Saad
    14 Oct 2012 | 9:14 am
    Working with large brands at Echo is thrilling. They have the content, products and reach that matter in everyday people’s lives. This means that even small improvements in their Realtime, Social strategy results in big impacts on large groups of people. One of the prevailing misconceptions we find when we first get started with a new customer, however, is that Facebook is Social. Facebook comments, Facebook Likes, Facebook Fan Pages are often seen as the beginning and the end of the social ‘strategy’. For as long as I can remember, my career has been about helping others to remember…
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    Des Walsh dot Com

  • How Frequent Should Blog Posts be in a Professional Services Firm?

    Des Walsh
    7 May 2013 | 1:02 am
    When I speak to various groups about social media and specifically about blogging, I am regularly asked, “How often should we blog?”. I used to give a fairly standard, generic response along the lines of  “at least once a day for five days when you are starting out, then at least three times a week once you’re established”. But  a few conversations with people in professional services firms led me to think that response was a bit too generic and not necessarily helpful for specific firms. So I did some research to see what others had to say on the subject. I…

  • Why We Should be Grateful for Difficult Customers

    Des Walsh
    30 Apr 2013 | 8:49 pm
    It’s normal to be annoyed but let’s not waste the gift It’s perfectly normal, isn’t it, to react defensively or in a generally negative way when we feel a customer is being difficult? By which we mean they are being unreasonable, insensitive, rude, or simply annoying. And even the most zealous advocate of superior customer service will surely agree there is a limit to how far we should be expected to go with the old “customer is always right”, principle. Because, objectively speaking, sometimes customers can be quite unreasonably demanding, or just plain rude. But…

  • Naming a New Podcast

    Des Walsh
    28 Apr 2013 | 6:58 pm
    I’m planning to set up a new podcast and am having a challenge finding a good name for it. From some work I’ve done over the past weekend, I found Brian Casel’s comments about the subject on the Mashable site, in his excellent post 7 Tips for Launching Your Podcast Site, rang true for me: Pick something that is both memorable and speaks to your topic/audience. It’s my opinion that direct, descriptive names work better than abstract or overly creative names. Before you can hook your audience with your killer smile and groundbreaking content, you’ll need them to…

  • Being Found on LinkedIn for Your Ideal Search Terms – Demonstration

    Des Walsh
    21 Mar 2013 | 6:15 pm
    Back in January I posted here about being found on LinkedIn for your ideal search terms and promised a follow up with a demonstration, using an example of something I had done in that regard.  Here it is. Demonstration: adding “social media marketing” keyword To test the effect of adding a keyword phrase, I added the phrase “Social Media Marketing” to my profile, in a prominent position. I chose that term because, with the relatively new LinkedIn feature of skill endorsements, the skill I have been endorsed most for – so far by 161 people – is Social Media…

  • Social Media for IT Forum Gold Coast

    Des Walsh
    19 Mar 2013 | 7:51 pm
    Having committed to give a presentation on social media next month for our local IT Forum Gold Coast, I offered as the topic “Social Media: Getting Strategic for Business Building”. Now that I see the event “up in lights” so to speak, on the Meetup site, I’m wondering how to structure my presentation. It’s not that I don’t know what to say about social media strategy generally – friends and family might say I have too much to say and wish I would find another interest! – but more about what is the most useful approach to the subject for…
 
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    Affiliate Marketing Tips from Super Affiliate Zac Johnson

  • How ReputationChanger.com is Cleaning Up Your Online Reputation

    Zac Johnson
    13 May 2013 | 8:55 am
    When is the last time you did a search for a company, product or brand through Google? It was probably recently and something you probably also noticed was that some negative results appear at the top of the search engines. This of course makes sense, as Google wants the best content to appear for all search users. However, if you are a company that is appearing in the search results and people are seeing negative feedback, this is something that you definitely don’t want. So what are the options that you have? In many cases some companies will just leave their results as is and try to…

  • How to Make Money Online with Little Investment – Part 3

    Zac Johnson
    10 May 2013 | 2:33 pm
    Now that we have covered the basics of building your own business online for just a few dollars and mapping out your business model and how to find a winning niche, now it’s time to put everything into action. Since this is the last part in the series, let’s do a quick recap. The purpose of this three part series was to allow anyone to get started with their own site that has potential to generate income and possibly turn into a nice side business without the need to spend a lot of money in the process. Here is how we broke down the initial spending to set everything up. Domain…

  • How to Make Money Online with Little Investment – Part 2

    Zac Johnson
    9 May 2013 | 2:23 pm
    In the first part of this series we talked about the different ways that you can make money online, such as Facebook Ads, media buying and search marketing. The problem with all of these methods is that they all cost a lot of money and are based off having advertising budgets. Since we are trying to focus our efforts on starting an online business with little investment, we are not going to use these methods. Instead we are going to focus on creating a web site that we can focus our content on, grow over time and eventually rank in the search engines to bring in monthly recurring income…

  • How to Make Money Online with Little Investment

    Zac Johnson
    7 May 2013 | 4:55 pm
    When it comes to making money online you have a lot of options, but each of them is special in their own way. Some will take more money to get started, others will take time and some will require you to learn processes and know what methods work and which don’t. Before we just into a method (and three part series) that you can start using to earn your first few dollars online with a very small investment, let’s take a look at some of the most popular online business models right now. Pay per click marketing – You will need to have money to spend on search advertising and…

  • Top Sites That Pay Bloggers to Write Review Posts

    Zac Johnson
    5 May 2013 | 4:41 pm
    There are a ton of different ways to make money online, one of these ways is to make money in the paid review writing business. There are plenty of writing services out there and many of them will make payments through Paypal and can pay anyway from $25 to $100+ per paid post depending on article content and the site it is getting published on.. Check out the following list of sites that will pay you to write paid reviews on your sites. 1. Pay Per Post This is a new version of PayPerPost which has no busy dashboard, no more Advertiser-set prices, no more waiting for blog approval. Minimum…
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    Chad's Blog

  • Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Move The World

    Chad Barr
    15 May 2013 | 6:48 am
    Issue No. 19 May 15, 2013 Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Move The World Raising the Barr is a weekly memo, which is always pithy, powerful and succinct. It focuses on innovative ideas by maximizing your life and business while leveraging strategy, content, technology and the web, to help you transform the success. This week’s reflection point: For quite some time I have been suggesting that remarkable, provocative content is the critical aspect of one’s thought leadership. And to clarify, by content I mean, articles, position papers, audio books, booklets, eBooks, books, videos,…

  • Chad Barr Keynote at the 2012 CAPS Convention

    Chad Barr
    10 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    © Chad Barr 2013. All Rights Reserved.

  • Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Let Me See Your Calendar

    Chad Barr
    8 May 2013 | 8:24 am
    Issue No. 18 May 8, 2013 Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Let Me See Your Calendar Raising the Barr is a weekly memo, which is always pithy, powerful and succinct. It focuses on innovative ideas by maximizing your life and business while leveraging strategy, content, technology and the web, to help you transform the success. This week’s reflection point: Of all the projects you wish you had accomplished and have not yet, how many have you placed on your calendar to execute? When talking with many of my clients, we often discuss the projects they want to accomplish in the immediate future.

  • The New Phone Is Here!

    Chad Barr
    3 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    © Chad Barr 2013. All Rights Reserved.

  • Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Caveat Emptor

    Chad Barr
    1 May 2013 | 7:22 am
    Issue No. 17 May 1, 2013 Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Pick One Raising the Barr is a weekly memo, which is always pithy, powerful and succinct. It focuses on innovative ideas by maximizing your life and business while leveraging strategy, content, technology and the web, to help you transform the success. This week’s reflection point: I’d like to bring to your attention one of the most irritating Internet ploys, which pretends to position itself as a benefit to its members. I’ve been a member of LinkedIn, the business social networking platform, and for years have leveraged…
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    @andrewchen

  • Does your product suck? Stop adding new features and “zoom in” instead

    Andrew Chen
    16 May 2013 | 11:32 am
    [Adapted from an answer I wrote on Quora, and thought I'd share it on my blog too.] Adding a lot more features won’t save your product Everyone’s worked on a product it’s failing despite a ton of work behind it. It’s not for lack of great ideas, or a lack of bright minds working long and hard on the product. In the startup world, often this comes because after a new product is launched, there’s a Trough of Sorrow where features are often added to try to spark traction. After a few months of this, and a few shifts in direction, it’s easy to get a…

  • Linkedin, Facebook, Google, Twitter, eBay, YouTube, Wikipedia, Amazon, Hotmail, Blogger, Apple: How they used to look

    Andrew Chen
    13 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    This is an oldie but a goodie I had to share again- here are some screenshots of early web products, some close to their inception, some a couple years later. If you have some other screenshots of early products, be sure to tweet me at @andrewchen and I’ll try to put them up.

  • The critical metrics for each stage of your SaaS business (Guest post by Lars Lofgren of KISSmetrics)

    Andrew Chen
    6 May 2013 | 11:30 am
    [My friend Lars is a product marketer at KISSmetrics and loves helping SaaS businesses understand how their business is growing. He writes regularly for the KISSmetrics blog and his personal marketing blog. He wrote the following post about SaaS products and the metrics you use to evaluate their success level. Lots of great information in there. You can follow Lars at @LarsLofgren -Andrew] How healthy is your SaaS business? We’re bombarded with KPIs and an endless series of metrics to tell us how we’re doing. But instead of using data to measure our progress, it’s much more likely that…

  • The death of RSS in a single graph

    Andrew Chen
    29 Apr 2013 | 9:45 am
    Google Trend graph for “rss” – bad news. I recently wrote a blog post about moving all my RSS readers to email subscriptions, and I immediately got 30+ negative comments on it. Obviously it struck a cord. I still believe what I said, and here’s some more data and reasoning to back it up: RSS has been dying for years First off, the image above is the Google Trends search on “rss” over the last few years. That tells you how many people are searching for RSS on Google. To me, that’s the best indication that as a consumer-facing technology,…

  • Featured essays from 2011-2013: Facebook, Growth Hacking, Mobile, and more.

    Andrew Chen
    23 Apr 2013 | 10:00 am
    I’ve recently tried to recommit myself to blogging :) and as part of that, I pulled together my recent set of essays and redid the Featured Essays section of this blog. If you missed anything, check them out below- they are a collection of what I’ve written over the last 18 months or so. In the coming months, I hope to continue writing more about mobile, especially the nascent field of mobile marketing. Thanks for reading. Oh, and if you are reading this from an RSS feed, please subscribe to email instead. I explain why here: RSS I quit you. Growth Growth Hacker is the new VP…
 
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    Stowe Boyd

  • No, We Should Not Protest The Yahoo Tumblr Acquisition

    18 May 2013 | 5:22 am
    Paul Higgins wonders if we should oppose the Tumblr acquisition by Yahoo: Paul Higgins, The Community, Tumblr and Yahoo - Do we Protest? There are a couple of services that are really important to my life and my business. One of them is Tumblr and the other is Evernote. In promoting Evernote for example I often tell people that if Microsoft buys it I will retire. That is because it has become so important to my work flow and because of my view that large corporations hardly ever get these sort of services right. Tumblr is equally important to me in a different way and I am part of the…

  • studio630: Infographic: The Intricate Anatomy Of UX...

    17 May 2013 | 10:08 pm
    studio630: Infographic: The Intricate Anatomy Of UX Design THIS MEGA GRAPHIC ATTEMPTS TO TACKLE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UX AND ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF DESIGN. Via FastCoDesign

  • Yahoo rumored to be in negotiations to buy Tumblr — Stowe Boyd via GigaOM Research

    17 May 2013 | 9:59 pm
    Yahoo rumored to be in negotiations to buy Tumblr — Stowe Boyd via GigaOM Research: The AllThingsD team was in attendance at JP Morgan’s Global Technology conference and heard the Yahoo CFO, Ken Goldman, admit that Yahoo needs to regain its “cool” image again. (Did it every have that?) And either Goldman or some other credible sources spilled to the AllThingsDers that Marissa Mayer thinks Tumblr could be the answer, or part of it.

  • Bill Russell on Playing In The Zone

    17 May 2013 | 8:49 am
    Playing ‘in the zone’ is what many athletes call their experience of Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s flow state, the complete absorption in what you are doing. Bill Russell, Second Wind: The Memoirs of an Opinionated Man Every so often a Celtics game would heat up so that it became more than a physical or even mental game, and would be magical. That feeling is difficult to describe, and I certainly never talked about it when I was playing. When it happened, I could feel my play rise to a new level. It came rarely, and would last anywhere from five minutes to…

  • "Gretel Ehrlich said of those yawning Wyoming spaces that she loves, “Its absolute indifference..."

    17 May 2013 | 1:27 am
    “Gretel Ehrlich said of those yawning Wyoming spaces that she loves, “Its absolute indifference steadied me.” I know what she meant. We spend our days trying to be big. In the middle of nowhere, though, we can surrender to smallness again and instead find where we fit in the landscape. Out there, where there’s nothing, is where there’s the most to learn.” - Christopher Solomon, A Case for Getting Far, Far Away
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    Six Pixels of Separation

  • Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #152

    Mitch Joel
    17 May 2013 | 8:17 pm
    Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see? My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must…

  • The Most Important Thing You Will Watch All Week

    Mitch Joel
    17 May 2013 | 6:24 pm
    Have you thought about education lately? When you say the word "education," most people run in the opposite direction. I dropped out of university (and, if I am to be candid, I was dragged - kicking and screaming - through both elementary and high school). But, I still never allowed my school to get in the way of a good education. I always had sparks of curiosity and the desire to be creative in whatever work I was trying to accomplish. I always had a deep passion to learn, read, write and create (regardless of how bored I was in classrooms). Now, many places in the world have an…

  • The Truth About Advertising In 2013

    Mitch Joel
    16 May 2013 | 7:22 pm
    Here's a quote worthy of your attention: "The real fact of the matter is that nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes it's an ad." - Howard Gossage. Let's face it: we often make out marketing and advertising to be more important than it really needs to be. This doesn't mean that it's not important, creative and a part of our lives, but this quote from the famed Mad Man speaks to the reality of a media saturated world... and this quote comes at us long before the Internet and social media made it stupid simple for anyone to be a media channel unto themselves. Ads…

  • Supporting Those You Like - CTRL ALT Delete Comes Out Next Week

    Mitch Joel
    16 May 2013 | 5:51 pm
    My new book, CTRL ALT Delete, comes out next week. It took well-over six months of concentrated effort to write my second book, CTRL ALT Delete, which comes out on May 21st, 2013. The thing is this: you would have never known it or felt it. In that time, I didn't miss a client meeting for Twist Image or alter my responsibilities at the agency. On top of that, I continued to blog daily, write my weekly contributions to both the Huffington Post and Harvard Business Review and a weekly audio podcast. It was (not so simply) added on to my already rigorous work load. But, here's the thing: it was…

  • The Niche Of Things And Other Stuff

    Mitch Joel
    16 May 2013 | 11:58 am
    When was the last time you went to a conference and took twelve pages of detailed notes? Here's a truism: I am spoiled. As part of my role at Twist Image, I go out and speak to about sixty groups every year. In short, I get to see it all (and I feel very fortunate because of it). Personally, I also attend two events a year that allow me to sit in the audience, soak it in and be the student (those events are TED and Google Zeitgeist). This past week, I spent two days locked in the financial district of New York City at the Mirren New Business Conference. This was my second time attending the…
 
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    Chris Pirillo

  • How to Scare the Crap out of Yourself

    Chris Pirillo
    17 May 2013 | 1:40 pm
    How to Scare the Crap out of Yourself I’m not going to tell you where it happens (though viewer comments may contain spoilers), but there’s a part of Pirillo Vlog 388 where I totally lose my cool. “But Chris,” you say, “when were you ever cool?”... Read the full article on http://chris.pirillo.com/

  • I Mustache You a Question

    Chris Pirillo
    16 May 2013 | 7:41 pm
    I Mustache You a Question Toot, toot! All aboard for Pirillo Vlog 387! Step away from the comment button, haters, or the mustache gets it! And by “it” I mean a whole bunch of Miracle-Gro. Like I’m just going to douse the sucker, cross my fingers, and grow it in nice and thick. I... Read the full article on http://chris.pirillo.com/

  • Under the Weather and Overprotected

    Chris Pirillo
    15 May 2013 | 8:30 pm
    Under the Weather and Overprotected Pirillo Vlog 386 shows that pooches know a thing or two about public safety when Wicket and Pixie seek shelter beneath my desk during the latest thunderstorm. As much as I don’t mind water falling from the sky, if the sky’s a-rumblin’, I’m... Read the full article on http://chris.pirillo.com/

  • Geek is in My Blood

    Chris Pirillo
    14 May 2013 | 7:12 pm
    Geek is in My Blood Welcome to Pirillo Vlog 385! America’s a melting pot, and if you’re from here (like me), then you probably have a few crossroads on the map that makes up your heritage. My last name indicates that I’ve got more than a puddle of Italian in my particular gene... Read the full article on http://chris.pirillo.com/

  • Nature Trail to Hell

    Chris Pirillo
    13 May 2013 | 5:09 pm
    Nature Trail to Hell While driving today, I was reminded by passing bicyclists and… walkists, alike, that I need to get a little more exercise into my routine. So Wicket and Pixie took me to task and made me walk up and down hills in the actual outside world. They didn’t seem to be in... Read the full article on http://chris.pirillo.com/
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    Common Craft - Common Craft - Our Product is Explanation

  • Want a Successful Revolution? Find an Explainer

    leelefever
    17 May 2013 | 10:47 am
    Jason Kottke pointed me to a passage from the Kurt Vonnegut novel Bluebeard, where he outlines the three types of specialists that are needed for success in a revolution. Remarkably, one is an explainer.     Here’s the passage: Slazinger claims to have learned from history that most people cannot open their minds to new ideas unless a mind-opening teams with a peculiar membership goes to work on them.   Otherwise, life will go on exactly as before, no matter how painful, unrealistic, unjust, ludicrous, or downright dumb that life may be.   The team must consist of three sorts of…

  • So, How's The Book Doing?

    leelefever
    14 May 2013 | 11:20 am
    About 6 months ago, my first book was published: The Art of Explanation. Being my first, I didn’t know what to expect from the process, the reviews, the sales, the marketing. Thankfully I found my way through and now have some information on how it’s been received. First, let me start by offering a HUGE thanks to all the people who have purchased the book. You rock. I wish I could thank you more personally. I hope it has helped you think differently about how you communicate.   So how IS the book doing?   A few factors helped me get some sense of how the book has been received since it…

  • Know-How Screencast - Animate Cut-outs in PowerPoint (Basic)

    leelefever
    8 May 2013 | 7:44 am
    This short video shares the basic steps to animating Common Craft Cut-outs using PowerPoint.  It is part of series focused on helping you make Common Craft Style videos and presentations using common tools.   Note: the "custom animation" functionality used below may appear differently in various versions of PowerPoint, but the basic ideas should be consistent across versions and in tools like Keynote. Watch: Reading this in email?  Watch here.  Want to get started? Check out our library of Common Craft Style Cut-outs. This video is part of the "Know-How" section of Common Craft, where we…

  • We Are All Just Drooling Dogs

    leelefever
    2 May 2013 | 8:49 am
    The blog It's OK to be Smart pointed me to this animated TedEd video that explains how humans are not that different from Pavlov's dogs.  Like a dog that is trained to salivate when a bell rings, we too learn to react to events and stumuli. We may not drool, but may fall in love.  Watch: Email Readers can watch here More about the genius of dogs at Brainpickings.

  • Funny Computer Explanation from the 90s

    leelefever
    25 Apr 2013 | 10:09 am
    There is just something funny about the not-too-distant past, especially when it comes to explaining technology. Here the interestingly named (and still in the media) Kim Komando explains computers for a TV audience in a series called Komputer Kindergarten. The editing is choppy, but still fun to watch. Email readers can watch here. Via Gizmodo.
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    Drew's Marketing Minute

  • Moving your prospects to the next step

    Drew McLellan
    17 May 2013 | 4:15 am
    When you’re creating any sort of communication aimed at a potential buyer, you want them to do what? When I ask this question, I typically hear a range of answers like: • Know more about our business • Understand how we’re better than our competitors • Wonder if we’re the right fit for them And of course…. • Buy what we sell! All of that is probably true. But it’s too complicated. No matter how or where we’re communicating with a prospect, what we should want them to do is… take the next step. Your job is simply moving your prospect to the next step. That next step might…

  • How does your paper resume stack up to this?

    Drew McLellan
    1 May 2013 | 1:02 pm
    The world has changed.  Things are different.  This is the new normal.  This ain’t your grandaddy’s marketing. We can say it a million ways but some folks just aren’t going to get it.  Or at least not yet. With the tools out there, the connections that can be made and the audience’s diminishing tolerance for being shouted at — there are many things we need to do differently.  Including finding a job. Check out this slideshare (PPT) presentation that Lorenzo Galbiati sent me as he embarks on a job hunt.  ( if you want to chat about career possibilities) GO…

  • What do consumers want from brands?

    Drew McLellan
    24 Apr 2013 | 5:06 am
    That’s the age-old question, isn’t it? When you think about everything we’ve experienced in the last decade and a half – from the Y2K scare to 9/11, Iraq and then the recession – no wonder that a certain level of insecurity about the future has become a permanent part of our psyche as we ease into 2013. What today’s consumers want most today is security and contentment. No doubt these wants are being shared by people’s economic outlook and circumstance, which most categorized as uneasy. Interestingly, here are some other key needs that our consumers expect brands…

  • Marketing is getting the details right

    Drew McLellan
    15 Apr 2013 | 4:48 am
    Marketing is getting the details right.  And its always the simple things that companies mess up.  Lt me give you an example. As you may know, I travel quite a bit. I’m a big believer in maximizing my travel by being a loyal brand consumer…which gains me status, points and makes my travel life easier and more convenient. I try to only fly United and whenever I can, I stay in a Marriott hotel. That affords me sort of an insider’s view of both of these businesses but still interacting with them as one of their frequent consumers. We’ve talked before about the value of…

  • Your marketing includes way too much you

    Drew McLellan
    14 Mar 2013 | 12:14 am
    One of the most common mistakes marketers make is that they think their customers and prospects care about them, what they sell and how it works. The human truth is consumers really do think, feel and ask “what’s in it for me?” They have something they want to accomplish – from getting a cereal that their kids will eat to finding the right de-greaser for their airplane engines. They know the result they’re after and their buying decision is going to be based on satisfying that need. When it comes to buying decisions, those decisions are always: Based on emotion (positive…
 
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    Social Media Clubhouse

  • Insights from The CMO Club Innovation Summit - @MargaretMolloy

    16 May 2013 | 11:49 am
    In this episode of Marketing Made Simple TV, Margaret Molloy, Chief Marketing Officer of Velocidi sits down with host Jeff Ogden and shares key take-aways from The CMO Club Innovation Summit in NYC. Learn what's on the minds of leading CMOs today. read more

  • Are the Four P’s of Marketing Obsolete in the Digital Age?

    jyeager_blog
    15 May 2013 | 11:21 am
    The Four P’s: Price, Product, Place and Promotion are the foundation of traditional marketing.  They have endured for decades. However, if the authors of a recent article found in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) are to be believed, their time has passed.  While many people might read the article and say that all they’ve done is reworded the concepts to create a new acronym, they have in fact, created the new paradigm for the Digital Age: SAVE. read more

  • Social Media, Crisis Communication and the News

    ethan
    14 May 2013 | 11:00 am
    Life often throws us curveballs, events that seem to come out of nowhere. Whether you are an individual or a business, social media can be used to help mitigate any problem. However, if used incorrectly, social media can make a bad situation even worse. Ready.gov stresses the importance of having a crisis communication plan by saying, read more

  • Making Your Life Easier with Apps

    cyaris
    11 May 2013 | 6:16 pm
    Who doesn’t want their lives to be easier?  Almost everyone I ask is looking for that one thing, whatever it is, that will make their business lives that much easier.  And, as I work with small businesses, the biggest question I always get is, “Yes, but how do I find the time to do it all?”  How to find more time The easiest way to find more time in your busy week, is to use tools that will enable you to accomplish several tasks at once.  My favorite two applications for this purpose, Hootsuite and BufferApp, allow me to publish to several or all of my social networks with the click…

  • Social Business ROI Secrets, Revealed: Opting In with IBM’s Ed Brill (Part I)

    gcinteractive
    10 May 2013 | 1:54 pm
    Looking for some real-world examples of businesses who are adopting social strategies and performing better financially? Then you’ll definitely want to check out this conversation I had with Ed Brill – IBM’s Director of Mobile Enterprise Marketing and author of Opting In: Lessons in Social Business from a Fortune 500 Product Manager For those of you who are reading-adverse and want just the ‘meat’, I have some key takeaways from our interview and Ed’s book. But first, here is a brief primer for the uninitiated. What exactly is ‘Social Business’? read more
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    SocialFish

  • Off topic: 80′s DC Punk Memorabilia Archive

    Maddie Grant
    17 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    Just for fun, I randomly decided I was going to archive a big pile of old concert flyers from the 80′s when I was growing up in DC and had the privilege of hanging out with the likes of Fugazi at Fort Reno Park.  (Speaking of which, I wrote an homage to them last year, a sort of social media ode. LOL.) So for archiving purposes, I’ve started a DCpunkrock Tumblr.  If you were around and in the scene then, or have friends who were, I’d be grateful if you would let them know, in case they want to add to the archive. I might need to change the theming so people can upload…

  • Crowd Empowered Microfinance

    Maddie Grant
    16 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    Here’s a followup post by Dan Marom, after he shared some insights last week into his book about the Crowdfunding Revolution.   ———————— Below is a preview of a chapter I wrote on Crowd Empowered Microfinance in the book Microfinance in Developing Countries, edited by Jean-Paul Gueyie, Ronny Manos, and Jacob Yaron. Microfinance is a multi-billion dollar industry with a rich history for supporting entrepreneurship and its endeavor to end global poverty. In recent years, we have witnessed the rise of crowdfunding, an industry devoted to…

  • What’s coming down the pike in social marketing?

    Maddie Grant
    15 May 2013 | 6:30 pm
    I was invited to help design and participate on a panel on “trends in social marketing” last week for the first ever Real Magnet User Group Conference. No matter what the status of your organization’s social program, you need to know what’s coming over the horizon. Join us for a panel discussion of social marketing experts – from across industries – to discuss what’s next in social marketing and how they’re positioning for it. The panel will address topics like the implications of exploding mobile usage rates, how social is integrated and leverages with other marketing…

  • MUST WATCH: Sir Ken Robinson’s latest talk on the future of education

    Maddie Grant
    14 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    “Education is not a mechanical system, it’s a human system.” AMEN. “Sir Ken Robinson outlines 3 principles crucial for the human mind to flourish — and how current education culture works against them. In a funny, stirring talk he tells us how to get out of the educational “death valley” we now face, and how to nurture our youngest generations with a climate of possibility. Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we’re educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and…

  • NWF’s quarterly social media update

    Maddie Grant
    13 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    Our friend Danielle Brigida at the National Wildlife Federation recently posted this Quarterly Update about their recent social media successes. Do you do this for your org? Great idea! NWF Social Media Quarterly Update (Q1 2013) from Danielle Brigida ————– (photo credit)
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    Christopher S. Penn

  • What Warcraft teaches us about selling convenience

    Christopher S Penn
    17 May 2013 | 3:51 am
    Send to KindleOne of the easiest paths to profit in World of Warcraft is to have a mage visit the various cities in the game and pick up stock items from various vendors and resell them at obscenely high prices. For example, here’s my mage visiting the engineering company in the game to buy some blueprints from him for 2 gold coins. She’ll resell these plans on the in-game market, the auction house, for anywhere between 20 and 437 gold, depending on how lazy the customer is feeling, and someone will buy them without fail in the next 48 hours. Why wouldn’t the customer simply…

  • Mailbag: Single or double opt-in for email?

    Christopher S Penn
    16 May 2013 | 3:25 am
    Send to KindleEllen Butler asks: “Do you require double opt-ins on your email list signups? Pls discuss! @cspenn @johnjwall” Since we’ve got a pre-recorded show in the can this week for Marketing Over Coffee, I figured I’d tackle this here. Let’s review the choices first. When it comes to opt-ins for email lists, there are 3 different kinds: Single opt-in: fill in the box, you’re subscribed to the list. Notified single opt-in: fill in the box, you’re subscribed to the list and you get an email message confirming your subscription with an opt-out link.

  • Losing for the win

    Christopher S Penn
    15 May 2013 | 4:01 am
    Send to Kindle Last night at the Boston Martial Arts Center I had an interesting experience while coaching one of the green belt students on some avoidance techniques. The drill was simple: I swung at the student with a foam-padded bopper and after avoiding a relatively slow swing, they had to hit a padded target. It’s a drill of avoidance and footwork on one hand, and accuracy on the other. The drill encourages not only good technique, but presence of mind – you can’t just wildly avoid or you’ll be out of position for the target hitting. What was interesting to me…

  • The graduation lesson I wish I’d had

    Christopher S Penn
    14 May 2013 | 4:28 am
    Send to Kindle This time of year, we trot out the favorites of graduation speeches that inspire, make us laugh, and make us think. Whether it’s Steve Jobs at Stanford, Conan O’Brien at Dartmouth, Bill Gates at Harvard, or Stephen Colbert at Knox College, there’s no shortage of awakening moments to be had. Watch them all – they make for a fine evening’s entertainment and probably better than anything on television at the moment. That said, all of these talks share one thing in common: what your future is about, what life is like after school or what it could be…

  • Pinteresting Your Swipe File

    Christopher S Penn
    13 May 2013 | 5:06 am
    Send to KindleHere’s an innovative and useful way to use Pinterest: as a swipe file. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a swipe file, it’s a repository of other great ideas you can turn to for inspiration, especially when you experience creative blocks. Pinterest is an ideal platform for swipe files because of its highly visual, easily shareable nature. Here’s how. First, set up a new board. I rather uncreatively called mine Swipe File. Next, add any collaborators or coworkers you want to have on your board by editing its settings. Finally, add stuff. What sorts…
 
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    Socialmedia.biz

  • Top 5 CRM platforms for small business

    Guest
    16 May 2013 | 5:11 am
    Insightly, SugarCRM, Nimble, Zoho CRM lead way Guest post by Megan Totka Chief Editor, ChamberofCommerce.com At some point, a growing small or medium-size business comes face to face with a basic question: How do we manage our relationships with our customers? By using customer relationship management (CRM) software, a business owner can track customers’ shopping and buying habits, information about new prospects, sales, vendors, past interactions via social media and more. A good CRM system organizes all this information and makes it easily accessible, allowing team members to work…

  • Can you build an audience while maintaining intimacy?

    Chris Abraham
    14 May 2013 | 5:11 am
    Photo by practicalowl (Creative Commons) Yes. In fact, you must. Just don’t go on social auto-pilot and start collecting people You know how much I am obsessed with long-tail blogger outreach, right? I am a man possessed! That said, I really don’t collect people. People don’t like being collected. As people, we don’t like being part of a menagerie. While it’s easy to collect people, it’s even easier to take them for granted, and there’s probably a tipping point. I have been consulting some bouncing social media babies recently, and they’re doing it right.

  • 20 tools to grow your business & get more productive

    Shonali Burke
    13 May 2013 | 5:11 am
    Boomerang, TimeBridge, AwayFind & much more A couple of years ago, I wrote a post on the five productivity tools I found myself using frequently. Since times change, and apps/platforms come and go, I thought I’d take a fresh look at how my daily toolkit has changed, and share that with you. Note that I use Gmail almost exclusively, so if that’s you, you’re in luck. If not, well, you’ll have to see if they work for your particular set-up. Here, then, are 20 tools to help you grow your business, by keeping you efficient, productive and in the know. Email, contacts and…

  • Don’t overlook LinkedIn in building your new business

    Guest
    9 May 2013 | 5:11 am
    9 ways to leverage the power of LinkedIn Guest post by Cara Aley The right digital marketing strategy is important for every new business. Many new business owners focus their efforts mostly on Facebook and Twitter and overlook how useful LinkedIn can be in the launch and building of awareness for their businesses. Below you’ll find multiple ways in which you can use this powerful networking website to help successfully promote your new business. Create a profile for better SEO 1LinkedIn is one of the more search engine optimized websites. Simply creating a profile on LinkedIn for your…

  • Little Bird: A game changer for tracking influencers

    JD Lasica
    8 May 2013 | 5:02 am
    Photo by Jessica May H on Flickr (CC BY license) New social tool helps agencies, businesses mine verticals for the big kahunas Target audience: Businesses, brands, digital marketers, advertising agencies, SEO specialists, entrepreneurs, educators, journalists, Web publishers. If you know how social media marketing works, then you know that social has changed the rules of marketing. It’s no longer about targeting a desired demographic and then bombarding that audience with one-way commercial messages. Madison Avenue and Don Draper live on in the form of mass marketing, but social…
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    Gauravonomics

  • Future of Engagement #9: Social Live Experiences

    gauravonomics@gmail.com (Gaurav Mishra)
    14 May 2013 | 1:45 am
    Organizations blend technology, community and location to create immersive experiences that blur the boundaries between online and offline. What are Social Live Experiences? Social live experiences blend technology, community and location to create immersive experiences that blur the boundaries between online and offline. Source: pochacco20 on Flickr The rise of social live experiences can be attributed to three broad trends. First, people are constantly live-streaming their experiences by posting updates, photos, videos and check-ins through location-aware smart phones and tablets, creating…

  • Future of Engagement #8: Collective Intelligence

    gauravonomics@gmail.com (Gaurav Mishra)
    28 Mar 2013 | 9:01 pm
    Organizations synthesize search, social and sensor data streams into insights that guide smarter actions. What is Collective Intelligence? Photo from jodiejaye on Flickr Collective intelligence involves analyzing the collective actions and feedback of people, finding patterns and trends, and sharing it back to aid understanding and guide action. Organizations, artists and changemakers are using collective intelligence to analyze opinions and behaviors, identify patterns and trends, and recommend actions or inspire change. The rise of collective intelligence can be attributed to three broad…

  • Future of Engagement #7: Transmedia Storytelling

    gauravonomics@gmail.com (Gaurav Mishra)
    10 Mar 2013 | 8:36 pm
    Media organizations, changemakers, and brands create cross-platform storyworlds to drive participation, action and loyalty. What is Transmedia Storytelling? Photo from xavitalleda on Flickr Transmedia storytelling involves telling a story across multiple media platforms – including TV shows, movies, graphic novels, books, games, mobile apps, microsites, social networks, online communities and offline events – in a way that each platform explores different aspects of the same storyworld. Media organizations, changemakers, and brands are using transmedia storytelling to create immersive…

  • Future of Engagement #6: Social Curation

    gauravonomics@gmail.com (Gaurav Mishra)
    3 Mar 2013 | 6:56 pm
    Media, organizations and brands curate content to drive social engagement. What is Social Curation? Photo from peterhellberg on Flickr Social curation involves aggregating, organizing and sharing content created by others to add context, narrative and meaning to it. Artists, changemakers and organizations use social curation to showcase the full range of conversations around a topic, add more nuance to their own original content, and set the stage to crowdsource content from their community members. The rise of social curation can be attributed to three broad trends. First, people are…

  • Learning Chinese

    Gaurav Mishra
    16 Feb 2013 | 11:25 pm
    Here is a brief introduction to my life in Shanghai, in English, Chinese, and Pinyin, thanks to Google Translate and my Chinese teacher ShaSha. Photo from pagedooley on Flickr Hello. My name is Gaurav. I am Indian. I am thirty three years old. I work in marketing, but sometimes I think of myself as a thinker and writer. I want to write many books. I want to use my ideas to change the world. Two and a half years back, in September 2010, I first came to China for work. Since then, I have come to China many times for work, mostly to Beijing and Shanghai. Six months back, in September 2012, I…
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    GigaOM

  • How cloud, big data and mobile will make the CMO the BMOC

    Rob Lilleness, Guest Contributor
    18 May 2013 | 12:00 pm
    In every shift of technology, new companies emerge to dominate new spaces while incumbents falter (and sometimes fade away). Today’s epic shift to mobile, big data and real-time analytics will certainly change the corporate landscape. But the emergence of these new technologies is also inspiring major change in the C-level suite, and the biggest beneficiary will be the Chief Marketing Officer. Marketing becomes new revenue arm Traditionally, CMOs have dealt with the “soft skills” of marketing. They headed up cost centers filled with branding, advertising and campaigns that…

  • How to make Twitter the ultimate news ticker

    Paul Armstrong, Guest Contributor
    18 May 2013 | 10:30 am
    It’s been a tumultuous several weeks for Twitter, Reddit and the social web, during which we’ve seen both its great potential and confounding dark side. There was the recent AP account hacking – which instantly (but temporarily) drained some $200 billion from the stock market – the mass confusion of the Boston Bombings (and tragic repurcussions), and, well, insert-specious-news-rumor-of-the-day here. It calls to mind a famous arachnid-movie quote (by way of Voltaire): “With great power comes great responsibility.” It’s important to note that Twitter  is a…

  • How iPads, apps and YouTube can be a band’s best practice tools

    Mark Crump
    18 May 2013 | 9:00 am
    It started innocently enough. “Let’s get together and jam” lead to a rehearsal song list, and  the possibility of starting a band. I had about a week to organize and prepare for a mostly full band rehearsal. We don’t have a singer yet, so that duty, sadly, has fallen on me until we get someone. As noted on this site before, I’m a guitar player. By nature, I’m a very organized an prepared individual, and I wanted to get everyone prepared for the songs ahead of time. After I sent out links to YouTube clips of the songs to the other members, it was time to…

  • Why Yahoo acquiring Tumblr for $1 billion makes a certain horrible kind of sense

    Mathew Ingram
    18 May 2013 | 8:41 am
    According to a blizzard of anonymous news reports, Marissa Mayer is working feverishly to land the biggest fish of her career as CEO of Yahoo: namely, the $1-billion-plus acquisition of New York-based Tumblr, the ultra-hip blog network — the two are reportedly involved in discussions that could come to fruition as early as Sunday. Although Tumblr fans seem horrified by the idea, this one makes a substantial amount of sense for both sides. Of course, as Om and others have already mentioned, there’s no guarantee this deal will actually be consummated: it could fall apart on…

  • We’ve entered the age of emotional, design-centric, e-commerce

    Katie Fehrenbacher
    18 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    When I opened up my first package from online women’s clothing startup Everlane, an immediate smile spread across my face. The company had wrapped the cashmere sweater I bought in a soft, silky Everlane-branded cream-colored bag. It was a very basic choice — not something meant to blow your mind — but a little detail that resonated with me in an immediate tactile and emotional way, and later in a branding way. The same smile appeared when I was filling out the brief quiz for True & Co., a new startup that’s trying to rethink how women buy bras. The company asks you a variety of…
 
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    Marketing Land

  • Microsoft Slams Google In Nasty, Internal Parody Of Chrome Ad

    Matt McGee
    17 May 2013 | 5:08 pm
    You’re not supposed to see this video. Unless you work at Microsoft. It’s a fake Chrome ad that’s part of Microsoft’s ongoing “Scroogled” campaign against Google, but it was supposed to remain internal. It appeared first on a blog called iCosmoGeek and has now... Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

  • Yahoo Beats Back $2.75 Billion Yellow Pages Verdict On Appeal

    Greg Sterling
    17 May 2013 | 3:04 pm
    Yahoo announced yesterday that it had prevailed in an appeal of a $2.75 judgment in Mexico obtained by former joint venture partners: The appellate decision overturned all monetary awards against Yahoo! Inc. and reduced the monetary award against Yahoo! Mexico to $172,500. Yahoo! Mexico was awarded... Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

  • Marketo Scores In IPO, Shares Close Up 77%

    Ginny Marvin
    17 May 2013 | 1:55 pm
    In a positive sign of a healthy IPO market, Marketo’s first day of trading on the NASDAQ was a hit.  The marketing automation company raised $79 million in its IPO, offering 6.1 million shares priced at $13. Today shares opened at $20 and rose 77.69% to close at $23.10. Marketo CEO, Phil... Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

  • Marketing Day: May 17, 2013

    Matt McGee
    17 May 2013 | 1:04 pm
    Here’s our daily recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web. From Marketing Land: Google: “Game Changing” Features Will Boost Google+ Adoption Nearly two years after its launch, Google is still dealing with... Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

  • Google: “Game Changing” Features Will Boost Google+ Adoption

    Danny Sullivan
    17 May 2013 | 12:27 pm
    Nearly two years after its launch, Google is still dealing with people who question why they should bother with Google+. But in recent weeks, the company has released what it considers “game changing” features that it feels will better enlist both marketers and developers to embrace its... Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
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    Econsultancy

  • Are financial service online communities effective?

    Paul Merry
    17 May 2013 | 5:25 am
    Online communities are a powerful tool. Get the strategy right and they can help to generate a major success story: get them wrong, and they fade into insignificance, if you are lucky!  Historically, social media was seen as an anathema to businesses like banks. Thankfully such narrow minded thinking is a thing of the past, but some businesses have gone too far in the other direction. Excesses are dangerous. If a financial organisation is excessively insular it looks out of touch, whereas by going to the other extreme, and jumping on every social media trend available, banks risk being seen…

  • How new Google Plus features can help you create great content. Part one: image editing

    James Carson
    17 May 2013 | 2:22 am
    Google Plus has announced a host of new image editing features, which integrate the brilliant Snapseed application into the social network. There's also an 'awesome' twist with the addition of animated gifs for sequence photos. A collection of useful tools for anyone who wants to use original imagery in their content.  On Wednesday Google+ announced a host of improvements. For me, involved in the content side of things, I was particularly interested in the new image features, particularly after hearing that they'd integrated the excellent Snapseed app. With this in mind, I thought I’d…

  • Five lessons in corporate brand building from the big boys

    Jens Lundgaard
    17 May 2013 | 1:30 am
    There’s been some talk in the last weeks about FMCG companies investing in and building their corporate brands.  Research by media monitoring company Precise, published in March 2013 says that consumers are more likely to view FMCG companies favourably if they develop a recognisable corporate brand. Now comes the news that Johnson & Johnson have unveiled a new corporate slogan, prompting Mark Ritson to write in Marketing Week last week in less than complimentary terms about various attempts at corporate brand building. What all this proves is that the audience for corporate brands has…

  • Five lovely new features that mean Google Plus is about to take hold

    Ben Davis
    16 May 2013 | 4:15 am
    Here's a brief summary of the main G+ improvements in effect today. We at Econsultancy think it now has the chops to garner more users, and these features may enable the platform to take hold... In the extraordinary words of Robert Kusabbi on our G+ page today: It's hot. It's like Pinterest, the Tumblr iOS app and Facebook, but in Louboutins. Even uploading is pretty. My issue is that are there enough people engaged here who are not talking about Google+ but content and how long will it take for that to happen? Seems we've been waiting ages for a mass movement here. I like it, but not sure…

  • How BMW uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+

    David Moth
    16 May 2013 | 3:15 am
    Over the past few months I've been looking at how different global brands make use of the main social networks, but so far I've neglected the auto industry. I've rectified that this week by turning the spotlight on BMW, which as it turns out has a surprisingly strong Facebook presence. This post follows on from similar articles focusing on brands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, Red Bull, Microsoft and Ikea. And without further ado, here's a quick look at how BMW uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+...Facebook BMW has attracted 13.4 million fans to its main page and entertains them with…
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    Convince and Convert

  • Smart Marketing is about Help not Hype

    Jay Baer
    18 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Can I please get your help making my new book a smash hit when it releases next month? Please watch this… Through speaking engagements and such, I’ve sold a lot of copies of Youtility, and we’re headed toward the best-seller lists. But I could use a hand from you to make sure it does even better. We’ve produced thousands of hours of free content here, and I don’t ask for much. But I REALLY need you this week, please. Until Friday, you can take advantage of a collection of exclusive book-related bonuses, not available anywhere else. Plus, free shipping anywhere in…

  • Contagion, Social Media, and Why Things Catch On

    Jay Baer
    17 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    Jonah Berger, Wharton @j1berger Jonah Berger, Marketing Professor at the Wharton School, joins the Social Pros Podcast this week to discuss his bestseller Contagious: Why Things Catch on, the science behind those viral marketing hits, and the importance of setting realistic and helpful goals with a viral marketing campaign. Read on for some of the highlights and tweetable moments, or listen to the full podcast. Please Support Our Sponsors Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn’t do it without their help! This week: From…

  • 3 Ways to Use Google to Be Better at PR

    Carrie Morgan
    16 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    I’d like to let you in on a secret that most PR pros don’t think of: some of the easiest placement opportunities you’ll EVER land for a client (or your employer) are found using the most common online tool you can think of. Google. It’s completely under-appreciated as a PR tool. Let me share a few specific details, so you can get your company or your clients more business online. After all, when you do things that other PR pros don’t think of doing, or don’t know to do, it puts you that much further ahead of the game, right? It’s a win for you and for your clients. 1. Use…

  • When is Social Media Experimentation a Waste of Company Resources

    Jay Baer
    15 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Social Media Controversies Addressed, Fresh Each Week In this edition of The Baer Facts, I talk with Kyle Lacy of ExactTarget about whether brands should be taking the plunge into other emerging platforms, specifically SnapChat. As an author, it scares the bejesus out of me, but it appears kids really don’t want to read. And as a parent, it spooks me, but it appears kids don’t want to use social networks that their parents also use. Thus, the rise of SnapChat, a darling of certain segments of the teen set – including my daughter – whereby you can message one or more…

  • How to Integrate Social Media into Your Website with a Homeland Embassy Strategy

    Eric Schwartzman
    14 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Image by Eric Schwartzman Editor’s Note: A version of this post originally appeared on Social Media Explorer. I’d like to walk you through a social media strategy concept known as the homeland-embassy approach. It’s an idea shared first by Steve Rubel, though I’m not sure he meant to take it as far and as literal as I’m going to here, but the basic gist is that your website is your homeland and your social networking accounts are your embassies. Before we delve into the nitty-gritty of the homeland-embassy strategy idea and what it suggest strategically about how you…
 
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    Stories Above New York

  • New York Rooftop Bars

    Stewart Mader
    16 May 2013 | 9:49 am
    Seeing – and photographing – New York from stories above is a great way to take in the grandeur and magnanimity of the city. I’ve updated my list of New York rooftop bars, restaurants, and cafés in time for summer, when the largest number of open-air venues are open (several have retractable roofs and are open year-round as well). This list is also available in Foursquare. 230 Fifth 20 stories above 230 5th Avenue 212-725-4300 230-fifth.com Alma Restaurant 3 stories above 187 Columbia Street 718-643-5400 almarestaurant.com Asiate 35 stories above 80 Columbus Circle…

  • Look Building, 488 Madison Avenue

    Stewart Mader
    13 May 2013 | 10:56 pm
    The Look Building, so-named because it once housed the editorial offices of Look Magazine, a bi-weekly publication that emphasized photography and counted among its staff the future filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. Bob Dylan recorded “The Times They Are a-Changin’” in the studio of music publisher Witmark & Sons, another tenant. The building was awarded landmark status by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2010. Photographed from the 22nd story of 477 Madison Ave.

  • Pillars of Civilization

    Stewart Mader
    13 May 2013 | 9:42 am
    Dean Robinson of the New York Times writes about architect Renzo Piano’s comments on cities in a BBC interview (53 min) about the opening of London’s tallest building, The Shard: When Piano speaks of cities as “great human inventions” and basically civilization itself, and then insists that “you don’t give up the idea of city . . . and by defending city you have to defend the intensity of exchange and density, because the idea, the romantic idea, of the little village, it does not work” — well, the thinking feels right. The idea that towers are the pillars of…

  • Upper West Side

    Stewart Mader
    8 May 2013 | 7:26 am
    Photographed from the 34th floor of 3 Lincoln Center.

  • Stories Above New York

    Stewart Mader
    7 May 2013 | 9:30 am
    From its beginnings in 2011, this project has aimed to showcase the cityscapes of New York from a distinct perspective: above the street, but below aerial. The name Elevator View was coined when I first considered photographing office entrances as one would see them when stepping off an elevator in any of the city’s ubiquitous towers. As the project has progressed, that name has felt increasingly awkward, since the views I photograph from rooftops, balconies, and terraces are not views from the elevator in a literal sense. Yes, one takes an elevator to reach many of these perspectives,…
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    The Online Community Guide

  • Join Us And Change How People Build Communities

    Richard Millington
    18 May 2013 | 7:02 am
    Let’s try this again, we’re hiring.  We’re looking for someone that wants to change how people build communities. The current approach is completely wrong. It is too reactive, too focused on platforms, and too similar to marketing. As a result, most communities fail. Even those that succeed struggle to reach their potential. By applying the principles of social science, we can change this. This is a message we want your help in spreading    Community Advocate  We’re hiring a community advocate. We’re hiring someone that can build positive relationships with a…

  • Investing Social Capital

    Richard Millington
    16 May 2013 | 11:30 pm
    Social capital is the value of the connections between members. This encompasses both the quantity and quality of those connections. Over time, communities build up social capital. What do you do with this social capital? You invest it in community projects. You invest (not spend) the social capital in projects which will benefit the community in the future. This means establishing a goal. This means asking members to work on a task that is too complex for a single person but benefits the community in the long-term. This might be creating a resource for newcomers, organizing a series of live…

  • What Has a Really Big Impact Upon Levels of Participation?

    Richard Millington
    15 May 2013 | 11:30 pm
    Big wins are rarely in community development. Gamification has a minimal, short-term, impact (about 5%). Moving and changing platforms has a tiny impact (unless you’re using a terrible platform, then it has a big impact). Adding a new feature has almost 0 impact. If you want to significantly increase levels of participation, there are several big wins.  1)   Attract the most interested members/narrow the focus of the topic. The biggest determinant upon levels of participation is interest in the topic. Our interest are usually narrow. We might have an interest in cars, but…

  • Unsettling Top Members

    Richard Millington
    14 May 2013 | 11:30 pm
    You probably have several highly active members. They participate most frequently. They contribute the best content. How do you reward them? You don’t. These aren’t the members you need to worry about. They’re already doing what you want them to do. Members don’t leave a community because they didn’t receive appreciation/rewards/gratitude. They leave because they don’t feel part of the group, become bored of the group, or lose interest in the topic altogether. When you reward the people that are already doing what you want, you risk unsettling them. It creates jealousy. Some…

  • Building Powerful Peer Groups

    Richard Millington
    13 May 2013 | 11:30 pm
    You don’t compare your life against George Clooney. He’s not in your peer group. A-List celebrities might, but not you. You measure yourself against those you consider your peers. You measure yourself against a relatively small group of people whom, at some point, have had the same level, interest, or held the same position, as yourself (at the same time – people don’t compare themselves to the deceased). Early on, this was your school friends. Later, it was your work colleagues. Now it’s probably an online group. Once we find our peer group, we use them as references for our own…
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    Daily Blog Tips

  • Tool to Measure the Speed of Your Website

    Daniel Scocco
    15 May 2013 | 7:05 am
    A couple of weeks ago I came across an interesting tool to measure the loading speed of your website. The tool was created by Pingdom, and it basically loads your website, tracking the time at each stage of the process. It’s called Pingdom Website Speed Test. Once the test completes you’ll with a score (varies from 0 to 100), the number of requests performed (i.e., how many elements were loaded), the total load time and the total size of your page. Here’s how DailyBlogTips scored: On top of that you’ll also get access to a detailed break-down of all the elements that…

  • The eBay Affiliate Program Case

    Daniel Scocco
    7 May 2013 | 6:23 am
    If you have been building websites or working with Internet marketing for a while you probably already visited the DigitalPoint forum. It’s the largest and one of the oldest online, and it’s owner, Shawn Hogan, was well known in the Internet marketing circles. A couple of years ago I read around the web that Shawn was facing some legal troubles with his affiliate marketing activities, but there weren’t many details about the issue. Fast forward to the present day and it seems that the problems he was facing were both real and serious, according to a recent article on…

  • Internet Marketing 101: Basic Elements of Sales Pages

    Daniel Scocco
    1 May 2013 | 9:16 am
    Last week I linked to a post which contained 10 tips for creating effective sales pages. While all the tips mentioned are solid, I think they don’t cover all the elements you need to include on a sales page, so I decided to list them. Here you go: 1. Benefits As I explain in this post, benefits sell, not features. And since benefits are what your customer is looking for you should always start the sales pitch with them. 2. Story This is the only item which I think is optional, and its use depend on the type of product you are selling. For instance, if you are selling an ebook about…

  • Tips to Create Effective Sales Pages

    Daniel Scocco
    24 Apr 2013 | 9:12 am
    If you already have a sales page, or are planning to build one soon, you should check out a post from my buddy Karl Staib, titled 10 Tips to Create a Sales Page that Converts Prospects to Customers. Karl goes through the strategies that worked well on his own sales pages, including the best practices of the industry. For instance, here’s one of the strategies mentioned, which many people overlook: 4. Share Your Technique Giving people advice that is valuable can be a little surprising to people. Many companies will hide their best information from you, so you have to hire them. When you…

  • Internet Marketing 101: Sell Benefits, Not Features

    Daniel Scocco
    17 Apr 2013 | 2:23 pm
    Whenever you need to sell something, how do you introduce it to potential buyers? The most natural thing for us to do is to start describing the product itself. In other words, to start describing its features. The problem with this approach? It doesn’t sell! It will simply bore the customer and make you lose his attention. If you want to sell, you need to start with the benefits and value that your product will bring to the life of your customers. Sure, down the road you’ll need to actually describe the product features (cause people want to know what they are actually buying),…
 
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    Poetslife

  • My New eBook at Amazon

    Bruce Curley
    22 Apr 2013 | 7:08 pm
    If you have an interest, you can order my new ebook The President is Hostage: Payback's a Bitch at Amazon. Or use this link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CG6NBX4It took me 24 years to write it.The origin is when I went to see a friend who worked for Bush I in the White House. I was surprised by the lack of layered security in and around the White House, despite its reputation as the most secure building in the world. (This was 1989 remember.)My friend suggested I write a white paper of my observations for him to share. I did. Then I got thinking about a novel based on some of those…

  • BarleyJuice Celtic Rock for St. Patrick's Month

    Bruce Curley
    4 Mar 2013 | 3:33 am
    Went to see BarleyJuice for an early St. Pat's Day Party (March is St. Pat's Month as BarleyJuice says) at the Sykesville Freedom District Volunteer Fire Company after having seen them at the Carroll County Arts Center for several years. Great craic, as always.My wife once danced with a dance troupe called "Deaf Dimensions" when I was courting her. She has always been a natural dancer, and she had me out on the dance floor doing Irish or Rock steps according to the music Juice was playing. Guess we did alright because our friend, Pat Rockinberg, the Mayor of…

  • David Morgan's Poem Re: Life and Silver

    Bruce Curley
    1 Mar 2013 | 4:20 pm
    David Morgan Silver 10 Years Out Video LinkAlways love to find poetry inspiring people in the most unexpected places. Here is one. A guy who knows the silver market and, more importantly, projects the silver market 10 years out, and ends with a great poem about what our life means here on earth. Listen to all of this for silver investment information...but more for the poem at the end. My hat's off to David Morgan for ending with a poem.

  • My Letter from H. Norman Schwarzkopf

    Bruce Curley
    30 Dec 2012 | 2:42 pm
    H. Norma Schwarzkoff sent me a letter dated 12 January 1991, with four days left in Operation Desert Shield and four days before before Operation Desert Storm began. Beneath a red flag with four gold stars, it reads:COMMANDER IN CHIEFUNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMANDOPERATION DESERT SHIELD, APO NY 09852Dear Mr. Curley,       Thanks for sending me a copy of your letter to President Bush.  Believe me when I say I will consider all options when it comes to achieving victory.  It means a great deal to hear from fine citizens, such as you, who support our efforts in this…

  • Christmas 2012 - Peace, Love, Joy, Hope

    Bruce Curley
    23 Dec 2012 | 6:47 pm
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    Louis Gray

  • Mobile Data Goes Up, Phone Calls Go Down, Can't Explain That

    2 May 2013 | 1:11 am
    By the end of last month, Verizon was regularly sending me updates on how close I was to reaching the top of my 4 gigabyte data cap available in the plan I share with my wife. A little over two weeks in, I had used more than two gigabytes, after three weeks a third, and by the end of the billing cycle, I could have hit maximum capacity, had I just left my favorite Spotify playlist on play and asked all my apps from Google Play to update simultaneously.But I was nowhere near capacity for our shared voice plan. Not by a long shot. In fact, the month saw a record low in our actual voice…

  • Devoxx France Video: Early Adopters, Press and Social Media

    25 Apr 2013 | 3:01 pm
    Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Paris, France and speak at Devoxx 2013, with a focus of helping startups raise their "visibility seed round". Often, companies focus on their product, and yes, to raise money - but there's a missing piece, gaining the first customers and first press. Before stepping on to the stage, I sat down with fellow Googler +Alexis Moussine-Pouchkine to talk about mistakes company often make in reaching out to first users and press, and how they can leverage social media.We also talk a bit about Google Developers Live (+GDL), the program I manage,…

  • Fifteen Signs You're a Fitbit Fanatic

    19 Apr 2013 | 10:06 pm
    Two years ago (to the day, surprisingly), I highlighted four squared (16) ways to tell if you've become a Foursquare addict. In the ensuing two years, I've continued to enjoy my regular checkins from place to place, but I've got another obsession that also tracks my comings and goings - not in where I go, but what I do, with the Fitbit. Fitbit, as I described in March, has the potential to take your every day activity and match you up against friends, rewarding you with virtual badges and making you exercise more than you might otherwise.I'm having a blast telling everyone I know who doesn't…

  • Pictures, Or It Didn't Happen on Mobile

    19 Apr 2013 | 10:06 pm
    Foursquare made waves two weeks ago with the launch of their newest application, which more broadly emphasized recommendations, discovery and tips from friends than the original use of the app - a simple checkin, alongside the race for badges and mayorship as you traveled from place to place. Some sites called it the death of the checkin altogether, not wanting to miss an opportunity to be sensational.But the application's refresh did more than take the focus of all my minor comings and goings. It made photos an even greater part of the experience, putting pressure on me, more than ever…

  • All Hands Meetings: Good, Bad and the Ugly

    19 Apr 2013 | 10:06 pm
    Whether at a startup or a Fortune 500 company, culture and communication with colleagues can have an incredible impact on morale and the bottom line. Amass enough naysayers, and the negative inertia can drag down the optimists. Similarly, a well-timed rallying cry can spur troops to close out the quarter on an up note, and help others be willing to work extra hours for a shared goal. One of those opportunities for shared discussions is the company-wide all hands meeting, led by management, typically starring the CEO. In my dozen-plus years in the Valley, from the tiniest of startups, to my…
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    THINKing

  • Assignment Creativity: Urban Photo Adventure

    Harry Hoover
    14 May 2013 | 7:18 am
    Creativity happens when you let it, not when you try to force it. That’s why you get your best ideas when running or showering. Your mind is typically in neutral in those situations and ideas seem to occur spontaneously. So, what can you do to put your mind in neutral and spark some creativity? You can go on an urban photo adventure. Instead of just seeing your city, observe it. Look at things you’ve passed by hundreds of times, but in a different way. Here are a few suggestions to guide your photo excursion. Leading lines. When you look at a photo, your eye naturally follows…

  • Color Your Brand

    Harry Hoover
    24 Apr 2013 | 11:14 am
    When you think of your favorite brands, what comes to mind first? I often think of a color, and apparently I’m not alone. Saw this article over at Social Media Today talking about the role of color in marketing. The article says that, Visual cues help drive buying behavior, and color is the most persuasive element: 85% of shoppers say color is a primary reason why they buy a particular product. Additionally, the post contained an infographic of brands and their color schemes, and it occurred to me that I’d know a lot of those brands by color scheme alone. Big red circle with a…

  • Recycling Is Good For Your Content

    Harry Hoover
    22 Apr 2013 | 9:03 am
    Since it’s Earth Day, we thought we’d discuss recycling – recycling your content, that is. Have you successfully recycled your content. Let’s review a few ways that I have given old content new life. Pull a few blog posts on the same subject and turn it into a white paper or e-book. That’s what we did with this piece on personal branding. Then, you could turn that e-book into a presentation. Got the presentation ready? Pin one of the images from the presentation onto Pinterest. Or just create a board and pin away, as I have with the personal branding topic. Also,…

  • Top Creatives To Follow On Twitter

    Harry Hoover
    20 Mar 2013 | 7:56 am
    We’re assembling a list of the top creatives and creativity experts to follow on Twitter. Somewhat immodestly, we added ourselves to the list. Got anyone else to add? Please do. Top Creatives On Twitter Listly by Harry W. Hoover Top Creatives On Twitter 265 Views crowd rank curated alpha newest queue Harry Hoover (MyCreativeTeam) on Twitter The latest from Harry Hoover (@MyCreativeTeam). Hi, I'm Harry Hoover, tweeting for My Creative Team. We make Fortune 1000 clients - like Momentive, Nucor, National Gypsum & Personna - look good. Charlotte, NC 1 0 0 Michael J Gelb…

  • How To Be Creative – The List

    Harry Hoover
    19 Mar 2013 | 11:14 am
    How To Be Creative Listly by Harry W. Hoover How To Be Creative Here's a list of articles and online tools designed to help improve your creativity. 352 Views crowd rank curated alpha newest queue Top 9 Creativity Finds Of The Month March 15, 2013 on 2:04 pm | In My Creative Team | No Comments We've found a lot of good creativity-related articles this month and wanted to share them with the class. So, below is our list of Top 9 Creativity Finds Of The Month. What Type Of Thinker Are You? 1 0 0 Creativity Boost #3 - Dictionary Excursion November 16, 2011 on 2:25 pm | In Creative,…
 
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    Firebelly Marketing

  • Has Social Media Changed The College Experience For The Better?

    Charlotte Hancock
    30 Apr 2013 | 7:11 am
    I stumbled across a blog post a few weeks ago about how social media was ruining the traditional college experience. To me this seemed like a bold statement and more a matter of opinion. A large percentage of millennials are in college or heading to college this fall – it is interesting to think about how the generation with the highest social media consumption is experiencing college differently. The integration of social media is inevitable and offers some enhancement to the experience. 1.    Finding Roommates Pot luck. The greatest fear of any pre-freshman student. What could be…

  • Facebook Graph Search Optimization: 5 Must-Reads

    Chad Richards
    29 Apr 2013 | 12:01 pm
    What should you do to optimize your Facebook page for Graph Search? Find out in these 5 must-reads. What Facebook Graph Search Means for Your Business By Kelly Jo Horton Graph search is Facebook’s social solution for connected search. It is a search algorithm that delivers results based on connecting the dots in the mountains of data Facebook has collected from its billion users. Results are served up based on relevancy and relationship rather than keywords. So what does this mean for your Facebook brand page? It means it’s time for businesses to get social, and I do mean social. Graph…

  • Firebelly Goes To The 2013 TechPoint Mira Awards Gala

    Kelly Rynard
    24 Apr 2013 | 11:16 am
    Saturday, April 20 was the 2013 TechPoint Mira Awards – Firebelly was named a finalist in Marketing Technology Excellence & Innovation category . We are honored to be named one of “The Best Of Tech In Indiana” among the tech greats of Indiana. Check out Duncan’s video, where he talks about being a finalist in a recent blog post: Firebelly Is A 2013 TechPoint Mira Awards Finalist. The evening began with a lovely cocktail and interactive dinner at the JW Marriott in Downtown Indianapolis. The Grand Ballroom was bustling with people dressed to the nines in tuxedos…

  • Millennials And The Need To Stay Connected

    Charlotte Hancock
    23 Apr 2013 | 8:00 am
    Millennials do not want to miss anything – we check our phones as soon as we are awake, clutch them all day, and finally fall asleep after a nightly update. For millennials, checking social media is as routine as brushing our teeth or eating dinner. Millennials have a need to be connected and fulfill this through constantly texting, updating social networking sites, and responding to emails via smartphone. InsightExpress conducted a survey of how millennials use social networking and mobile devices to stay connected. Here are some interesting things that were found: 1.  One in five…

  • What Facebook Home Means For Marketers: 5 Must-Reads

    Chad Richards
    22 Apr 2013 | 6:00 am
    Facebook has rolled out Facebook Home, a mobile experience that “puts your friends at the heart of your phone.” But what does this mean for marketers and brands? Find out in this week’s must-reads below. Facebook Home: What’s in It for Marketers? By Andrew Cherwenka Facebook introduced the launch of Facebook Home, ending rumors of a custom-built social phone dating back to 2008. What is it and what does it mean to marketers? What does Facebook Home mean for marketers? By Natalie Brandweiner Facebook’s objectives and users’ are once again in conflict. Users…
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    ConverStations

  • Make Good Small Choices

    Mike Sansone
    9 May 2013 | 2:15 am
    Since October, my wife and I have been focusing our walk and work to serving in a local rescue mission and with our homeless neighbors – specifically in the area of recovery. One of our most repeated and shared mantras has been, “Make Good Small Choices – They Add Up to Big Results.” Many times in life – and business – we try to swing for the fences every time. Too often we find ourselves in knots or falling over. Sometimes both at once. With the still quickening pace of change and tools, small business owners and rural business might often find better…

  • To a Wonder-Filled 2013

    Mike Sansone
    1 Jan 2013 | 3:19 am
    Happy New Year! Here’s to 2013 being a year filled with wonderful times and opportunities to be profitably courageous and positively contagious. Angela and I have invested the previous months focusing our time and energy on a mission field. Our ministry work (Lk 14:23, Mk 16:20) has been fulfilling and, at times, stretching – and we look forward to more exercise in 2013. As I begin to return some attention to business, the work I do will be focused on helping business grow using the SmallBizTracks model. Personal and Spiritual writings will be found on my Armchair Articulations…

  • Movement Avoids Overwhelm

    Mike Sansone
    1 Nov 2012 | 5:41 am
    Some of life’s biggest projects are best traveled in small steps. I’ve heard that relocation is one of the three most stressful times of life (along with a wedding and a funeral). Moving has so many … moving parts to it, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. It would be easy to adopt an “I don’t know where to begin” attitude – a sticking point to getting stuck. Begin somewhere and maintain movement, focusing on one task at a time. Don’t worry about seeing the destination at the starting line. This practice has served well in my life, most recently…

  • What Gives You the Chills?

    Mike Sansone
    24 Oct 2012 | 5:57 pm
    Here’s J.J. Abrams (Lost, Super 8, Revolution) and one of my favorite question-askers/storytellers, Morgan Spurlock (A Day in the Life, Super Size Me) in a short video about choice, technology, and how to know which possibility to go after: Can't see the video in your RSS reader or email? Click Here! Isn’t this true with some of the Social Media choices we face? With so many choices – which do you go after? Certainly not all of them – that would turn into a slow process of none of them. Go after the one that thrills you first!  Hate Facebook but love Pinterest?  Go…

  • One Duck at a Time

    Mike Sansone
    24 Oct 2012 | 3:21 am
    Ducks in a Row vs. Ducks in a Bunch. I’ve talked about this before. For most of us, getting your ducks lined up before you start something can be disabling. It’s like waiting for all the lights to turn green before you leave the house. While some folks need to move from Ducks in a Row to Ducks in a Bunch to get going, there are many others that need to take things One Duck at a Time. Maybe that’s you. If you’re having a tough time getting started, stop trying to herd ducks – just attend to one duck at a time. That’s what we’re doing at Small Biz…
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    New Marketing and Interactive

  • Kick the Bank With a KickStarter Crowdfunding Campaign!

    dean@deanwhitney.com (Dean Whitney)
    1 May 2013 | 9:50 am
    By now you’ve probably heard of the whole crowdfunding boom and Kickstarter.com. Essentially, crowdfunding enables folks to raise money for just about anything from a crowd, or community... An early pioneer in interactive media, sought after speaker and leading expert on search and social media marketing, Dean Whitney is the Founder of Dean Whitney Interactive.

  • Manage Your LinkedIn Company Page in 5 Minutes Per Day

    dean@deanwhitney.com (Dean Whitney)
    30 Apr 2013 | 3:11 pm
    As you probably already know, LinkedIn is by far the best platform for making B2B connections online and an increasingly effective way to find superstar talent. It's also becoming an increasingly... An early pioneer in interactive media, sought after speaker and leading expert on search and social media marketing, Dean Whitney is the Founder of Dean Whitney Interactive.

  • How colors affect conversions [infographic]

    dean@deanwhitney.com (Dean Whitney)
    3 Apr 2013 | 1:15 pm
    Color affects conversions because it has a powerful psychological influence on the human brain. Learn how others have harnessed it and how you can do the same. Here’s a great infographic from... An early pioneer in interactive media, sought after speaker and leading expert on search and social media marketing, Dean Whitney is the Founder of Dean Whitney Interactive.

  • Geek mixtape – 6 awesome songs from tech ads

    dean@deanwhitney.com (Dean Whitney)
    20 Mar 2013 | 8:56 pm
    We love tech and ads and music so I thought I’d put together a little tech ad mixtape blog post. Here’s 6 awesome songs from tech ads. Blackberry Z10 ‘Keep Moving’ Commercial... An early pioneer in interactive media, sought after speaker and leading expert on search and social media marketing, Dean Whitney is the Founder of Dean Whitney Interactive.

  • Use Open Graph Meta Protocol so your content looks great when shared

    dean@deanwhitney.com (Dean Whitney)
    11 Mar 2013 | 1:00 pm
    The Open Graph meta protocol enables any web page to become a rich object in a social graph. For example when you paste a URL into the “update status” box on Facebook you usually see some... An early pioneer in interactive media, sought after speaker and leading expert on search and social media marketing, Dean Whitney is the Founder of Dean Whitney Interactive.
 
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    Direct Marketing Observations

  • Yelp is Broken and Social Flashmobs Apparently Rule

    marc meyer
    17 May 2013 | 11:03 am
    I was just reading about the social media meltdown of Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale, if you’re not familiar with it, the restaurant was featured on Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares production that airs on the FOX Network. To give you a quick recap, things did not go well for the owners of the restaurant and for the second time since Ramsay has been doing the show, he walked away and essentially refused to help the restauranteurs out.  This act in and of itself says a lot since in his own right, Ramsay can be pretty irascible. So for something to essentially send him…

  • When content turns into an ad

    marc meyer
    14 May 2013 | 10:12 am
    It can’t be good… I was going to go off on a rant, but the fact of the matter is…it can’t be good. You feel duped and cheated and misled.

  • The Way Social Media Used To Be

    marc meyer
    2 Apr 2013 | 8:20 am
    From the cartoonery of John Atkinson and WrongHands we give you… Vintage social networking.

  • Is Social Currency Counterfeit?

    marc meyer
    21 Mar 2013 | 8:58 am
    Check out this image. Now I’m pulling this next blurb from Vivaldi Partners via wikipedia but pay attention to it: Vivaldi Partners defined social currency as the extent to which people share the brand or information about the brand as part of their everyday social lives at work or at home. Now, let’s fast forward to an article that Jay Baer wrote in which he states that online influencer outreach is overrated: I’m not suggesting that influencer outreach is useless or should be abandoned. But, it’s not magic beans. It needs to be looked at for what it actually is – the top…

  • Our Global Digital World

    marc meyer
    14 Mar 2013 | 11:06 am
    Saw this picture and it so captures the essence of who we are now. We are a global, digitally enabled people. Amazing!
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    The Engaging Brand

  • What is the meaning of your life?

    Anna Farmery
    18 May 2013 | 8:09 am
    Our little weekend thought tries to inspire you to think differently about your life, your career, your business and this week I want you to....relax! Too often we take life too seriously, we look at meanings behind everything.....we look for hidden meaning in the gestures of others, the words of others, why we are here etc etc But remember...the only meaning you need to consider is this What do you want YOUR life to have meant? When you are out in the garden, at the gym this weekend think less about the meaning of life...and focus on the meaning of YOUR LIFE.

  • What is Business Value in the Social Age?

    Anna Farmery
    17 May 2013 | 3:22 am
    Business value is something that I am researching as part of my social business PhD. The valuation of a business has always been linked to adding value  - value through service or value through the combination of raw materials. Business strategy for creating value used to be "easy" but with the advent of the Internet the consumers have so much more power - they can make, they can access services through social networking, they can even challenge what value you are creating..... My initial PhD research is showing though that although value creation may be changing...as always the foundation…

  • Bob-o-Graphic on What Make an Innovative Culture

    Anna Farmery
    16 May 2013 | 7:35 am
    This week on The Engagigng Brand we discussed Innovation with Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg  and as the book gives a great insight into business innovation we have created a little Bob-o-graphic for you to use. Focus beats freedom. You need to focus on ideas that matter to the business. Insights come from the outside. Connect to the outside world to find original ideas. Be ready - in fact want to - tweak as first ideas are usually flawed. Select -  Remember your role is to select ideas, as not all ideas are created equal and you must discard the rest so you can focus on the best. Stealthstorm…

  • Why you need to hold a Board Meeting with....YOURSELF!

    Anna Farmery
    14 May 2013 | 6:29 pm
    Look at your dairy - full of meetings? I bet there are quite a few in your working day... I am a read believer in getting rid of meetings that are about compromise, covering your back or delaying a decision! But I love meetings that inspire, are focused and blend deep thinking with action orientated outcomes. For all the meetings that you have.....when do you meet with yourself? When do you review your progress, brainstorm your business interests, inspire your own self-improvement...create actions that will deliver your personal goals?...... Thought so.... We have one precious resource - time…

  • Tip on Creating Thought Leadership - through Surfing!

    Anna Farmery
    14 May 2013 | 4:56 am
    Action, action, action - we all know that action is required and we focus our teams on action. However I do believe action needs to stem from a platform of thinking. Thought leadership is often a term that people use without really understanding on what area they truly have thought leadership.  Thought leadership comes from deep thinking and related business insights. These skills of leadership are often ignored - why? Well it is uncomfortable, hard work and so much easier to hide behind group think or compromise. Social media is a wonderful tool to develop these skills in leadership. Social…
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    Polygraph Media Blog

  • Data Proliferation and the rise of the Chief Data Officer

    Chris Treadaway
    8 May 2013 | 12:50 pm
    Quick update today -- the "data proliferation problem" is just a theme I've heard from a lot of conversations recently. A fellow "data" startup CEO mentioned to me the other day that he lamented just how hard it is to sell "data" and "data services" to people in brands and the enterprise.  Marketing departments have millions of dollars to spend on print advertising that they know does not work... but a modest $100,000 investment to help people understand their data opportunity requires significant explanation and is often met with blank stares.

  • SXSW Panel on OPD (Other Peoples' Data)

    Chris Treadaway
    5 Mar 2013 | 6:24 am
    SXSW Interactive2013 approaches... it's the the fifth year in a row I'm attending and the sixth in the last eight for me.  The event continues to thrive and is the one "must-attend" event of the year in my book. A few quick thoughts on the panel I was invited to join by Carter Rabasa of Twilio and Hung Truong of NewFoundry -- it's my first time speaking at SXSW.  I straddle marketing & technology professionally, and am speaking on the tech side in this session. Discussion will center on mashups and/or "OPD" -- other peoples' data.  To me, the…

  • What Lance Armstrong and Facebook Have in Common

    Chris Treadaway
    11 Feb 2013 | 6:28 am
    Today's blog post comes to you from our Business Development Manager, Craig Carter, who had a little fun speculating about Lance Armstrong and Facebook. I thought it was pretty amusing, so here goes... (Preface—Except for the Facts and Figures charted below, all statements are pure speculation and have not been confirmed by the World Anti-Doping Agency.) What do Lance Armstrong and Facebook have in common? The short answer is they have both given their teammates Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs).   Now before you go running off to the mountain top, screaming that Mark Zuckerberg is…

  • The folly of analytics and value of big data analytics

    Chris Treadaway
    6 Feb 2013 | 1:14 pm
    Analytics has become a hot topic over the last 12 months as middle-managers are asked tough questions by their executive stakeholders. For all the insanity around social marketing, mobile apps, and "conversations", many CMOs, CIOs, and CFOs want to know exactly what they're getting for their money.  Budgets are growing and advertising spend is fluid.  People want to know the impact of strategy changes and tactics tweaks. But don't worry.  This pattern is not just familiar to you in your business, it's happening everywhere. Middle managers have turned to analytics…

  • Polygraph: Solving & more importantly Explaining Big Social Data, Facebook

    Chris Treadaway
    15 Jan 2013 | 10:48 pm
    Howdy everyone -- it's been awhile since I've posted here.  Lots of work on Polygraph and a new addition to my family in the form of a baby.  Margot Ellen Treadaway was born on December 14th and is our first child.  Lots of life changes -- all good.  But the blog has taken a bit of a back seat recently. That's a-changin'.  Regular blogging is back for us as we bring Polygraph v2 to market.  I'll tell you more about that later. But for now, I thought I'd better explain how our business has evolved and where it is going.  For those of you who have followed…
 
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    Brass Tack Thinking

  • On Being Present In A Digital World

    Amber Naslund
    6 May 2013 | 2:51 pm
    Hi there...we've moved our RSS feed for Brass Tack Thinking, and we don't want you to miss a post. Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://www.brasstackthinking.com/feed/ Update your reader now with this updated subscription address to keep getting Brass Tack Thinking updates as usual. After all, we'd miss you if you left! Thanks for reading.

  • The Begrudging Death of the Social Media Superstar

    Amber Naslund
    30 Apr 2013 | 5:00 am
    Hi there...we've moved our RSS feed for Brass Tack Thinking, and we don't want you to miss a post. Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://www.brasstackthinking.com/feed/ Update your reader now with this updated subscription address to keep getting Brass Tack Thinking updates as usual. After all, we'd miss you if you left! Thanks for reading.

  • Remote Work Is Not An All-Or-Nothing Proposition

    Amber Naslund
    23 Apr 2013 | 6:15 pm
    Hi there...we've moved our RSS feed for Brass Tack Thinking, and we don't want you to miss a post. Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://www.brasstackthinking.com/feed/ Update your reader now with this updated subscription address to keep getting Brass Tack Thinking updates as usual. After all, we'd miss you if you left! Thanks for reading.
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    NTEN

  • Member Round Up: Fundraising tips, new research, and tools

    Eileigh
    17 May 2013 | 4:12 pm
    Flickr: W.D. VanlueFundraising tips, some new (and free!) research and tools, and a list of creatures that walk a fine line between ugly and cute bring this week to a close--check out what your industrious community has been up to! As you refine your fundraising strategy and explore new ways of connecting with donors, check out Blackbaud's 2013 Online Marketing Benchmark Study for Nonprofits to compare your organization to others and gather new ideas. You can also watch Farra Trompetertalk about three ways to keep your donors engaged so that they stay with you longer. If your organization is…

  • Emerging Technology, Engaging Youth, and Your Mission: YOLO!

    Megan
    17 May 2013 | 7:46 am
    Flickr: jasonshimBy Jason Shim and Shubhagata Sengupta At Pathways to Education, we offer cross-cultural conflict resolution training called YOUCAN, and one of the first topics we cover with the students is that the analogy of an iceberg can be useful in understanding people.Typically, you only see about 10% of an iceberg above the water, and the remaining 90% remains submerged and unseen. We use this analogy to help students remember that when interacting and communicating with others, there is much underneath the surface that remains to be discovered through conversation and engagement.The…

  • NTEN Case Study: Financial Management in the Cloud

    Annaliese
    17 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Kimberlee Roth Out-Word, LLC Jill Farrow, NTEN's chief financial and operating officer, quickly learned that "operationally, we at NTEN do everything in the Cloud," and that includes financial and operations management. When Jill Farrow, now NTEN's chief financial and operating officer, first toured the organization's Portland, OR, offices, she noticed something conspicuous in its absence. Puzzled, she turned to then executive director Holly Ross, who was giving her the tour and asked, "Where are the servers?"Farrow, who now laughs retelling the story, quickly learned that…

  • The 2013 Nonprofit Engagement Data Management Study: A Graphic Report

    Annaliese
    16 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    When it comes to tracking and using “engagement” data – the actions, interactions, and even conversations that relate to an organization’s work but don’t necessarily represent the transactional or financial data that have been traditionally used for measuring an organization’s health – today’s nonprofits are either tracking a lot, or hardly anything at all. And very few organizations are applying that data to make decisions about their programs or measure their strategic outcomes. That's what we found when we, with Avectra, surveyed nonprofit professionals earlier this spring…

  • NTEN Case Study: Engaging Community from the Cloud to Conference Ballroom (and Back)

    Annaliese
    16 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Kimberlee Roth Out-Word, LLC Everything Megan Keane does as the community engagement manager for NTEN is driven and supported by one simple principle: "It's all about the people," she said. Keane joined NTEN in 2012 and has worked as a community manager in the nonprofit sector for several years. "It's about making that personal connection and getting community members to talk to one another -- online and off -- and not just one-to-one, but one-to-many," she said.And though the Cloud helps foster a sense of community in a number of ways, it also "isn't foolproof," said Keane.
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    PsyBlog

  • The Incredible Dating Power of a Guitar Case

    Jeremy Dean
    15 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Would you give this man your telephone number? (Don't let the guitar case influence you.) In France there's a psychologist, Professor Nicolas Gueguen, who roams the North-West, asking young women for their telephone numbers—or at least his research assistants and experimental confederates do. This isn't just to boost the national stereotype, but all in the name of science. The results they've reported over the years confirm some things we think we already know and a few new insights. His experiments often involve approaching random strangers (usually women) in the street and asking them for…

  • How to Help Other People Change Their Habits

    Jeremy Dean
    13 May 2013 | 4:46 am
    Three pointers on helping someone else change their habits. Having written a book on how to change your own habits, in interviews I was often asked: how can I change another person's habits? Say I want my partner to stop cracking his knuckles or get my daughter to put down her mobile phone at meal times or start someone else exercising: how do I do that? It's not something I cover in the book, which focuses mainly on how habits work, how much of our everyday lives they influence and how to change your own personal habits. Ultimately the same techniques apply; but when you are working on…

  • Illusory Correlations: When The Mind Makes Connections That Don’t Exist

    Jeremy Dean
    9 May 2013 | 5:38 am
    Why do CEOs who excel at golf get paid more, despite poorer stock market performance? To see how easily the mind jumps to the wrong conclusions, try virtually taking part in a little experiment... ...imagine that you are presented with information about two groups of people about which you know nothing. Let's call them the Azaleans and the Begonians. For each group you are given a list of positive and negative behaviours. A good one might be: an Azalean was seen helping an old lady across the road. A bad one might be: a Begonian urinated in the street. So, you read this list of good and bad…

  • Perform Better Under Stress Using Self-Affirmation

    Jeremy Dean
    7 May 2013 | 5:37 am
    Can thinking about what's important to you improve your problem-solving powers? Have a look at the following list of values and personal characteristics. If you had to pick just one, which most defines who you are and what matters to you? Your family Being good at sports Belief in a higher power Your friends Your creativity Aesthetics Your job Perhaps what matters most to you isn't there (this isn't a comprehensive list!), in that case think about what does matter to you most. In the burgeoning series of experiments which use this type of self-affirmation exercise, participants are then asked…

  • Power Up: The Performance Benefits of a Simple Mental Exercise

    Jeremy Dean
    1 May 2013 | 6:26 am
    Can this mental exercise make you more employable? "Have successful professionals always been successful? Take Francesca Gino. An Associate Professor at Harvard, she is considered by many to be a superstar. But things did not always look so bright for her: two years in a row she gave job talks at a number of top 10 schools and universities, but got no offers from those schools. Yet, in 2009, everything suddenly turned up roses; she got offers from Harvard, Wharton, Berkeley, and New York University. What had changed? Well, clearly she was older and wiser. But she also changed her pre-talk…
 
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    Usability Counts

  • David Cole: The Rise of Product Design

    Patrick Neeman
    16 May 2013 | 11:12 am
    One request I made when I started the new job was to include Product Design in the title, because I believe a) you can’t expressly design User Experience, and b) User Experience is everyone’s responsibility. There’s another divergence in UX: in-house versus agency. The goal may be the same (usable product or website), but how you get there varies mainly because how you have to communicate product design. I’ve worked on both sides, and my approach to how I get things done is very, very different. In the agency world, wireframes are deliverables. In the product world,…

  • Service Design for UX Designers

    Cathy Wang
    13 May 2013 | 11:00 am
    Cathy Wang (@cathycracks) is a designer that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting virtually (hard to pin her down — she’s from Vancouver, lives in Milan, travels a whole lot). She works in the field of Service Design in the real world. As UX Designers, we should pay attention, because this is something that can greatly expand your influence. Read on. Have you tried explaining to people what you do as an User Experience Designer? Now try to imagine what you would have to say if you were a Service Designer. People have often asked me what I mean when I say “I design…

  • Mashable: A Facebook Update In Real Life

    Patrick Neeman
    12 May 2013 | 11:00 am
    Very, very funny. You just finished reading Mashable: A Facebook Update In Real Life! Consider leaving a comment!Stuff to check out UX Drinking Game | UX Resume and Career Guide

  • Silly Saturdays: The User is Drunk

    Patrick Neeman
    11 May 2013 | 10:39 am
    You just finished reading Silly Saturdays: The User is Drunk! Consider leaving a comment!Stuff to check out UX Drinking Game | UX Resume and Career Guide

  • GetResponse: Social Sharing Boosts Email Marketing Results By 158%

    Patrick Neeman
    10 May 2013 | 12:15 pm
    From GetResponse You just finished reading GetResponse: Social Sharing Boosts Email Marketing Results By 158%! Consider leaving a comment!Stuff to check out UX Drinking Game | UX Resume and Career Guide
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    Blonde 2.0's Blog

  • Join Me at LeWeb London!

    Ayelet Noff
    13 May 2013 | 8:12 am
    After the fabulous time I had last year, I cannot wait to go back. The second edition of LeWeb London will take place June 5th and 6th. It is, as always, one of the industry’s great international gatherings, bringing together the leaders and influencers defining a movement. I’m always amazed at what Geraldine and Loic Le Meur can put together. The focus of this year’s lineup is “The Sharing Economy”.   This new movement is not only a shift from consumerism, but an adjustment of social values altogether. While on the surface the sharing movement consists of peer-to-peer…

  • What Mad Men Can Teach us About Social Media Marketing

    Jessica Young
    8 May 2013 | 8:31 am
    Don Draper and the team at Stanley Cooper.   I have just discovered Mad Men. Where has this amazing television series been hiding? Ok, it’s been on my watch list for some time now, (about 5 years) but I have finally crawled out of the pile of Real Housewives of Atlanta and Keeping Up With The Kardashians (Oh, the humanity!) and started watching some quality television. Not surprisingly, I have noticed some parallels with the work that is done at Blonde 2.0 and by the Sterling / Cooper gang.     Ok, so Joan Holloway isn’t swanning around and there is significantly less…

  • The BEST apps for Pizza lovers

    Gal Perelman
    22 Apr 2013 | 5:28 am
    Everyone is a lover of pizza. And if you say that you’re not- well, you’re lying. Even as a former health fanatic, I still remember the month that I consumed pizza, every day for 19 days in a row.  The hot dough, crispy crust, perfectly burned cheese on top with an assortment of toppings; just thinking about it makes me drool a little [excuse me while I wipe up my keyboard]. Luckily for me, the advancements in technology managed to include pizza in their to-do list along with computers, smart phones, and other great innovations. Now, ordering pizza is just as fun and exciting as playing…

  • Who Needs to Pay for a Personal Trainer When you Have a Smartphone!?

    Yonina Bailen
    17 Apr 2013 | 8:14 am
    There are many excuses not to work out: Gym memberships are expensive; you don’t have time; you can’t work out alone; and so many more. I know them, because I’ve used each at least once. Well these days,  with the endless amount of health and fitness apps out there, it seems like all the excuses have boiled down to the only real one out of all of them- laziness. So what do these workout apps have to offer? There is a large variety of health-focused apps available these days and they range from dieting to body building. Still, according to The Huffington Post’s health trends article…

  • Marketing with Facebook’s New News Feed

    Maria Green
    10 Apr 2013 | 5:51 am
    Facebook finally started rolling out the new Facebook news feed. I don’t know about you, but I’m happy with the new redesign. It’s cleaner and more fun to look at. To put it simply, it’s just a lot easier on the eyes. For marketers, Facebook’s new ‘news feed’ is both a challenge and an opportunity. It’s a challenge  because now Facebook users can block out pages from their main feed and focus on their friends. Meaning, there’s a chance they might not even see your publications. On the other hand, Facebook gives marketers a better chance to stand out when posting…
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    Social Media Mafia

  • Open for business

    admin
    8 May 2013 | 8:16 am
    Delighted to say we’ve launched our new site that is a feature rich mapping portal with social media integration and business listings. One thing I’m keen on doing is creating a visual display of where all the network members are in the world, it is hoped this will achieve it. We’re brand new here, so we’re going to boot-strap it up in typical mafia style and say we’re in “beta” which is basically the way to be. Lots more features and content will follow as we start to see patterns emerging and desire. Get yourself listed.
 
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    Media Culpa

  • Follow the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in social media – semi final 1

    kullin
    14 May 2013 | 5:43 am
    Tonight is the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. The contest is sure to spark an enormous amount of activity in social media and below you can find an extensive list of official Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Instagram accounts and more. Don’t forget to vote and tweet your support for your favourite songs. Official Eurovision social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EurovisionSongContest Twitter: https://twitter.com/Eurovision and https://twitter.com/eurovisionpress Twitter hashtags: #eurovision #esc2013 Google+:…

  • Sweden is the 4th most socially devoted country on Facebook

    kullin
    2 May 2013 | 6:09 am
    Socialbakers have introduced a concept called “socially devoted“, aiming to describe brands and pages on Facebook that excel in fan engagement and social customer care. That same label has now been applied on a country basis to see what countries are the most socially devoted. It turns out that Guatemala is ranked first in Q1, 2013, with an average Response Rate of 93.54% for local brand pages. Norway is ranked second, followed by the Netherlands and Sweden in fourth place. The complete Top 25 country rankings, based on percentage of answered questions, can be found below:  …

  • KLM and social media – how to become a social business

    kullin
    27 Apr 2013 | 8:14 am
    This week, I had the opportunity to attend the Engage 2013 conference in London, courtesy of Socialbakers. Among the top speakers, we got to listen to Lionel Lassalle, Social Marketing & Co-Branding Manager at KLM who talked about KLM’s journey to transform social users into customers. KLM has been working actively with social media for quite some time, and the airline’s presence in social media jump started with the crisis management during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in April 2010. It was not until then that the company really started to take advantage of social…

  • Top Facebook pages in Sweden – February 2013

    kullin
    11 Mar 2013 | 4:57 am
    Socialbakers have just released statistics for the top Facebook pages in Sweden for February 2013. Some notes about the report: - One of the top ten brands is actually seeing a decreasing number of fans: the candy Hallonlakritsskalle. It has seen a steady but slow decline for the last six months. - Just like in January 2013, three out of five top brands by post engagement rates are car brands. - Four out of the five most socially devoted brands are telecom brands, compared to three last month. - The #1 media brand by local fans, Vakna! Med The Voice, has lost more than 1,000 fans since the…

  • Burger King and Jeep turn Twitter hacking into PR opportunity

    kullin
    20 Feb 2013 | 2:11 am
    Earlier this week, the official Twitter account for Burger King was hacked and turned into a McDonald’s feed. Now, the same thing has happened to @Jeep. The Jeep logo was replaced with a Cadillac logo and the hackers tweeted things like “We got sold to @Cadillac because we caught our employees doing these in the bathroom” with an image of a bottle of prescription-only pills. Jeep soon got control of the account and deleted the tweets tweeted by the hacker. For a brand, crises like these are of course serious, but handled correctly they can also become an opportunity. Often…
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    Regular Geek

  • Geek Reading May 17, 2013

    Robert Diana
    17 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    I have talked about human filters and my plan for digital curation. These items are the fruits of those ideas, the items I deemed worthy from my Google Reader feeds. These items are a combination of tech business news, development news and programming tools and techniques. How to Cross the Chasm (Javalobby – The heart of the Java developer community) Admin SDK and Google+ APIs for business (Google Apps Developer Blog) Multilayered architecture (1) – Introduction (Java Code Geeks) Framer 2: Prototyping with Photoshop Integration (Hacker News) How Change Initiatives Damage Organizations…

  • Geek Reading May 16, 2013

    Robert Diana
    16 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    I have talked about human filters and my plan for digital curation. These items are the fruits of those ideas, the items I deemed worthy from my Google Reader feeds. These items are a combination of tech business news, development news and programming tools and techniques. Extreme syntax (Hacker News) When to refactor code (Hacker News) Dew Drop – May 16, 2013 (#1,548) (Alvin Ashcraft's Morning Dew) Legacy Code Preservation: Why Preserve the DSL? (S.Lott-Software Architect) Double Shot #1129 (A Fresh Cup) Switching from native to web apps: an experiment (Broken Links) The difference…

  • Geek Reading May 15, 2013

    Robert Diana
    15 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    I have talked about human filters and my plan for digital curation. These items are the fruits of those ideas, the items I deemed worthy from my Google Reader feeds. These items are a combination of tech business news, development news and programming tools and techniques. Simple Top-Down Parsing in Python (Hacker News) Lesson from Airbnb: Give Yourself Permission to Experiment with Non-scalable Changes (High Scalability) Google accidentally confirms Android 4.3 (BGR) Parallelism and concurrency need different tools (Hacker News) Bayesian Programming for Starcraft AI (Hacker News) Dew Drop…

  • Geek Reading May 14, 2013

    Robert Diana
    14 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    I have talked about human filters and my plan for digital curation. These items are the fruits of those ideas, the items I deemed worthy from my Google Reader feeds. These items are a combination of tech business news, development news and programming tools and techniques. The reliability of Go – Go in production (Hacker News) Dew Drop – May 14, 2013 (#1,546) (Alvin Ashcraft's Morning Dew) Clojure: Testing The Creation Of A Partial Function (Jay Fields' Thoughts) Legacy Code Preservation: How Do We Manage This? (S.Lott-Software Architect) The $12 Gongkai Phone (Hacker News)…

  • Geek Reading May 13, 2013

    Robert Diana
    13 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    I have talked about human filters and my plan for digital curation. These items are the fruits of those ideas, the items I deemed worthy from my Google Reader feeds. These items are a combination of tech business news, development news and programming tools and techniques. The Secret to 10 Million Concurrent Connections -The Kernel is the Problem, Not the Solution (High Scalability) The weird state of mobile web apps (Hacker News) The Corrosive Downside of Acquihires (Both Sides of the Table) Using Dispatch Tables to Avoid Conditionals in JavaScript (Hacker News) Google+: Content…
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    Mizz Information

  • Could Facebook be the Answer to Conference Wifi?

    Maggie McGary
    14 May 2013 | 5:27 am
    Image by uhoman on FlickrWifi at conferences is becoming a huge issue: attendees can't do without it but event organizers struggle to find budget to pay the exorbitant fees venues charge for it. What's an organization to do to prevent lack of free wifi from becoming a deal breaker for attendees? Could it be possible that Facebook could be the solution to this problem in the near future?I blog all the time about my love/hate relationship with Facebook, and had sworn I'd never check in on Facebook. But everyone has their breaking point, and apparently free wifi is mine, because when I…

  • Pins of the Week: New Twitter Chat Tool, Cheat Sheets...and a Cocktail

    Maggie McGary
    9 May 2013 | 7:57 am
    It's been a busy few months of un/self-employment, which is an oxymoron--aren't unemployed people supposed to have oodles of free time to do whatever they want? I have managed to squeeze in a few trips and a few weekday movie matinees (my favorite guilty pleasure in life) but, believe it or not, I've been too busy to spend much time on Pinterest. Need to fix that, stat! But the good news is that my unemployment is about to come to an end, as I've accepted a new job and start in a week. Anyway, back to the business at hand...here are some of my favorite pins of the past week(s):1) New Twitter…

  • 5 Productivity Apps I'm Loving

    Maggie McGary
    30 Apr 2013 | 5:23 am
    As you know if you read this blog or know me in person, I've been on a crusade to find a job these past few months, and am currently freelancing while looking for full-time work. Granted, I'd prefer a steady paycheck and to be part of a team, but I admit that freelancing has its perks--the best for me being the flexibility to work from anywhere. That photo above? Yep, even worked from there a few weeks ago while on a trip to Grand Cayman for the wedding of some friends. It didn't suck.Anyway, I thought I'd share five apps that I've been using lately which I think are great for anyone running…

  • Why Leaning In Won't Work for Most Women

    Maggie McGary
    24 Apr 2013 | 8:34 am
    I've been reading Lean In and trying to reserve comment until I finish the whole thing, but realize now that I have a lot more to say about the book than one post could logically cover, so I'm just jumping in and writing before I finish the book. Which I need to finish fast, btw, since I'm hosting book club tomorrow night and this is the book I picked!One of the overriding themes of Lean In is that women need to be confident. Speak up in meetings. Ask for raises, for promotions, for flexible schedules. In short: be like a man and act more confident than you feel, sell yourself for positions…

  • How a $7 Facebook Promoted Post Can Help You Find a Job

    Maggie McGary
    16 Apr 2013 | 2:27 pm
    About five weeks ago, I quit my job--the ultimate "never do this" move. Why? Because crying out of frustration every day about a job happens to fall into my "life is too short" category and I decided I was entitled to a one-time exception to the "never quit a job without having a new one" rule. So here I am, five weeks later, licensed by the state of Maryland to do business as McGary Associates and trying valiantly to land a new job (McGary Associates is merely a side-gig, not my plan for full-time employment. BTW, if you or anyone you know are looking to hire someone with my skillset, here's…
 
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    SiteFoxSiteFox

  • Introducing the SiteFox Developer’s Program

    Samir Balwani
    21 Apr 2013 | 8:19 am
    Do you use WordPress to create websites for small business owners? Are you a WordPress developer that manages multiple websites? If you are, then our new developer’s program is for you. We’ve just introduced a number of features to help you more easily manage your client’s websites and even offer them added value. Members of the SiteFox Developer program receive a discounted rate on all business accounts and priority support for their clients. Use SiteFox to give your clients: Managed and secure WordPress hosting WordPress tutorials for getting started with their website In-depth…

  • Five Reasons Why People Hate Your Business Website

    Samir Balwani
    6 Mar 2013 | 6:00 am
    Small business websites have a reputation of generally being bad. It’s not our fault, web trends keep changing and we’re too busy growing our business to worry about our website. The truth is that as your website becomes more and more important (people look for you online before searching anywhere else), making sure you are giving users a positive experience becomes more important too. Creating a positive experience can be simple; most times the simpler the better, small businesses tend to get in trouble when they try to make things overly elaborate. Here are five things you want to make…

  • 3 Ways to Integrate Social Media into Your Website

    Samir Balwani
    26 Feb 2013 | 6:00 am
    Your social media presence should only be part of your online marketing strategy. If you want to get the most out of your online presence, it’s important to integrate your social media profiles with your social media hub (your website). Thankfully, tying everything together is easier now than ever before. Almost all the major social media websites have created simple plug and play widgets for bringing everything together. Link to Your Social Media Profiles The first place to start is to ensure that you’ve made it simple for website visitors to find your social media profiles. There are…

  • Your Guide to Creating a Successful Small Business Website

    Samir Balwani
    21 Feb 2013 | 7:00 am
    Successful small business owners know that focusing on tasks that grow the bottom line are the most important. This mentality is the reason why, many times, business owners forgo creating and managing a website – a major missed opportunity. Your website, when well optimized, can act as a new and effective marketing channel. Use your website to act as your online sales person; introducing your business to new customers and converting them into customers. Table of Contents Benefits of a Business Website Creating Your Website Optimizing Your Website Capturing and Nurturing Leads Common…

  • Our Top 10 Favorite WordPress Plugins

    Samir Balwani
    29 Mar 2012 | 7:00 am
    One of the best things about using WordPress to power your website is that there are countless plugins you can use to extend the functionality of your website. The problem with having so many plugins is that the average person never knows which plugins are useful and reliable. That’s why we outlined our favorite plugins and exactly why we love them (and use them). SiteFox clients might find these plugins familiar; we pre-install most of the following plugins with each new installation – that’s how much we like them… Table of Contents 1: Yoast SEO Plugin 2: SEO Slugs 3:…
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    Community Building

  • Find that opportunity to engage your community

    Martin Reed
    1 May 2013 | 12:27 pm
    There are so many opportunities to engage members of your online community. Think: Pets Children Relevant current affairs Member birthdays (but do it right) The welcome email (but do it right) Interesting hobbies (do you enjoy clam digging?!) Member achievements (in the community and in their personal lives) Community milestones (forget numbers – this is more about community campaigns) Relevant ‘National Days’ – eg National Sleep Awareness week for an insomnia support forum Don’t spend too much time trying to come up with exciting, glamorous and unique…

  • If you want to charge for membership of your online community…

    Martin Reed
    28 Feb 2013 | 5:06 pm
    Do it from the very beginning. Membership fees are but one way to monetize an online community. Two main strategies here: Allow members to join for free and encourage them to ‘upgrade’ to paid membership. Charge a one-off application fee just to get in. I recommend strategy 2. If you charge someone to join your community you weed out everyone but the most willing and the most enthusiastic. No more tire-kickers. You get an immediate cash contribution and you get a member who is far more motivated. An added bonus: You get to spend time managing and developing the community, not…

  • Something in your community shouldn’t make sense

    Martin Reed
    31 Jan 2013 | 5:53 pm
    I’m not talking about making your online community confusing or difficult to use. Instead, there should be at least one part of your online community that only ‘insiders’ understand. One of the biggest threats to online communities is growth. From a member’s perspective, it’s impossible to be friends with everyone. The larger the community, the more noise it generates and the more distracting it can become. Make sure older members don’t get crowded out or marginalized. As a community grows, it needs to have elements that make sense only to certain members.

  • Buzzing Communities: Book review

    Martin Reed
    11 Dec 2012 | 1:57 pm
    Disclosure: My name was mentioned in this book and I received a free copy. However, this is an unsolicited and unsponsored book review that is completely of my own opinion. This review, for Richard Millington’s Buzzing Communities is only the third book review I have shared on Community Spark after Patrick O’Keefe’s Managing Online Forums and Angela Connor’s 18 Rules of Community Engagement. I prefer to review books that are aimed specifically at community building and are from authors I know and trust. Rich writes the community management blog Feverbee and is the founder of…

  • An easy way to increase activity and engagement in new online communities

    Martin Reed
    13 Nov 2012 | 6:36 pm
    Most new online communities fail because members don’t return to keep discussions alive or get involved in new ones. Most of the time that’s because new members haven’t developed the habit of regularly visiting the community or members simply forget that your community exists. Prevent this from happening by: 1. Making sure that all members receive an email when someone replies to a discussion they started (or they’re involved in) 2. Making sure that all members receive an email when someone posts a new discussion topic. Most community software comes with this…
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    Social News Watch

  • It’s Not Just Social. It’s Search. It’s Reputation. It’s Presence.

    JD Rucker
    18 May 2013 | 2:35 am
    Take a look at those familiar little icons in the top right corner of the screenshot above. Four of the primary social media sites’ logos adorn a prominent position on the homepage. It’s not an uncommon sight. Some put them at the top. Other put them at the bottom. Some make them large and prominent. Others make them small and subtle. One way or another, most dealerships put them somewhere. They do it for a reason. The reason is presence. We’ve all heard about the potential of social media but few local businesses and car dealers in particular have found the level of success…

  • The Three Primary Auto Dealer Content Types for Facebook

    JD Rucker
    13 May 2013 | 4:23 am
    Everyone who plays in the Facebook page strategy game has their opinions about the types of content to post. Car dealers and vendors have tried different things over the years. Some have found success while others have let it fall off completely, dismissing it as unimportant or too time-consuming to mess with on a daily basis. For those who are doing well or wanting to do well with engagement on their pages while still demonstrating real ROI, here are some content types that have worked well for us. It’s important to mix things up on Facebook. Fan fatigue happens regularly, especially…

  • The Best and Worst Cities by Drivers

    Michio Hasai
    11 Apr 2013 | 2:14 pm
    Some cities have better drivers than others. It could be because of the streets and conditions. It can be based upon the population itself. Then again, it could just be that some places attract really good or really bad drivers. That’s the premise behind this infographic by Good2Go insurance.

  • Launching a Niche Blog Network gives You Content Control

    Michio Hasai
    3 Apr 2013 | 3:30 pm
    Content marketing has been growing for over a decade now, but 2013 is proving to be its pinnacle year. Marketers are starting to realize that search and social center around content rather than the other way around, making true content marketing on and off a website a must-have discipline for companies wanting to find success online. There are two major components to content marketing – offsite and onsite. For onsite marketing, it’s easy. You simply have to put engaging content on your website, then drive eyeballs, links, and social signals to it. Offsite content marketing is more…

  • How Native Advertising Makes a Difference

    Michio Hasai
    17 Mar 2013 | 12:06 am
    There is a trend that has been growing in the publishing and advertising world that actually makes sense. Native advertising is starting to really take hold as a valid online advertising option for many and the results are starting to show. In essence, native advertising, often called advertorials, is the act of placing an ad within the stream of a publication. Unlike traditional banner advertising or contextual text ads, native advertising tells a story in an editorial format that makes it appear to be journalism. It’s paid and must be clearly marked as such, but otherwise it’s…
 
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    SitePoint » News

  • Introducing the new HTML5 template Tag

    Craig Buckler
    17 May 2013 | 10:02 am
    Modern web applications use DOM manipulation to dynamically change areas of the page or insert values. A typical example is a table of figures; the initial page could return HTML column headers then initialize an Ajax request which returns several data records. The data is then appended to the table — but how? The developer has two choices:JavaScript is used to build HTML row strings or DOM fragments which are appended to the table. That seems easy until you need to make a change and must hunt around your JavaScript for the associated HTML code. To make life simpler, developers often…

  • What’s New in Firefox 21

    Craig Buckler
    15 May 2013 | 3:03 am
    Firefox has come of age. In version numbers, that is.Firefox 21 was released on May 14, 2013. If you’ve not received the update, click Help > About Firefox > Check for Updates. Let’s look at the new features you can expect after installation…<main> Element SupportThe HTML5 <main> element was introduced earlier this year and represents the main content of the body of a document or application, i.e. perhaps a wrapper for an article and aside.It’s simply a container tag and all browsers will render it regardless. Firefox “support” probably…

  • Happy 10th Birthday CSS Zen Garden

    Craig Buckler
    10 May 2013 | 5:23 am
    CSS Zen Garden is ten years old. If you started coding recently you may not have heard about the site, but Zen Garden was a defining moment in web history.Zen’s developer, Dave Shea, had a simple objective: to illustrate why CSS should be taken seriously and inspire designers. The concept provided a static HTML page and allowed developers to apply and submit their own styles. The only restrictions were that the CSS should validate and the resulting page worked in IE5+ and Mozilla (Firefox’s predecessor).The number of submissions increased exponentially and there was a sudden…

  • We’re Putting the (MySQL) Band Back Together

    Craig Buckler
    29 Apr 2013 | 6:45 am
    MySQL — the world’s most-used relational database — will be 18 next month. The first version was developed by Michael Widenius and David Axmark and released by MySQL AB on May 23, 1995. The open source product rapidly gained traction alongside PHP to become an integral part of the LAMP stack.Sun Microsystems obtained MySQL for $1 billion in January 2008. 15 months later, Oracle acquired Sun for $7.4 billion and became the owner of Java, VirtualBox, OpenOffice and MySQL. The takeover caused significant controversy since the world’s biggest commercial database provider…

  • RIP HTML5 Element

    Craig Buckler
    19 Apr 2013 | 5:31 am
    Do you use the hgroup element in your mark-up? It’s probably best not to — the tag is being dropped from the HTML5 specification.We normally think of HTML5 specifications receiving additional features, such as the new <main> element. However, elements can be removed if they offer no compelling benefits.hgroup represented the heading of a section and normally contained two or more h1 to h6 child elements, e.g.<hgroup> <h1>My Main Heading</h1> <h2>A sub-heading</h2> </hgroup>Did you ever use it? I can recall one occasion and, even then, it…
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    Connect - Digital Marketing Expertise from iCrossing

  • iCrossing as Aragorn: The future of search and media

    jo-ann.fortune
    17 May 2013 | 6:01 am
    If iCrossing were a character from The Lord of the Rings, it would be Aragorn. This was the claim of Chief Strategy Officer Mark Iremonger at the Client Summit 2013. Iremonger drew comparisons between our agency and “the wise peacemaker who marshals resources” to illustrate the point that search marketing must integrate with a brand’s traditional reach channels to utilise the SEO potential that exists in all online engagement moments. “Historically an SEO agency may have existed outside of a brand’s circle of trust, acting as either a Saruman – powerful but unethical, Frodo –…

  • “Think human plus machine” urges Dave Coplin

    jo-ann.fortune
    17 May 2013 | 4:22 am
    Dave Coplin, the UK’s self-titled Chief Envisioning Officer for Bing, believes we should strive to make people’s professional experiences of technology as fulfilling as they can be in their personal lives. Speaking at the iCrossing Client Summit 2013, Coplin held that we’ve reached a “plateau of mediocrity” in the enterprise world – a state which can block creativity. “There are some wonderful things happening in the consumer world that can inform how we work in our professional lives. Many people have a better computer at home than the one that they’re provided with at work…

  • Mark Howe: The always-on approach

    jo-ann.fortune
    16 May 2013 | 1:12 pm
    Google’s Mark Howe added a new word to the vocabulary of online marketers at the iCrossing 2013 client summit. ‘Frazzing’, explained Howe – Managing Director of Agency Operations in North & Central Europe – is a term coined by psychologists to describe the way consumers “frantically and ineffectively multitask” when coping with numerous screens and a proliferation of information. And how we plan media and advertising to match this behaviour is key to our effectiveness as online marketers. With 75% UK smartphone penetration predicted for the end of 2013 and one in…

  • Putting new marketing models on the RaDaR

    jo-ann.fortune
    16 May 2013 | 7:25 am
    Forrester’s Luca Paderni urged digital marketers to dissolve traditional channel-based silos and instead build strategy around reach, depth and relationships at the iCrossing Client Summit 2013. Drawing on over 10 years of international marketing and strategy experience, Research Director Paderni’s current work centres on upcoming trends in media and advertising that lead to increasing fragmentation. The traditional marketing model of attention, interest, desire and action, he argued, presents major limitations when faced with today’s perpetually connected customers. Little surprise…

  • How SEO content can evolve beyond the guest post

    Oliver Robertson
    15 May 2013 | 2:24 am
    The SEO industry is most definitely undergoing a heightened level of change at the moment. iCrossing has been taking steps towards expanding its strategies beyond merely traditional SEO tactics for quite some time now. These tactics, if done properly, have the potential to be extremely valuable for increasing a client’s search visibility, but in order to stay ahead of the game, we need to be constantly evolving. Our focus now is shifting from a link-building approach to a relationship-building one, away from simply sending out emails and instead inviting influential bloggers to networking…
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    C R U C E S

  • What the Internet is doing to our brains (video)

    Michael Myers
    8 May 2013 | 11:17 am
    In regards to how your brain works, the Internet is a completely new paradigm for gathering/processing information. This video puts things in perspective. Enjoy!

  • Awesome commercial from Nokia (video)

    Michael Myers
    2 May 2013 | 4:33 am
    This is an awesome commercial for the Nokia Lumina 920. One of my students has this phone and I have to say that I was shocked at how cool the Windows interface is. (Not yet struck by lightening.) It is one of the coolest interfaces I’ve seen. A great combination of usability and branding. Enjoy!

  • Creativity on Vine

    Michael Myers
    30 Apr 2013 | 4:27 am
    With the world becoming more bitesize (think Twitter, Instagram, Reeses bites, business plans, online product demos) we will become more challenged to deliver compelling content that’s been compressed. This is a great example of what can be done in six seconds! Enjoy.

  • Fujitsu’s real world – virtual world collision (video)

    Michael Myers
    29 Apr 2013 | 4:40 am
    This is a much different tact than most companies take on the future where every surface is an interface. (See Corning’s take here) This would be a less expensive option. Enjoy!

  • Seat to Seat by Virgin America

    Michael Myers
    27 Apr 2013 | 4:10 pm
    Two years ago, I wrote an open letter to Sir Richard Branson congratulating him on the launch of Virgin America’s in-flight entertainment system. I did this because it was for the most part, exactly what we had designed under the brand Cockpit6 back in the early 2000s. (click here.) It seems as thought he finally ...
 
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    Twilight Fairy

  • A meet description in verse

    Twilight Fairy
    25 Apr 2013 | 10:14 am
    One sunny April afternoon, I excitedly rushed to a blogger’s music meet, and quickly reached the venue, For I wanted the front seat!   The restaurant was quite full, The chairs were few, I saw some old faces, A lot of them new.   Soon the program started, And along came Prateek Shah, Who had people introduce themselves uniquely And the audience doing wah wah.   Fun was had, along with introductions, Imagine a male couple ball dance, The audience chose all the next participants, and a lot of people got their 15 minute fame’s chance.   Soon a presentation by HP…

  • Google guitar – Chura liya hai

    Twilight Fairy
    9 Jun 2011 | 11:41 am
    As you might be aware (unless you live under the rock that google dominates), today’s google logo was dedicated to Les Paul (you can quickly forget who this was). Not only is it in the shape of a guitar’s chords, it is also interactive. So you can hover your mouse over the chords and “pluck” & “strum” by just moving the mouse! Clicking the keyboard shaped thingy converts your keyboard into a mini casio with (barely) one octave. So all day today, several enthusiasts (read everyone who wandered to the google homepage) have been playing music on it and…

  • Mad about “Castle”?

    Twilight Fairy
    28 Jun 2010 | 8:16 am
    I like watching “Castle” on Star World, a “Dramedy” (Drama + Comedy) based in a crime setting that is shown everyday from 10pm-11pm, Mon to Thurs in India. Of course the series is running behind in terms of what is shown in the US (where the 2nd season has finished already). Only 2 episodes are left for 2nd season to finish in India, but fret not if you like this series, a 3rd season is in the offing. Not every episode of the series is path breaking and definitely could do better, however irrespective of that, I like culling out a lot from any stuff that I watch on TV.

  • Evanescence – my fine art photography show

    Twilight Fairy
    17 Jun 2010 | 2:44 pm
    After publicising my first solo fine art photography show, Evanescence [pronounciation], all over my online “properties”, I realised I hadn’t blogged about it at all! (Though I did microblog it on twitter if that counts). The main reason why I didn’t, was because I think no one reads my blog anyway since I am more active on twitter, so if you are reading this pliss let me know. Another reason was that I hadn’t officially blogged about the very important, life altering, transition from my IT industry job as a Project Manager to a totally new avatar – A…

  • It’s a Woe-man’s world

    Twilight Fairy
    9 Feb 2010 | 2:15 am
    Recently Mail Today asked me to write an anecdotal article for them. It got published on 31st Jan’10 (best viewed in IE).  Here’s the unedited version of the article (which has one anecdote extra). Awaiting bouquets/brickbats in comments. It’s a Woe-Man’s world “Some husbands are living proof that a woman can take a joke”. How else does one explain the umpteen number of smart, intelligent, independent women getting married to chauvinists & changing their entire outlook for that mandatory milestone in life that we call “marriage”? They believe they need to…
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    Ben Werdmuller

  • HTTP signatures

    Ben Werdmuller
    6 May 2013 | 11:51 am
    It looks like I’m not the only person who likes the idea of signed HTTP requests as an authentication method. Joyent and Digital Bazaar have co-written an Internet draft for cryptographically signed HTTP requests: Several web service providers have invented their own schemes for signing HTTP requests, but to date, none have been placed in the public domain as a standard. This document serves that purpose. There are no techniques in this proposal that are novel beyond previous art, however, this aims to be a simple mechanism for signing these requests. Signed HTTP requests are also a key…

  • Mobile devices as keys to your personal cloud

    Ben Werdmuller
    30 Apr 2013 | 5:16 pm
    Jotting down some quick notes for something to consider: mobile devices as proxies that redirect content types to services as required, cacheing data on its way to / from the Internet. Some properties and use cases: I take a picture, and my mobile device knows about the services I use that accept photos, and can upload to them automatically when I get a connection. My mobile device has a camera built in, but I can also push from my professional camera to it. I place my mobile device onto a PC to log into it (I may have to authenticate on both devices). My preferences are downloaded from the…

  • Software factories vs software universities

    Ben Werdmuller
    29 Apr 2013 | 5:31 pm
    I’ve worked in startups for almost my entire career – sometimes my own, sometimes companies started by other people. I’m good at what I do, and I love it: I get to create tools that empower people to do things they previously couldn’t, or that were substantial obstacles. Usually that involves some kind of democratization; a righting of an inequality of access. I love creating these platforms, I love watching people use them, and I love evolving them in partnership with the people who use them. I’ve become more aware that some of my friends in technology startups…

  • The Progressive (Profitable) Web

    Ben Werdmuller
    2 Apr 2013 | 1:42 pm
    Ryan Holiday laments the loss of Google Reader and RSS in general in Our Regressive Web, arguing that if someone came up with them today, we’d think they were brilliant ideas: Nothing better has risen up to replace them. The underlying needs of a fairly large user base (that these services meet) still exist. We’re just regressing. [...] RSS is impervious to blogging’s worst, but most profitable traits. [...] No wonder nobody ever pushed for widespread adoption. Of course it died a slow death—along with Google Alerts and Delicious. Their mission is antithetical to the ethos of our…

  • Engine attribution

    Ben Werdmuller
    21 Mar 2013 | 5:39 pm
    This site is (right now) powered by the WordPress open source blogging engine. If you hit “view source” in your browser, somewhere near the top, this is what you’ll see: <meta name="generator" content="WordPress x.x.x" /> (Where x.x.x is the current version.) I’m in the process of moving away from WordPress. More about that another time. But as part of this, I’ve been wanting to check out the sites of folks who participate in the IndieWeb community and figure out what they’ve been using. The IndieWeb community believes in owning your own content and…
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    Suzemuse - Create. Share. Learn. Be Brilliant. Personal Blog of Susan Murphy.

  • Cut Through The Noise

    Suze
    15 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    We are lost in a sea of noise. It seems like every day, our online streams are more and more full. There is more noise than ever, and there seems to be less and less signal all the time. It can be pretty discouraging if you’re trying to build an online presence. Sometimes you might think, “Why bother? My voice is just going to get lost in the shuffle.” But the truth is, digital channels are one of the best ways to share your stories, tell the world about your passions and be heard. So how do you do it? Here are a few things I’ve learned.   Start small. A billion…

  • Chris Hadfield: Social Media Un-Guru

    Suze
    13 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    If you’re anything like me, you’ve been watching with interest as Commander Chris Hadfield has been hurtling around our planet for the past few months on the International Space Station. While it’s pretty amazing that we are even able to have humans floating around in space, what I think is even more amazing is how Commander Hadfield has been able to share his experience with the world in an unprecedented way through social media. Hadfield, along with being an astronaut, is also a musician and photographer. Which means that not only is he able to do one of the most dangerous…

  • Review of Ctrl Alt Delete – A Book You Must Read

    Suze
    9 May 2013 | 5:21 am
    First, a disclaimer. I have been a Mitch Joel fan since the first time I ever met him at a Podcamp what seems like a million years ago (it was actually only about 6). He’s a friend, and if that makes my review biased, well, so be it. But… You need to read this book. Ctrl Alt Delete: Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends on It, is the latest collection of things to fall out of Mitch Joel’s amazing brain. The minute the book arrived in my mailbox, I put everything else on hold and started reading – and I couldn’t put it down. Our…

  • Social Media: A Choose Your Own Adventure Story

    Suze
    18 Apr 2013 | 4:18 am
    When I was a kid, I LOVED Choose Your Own Adventure books. I would read to a certain page, then I’d get to make a choice. “If you go left on the road, turn to page 53. If you go right, turn to page 75.” I’d choose, then flip to the page and continue the adventure. Each time through was a totally different experience. The online world is a lot like that. These days, we don’t have the media telling us what to watch (I grew up in a town with one – count them, ONE – TV channel – we were TOLD what to watch, or we turned off the TV). These days, we…

  • How To Avoid Social Media Fatigue

    Suze
    8 Apr 2013 | 5:54 am
    I am continuously in awe of what this online life has provided me these past 6 years. I’ve made the most wonderful friends. I’ve found some incredible new business opportunities. I’ve been able to teach and speak professionally about a topic that I love (communication and storytelling). I’m blessed and I’m grateful. But I’m also tired. Tired of the continuous flow of information. Tired of my brain being pulled in multiple directions at once. Tired of not having time or energy to work on the things I really want to work on. Sound familiar? As much as this…
 
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    sassholes

  • Teaching My Kid To Get A Career...

    11 May 2013 | 7:15 pm
    (This post originally appeared at Dad-O-Matic.) Those of you with kids in diapers or grade school may want to skip this post (unless you want a peek into the future at one of the many other parenting adventures you can look forward to facing). Those of you with teens and young adults getting ready to enter the workforce and start to earn more than an allowance, please read on... Jobs vs. Career In simple terms, I think of a job as something you do to make money. This is especially true when we are young. Babysitting, dog walking, lawn mowing, packing grocery bags, hawking fast-food, etc., are…

  • Roger and Me

    5 Apr 2013 | 8:46 pm
    Roger Ebert Blvd. (Photo credit: rexb) I've had the pleasure of meeting Roger Ebert, and like so many, I was terribly saddened by the news of his passing. (Name-dropping disclaimer: The older I get, the more I catch myself name-dropping.  At first, I felt embarrassed that I seem to always have a story about someone well-known.  But the truth is, I've been "out in the world" working for over 30 years, almost half of them in the entertainment industry, so I've been fortunate to meet and work with a lot of celebrities and notable business folks along the way...) Critical Mass Just read…

  • Wrist Watch: Pebble vs. Basis Band

    23 Mar 2013 | 9:22 am
    I'm Jeff and I am an early adopter. There. I said it. I admit to my vice (that's the first step, right?) As an admitted early adopter I was one of the early backers of the Pebble smart watch on Kickstarter, and I received my Pebble shortly after the first production run. Although I have had my Pebble for more than a month now, I have only worn it several times. That's because the same week that my Pebble arrived, I also received my Basis Band… another new gadget I ordered early enough to be among the first to receive. One Available Wrist As most humans, I only have two wrists, one of which…

  • Three Words for 2013: Move, Measure, Meditate

    2 Jan 2013 | 5:00 am
    My friends Chris Brogan and C.C. Chapman are vocal proponents of the practice of choosing three words as your focal point and reminder of goals for the coming year. The challenge is to narrow your annual objectives to three words that serve as guideposts to remind you and keep you centered on the things you have decided really matter.  I've tried to master the art of three words a few times in the past, but not every year.  In fact this year I've chosen to focus more on being in control.  That said, there are three words that I do think I should put at the top of my…

  • How To Be In Control in 2013

    31 Dec 2012 | 2:06 pm
    Life Is Full of Uncertainties. Every day we are faced with the challenge of reacting to things that are outside of our control.  The actions and behavior of others, the weather, illness, loss, the economy, wars, accidents...  So many things that affect us deeply can seem so random and out of our hands.  We can ask why... We can live in fear... We can numb ourselves from seeing or feeling...  We can give up, since we have no control over it anyway... Or, we can take control. We Do Have Control. Granted, not over everything.  There are things, lots of things, that just…
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    Social Networking for Newbies

  • How to remove a LinkedIn connection – new interface

    admin
    16 May 2013 | 4:15 pm
    Let’s say that you connected with someone on LinkedIn who turns out to be somewhat of a nuisance. How do you disconnect from them? LinkedIn makes it very easy to remove one of your connections – and best of all, they won’t be notified that you removed them. To learn how to do this, please watch the short video tutorial below: How to Remove a LinkedIn Connection If your LinkedIn user interface looks different than the one shown in the video, you probably still have the old interface. LinkedIn rolls out things in phases and they may not have changed yours. Please click on the…

  • How to request LinkedIn recommendations

    admin
    28 Feb 2013 | 6:09 am
    Quality LinkedIn recommendations are worth a lot. They greatly enhance your Credibility – especially with people who don’t know you. The short video below shows you the mechanics of asking for a recommendation. A few suggestions: Always send a personal message when requesting a recommendation Only ask for recommendations from people you’re certain will recommend you. You need both quality and quantity. Always thank the person after they have recommended you

  • Adding personal info to your LinkedIn profile and why you should do it

    admin
    26 Feb 2013 | 6:03 am
    Since LinkedIn is all about networking and connecting with people, your profile acts as your electronic business card. Therefore, your LinkedIn profile should have the same info you have on your business card – i.e. phone, email address, website, etc. I for one no longer collect business cards from people. I rely on using the LinkedIn mobile app on my Android phone to find people on LinkedIn and communicate with them that way. Therefore if you don’t list your phone number on your LinkedIn account you’re going to make it very hard for me to phone you. Several people have lost…

  • Networking Math

    admin
    24 Feb 2013 | 6:50 pm
    Today I reached a milestone with my 4,000 LinkedIn connection. 4000 connections While the number of connections by itself is just a number, fact is that having more connections gives you more POSSIBILITIES for getting introductions to the people you -or for the people in your network – want to meet. This makes your LinkedIn account more valuable. And this makes YOU more valuable to YOUR NETWORK – since you can facilitate more introductions, share more resources and add more value. Another thing of interest here is that LinkedIn only gives you 3,000 invitations to build your…

  • How to withdraw a LinkedIn invitation

    admin
    12 Feb 2013 | 8:32 pm
    If you invite people by mistake and/or you change your mind about inviting someone to join your LinkedIn network, you might be able to withdraw the invitation. The following video shows you how to do this plus a few other things you need to be aware of.
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    GROWMAP.COM

  • Office Phone Systems: What Functions Do You Need?

    GrowMap
    18 May 2013 | 3:46 am
    Businesses probably have no idea how many customers they use by not handling incoming calls well. Many people will not leave a message or are tired of playing telephone tag or going through what I call voicemail hell. Marco Suarez shares with us what a quality office phone system should include. A good phone system is a crucial element of any smoothly operating office. Without one, you could be losing out on valuable enquiries and customers. Your company will lose its professional image if you’re heard scrabbling around passing phones across desks. What you need is a phone system that will…

  • 99 Most Popular Food Blogs: Guest Post or Comment On

    John Gibb
    16 May 2013 | 7:55 am
    Click image to visit GoodFoodGoodFriends.com for a list of CommentLuv food blogs   Ah, food… I love it! One of the most essential and basic needs of all of mankind. Every single day, billions of men and women across the globe have to eat. From North American wheat to chappati in India to the tuwo shinkafa in West Africa, food is very crucial to sustaining life itself. So it does not come as a surprise to know that in this age of computer technology and high-speed Internet, there are countless blogs who focus on food, and I mean good food! Often these sites are written by food experts,…

  • The Real Story Behind Sharing Others Content (And a Tool to Help)

    Amanda Disilvestro
    15 May 2013 | 7:57 am
    It’s no secret that success is becoming more and more about the connections that you make. Whether you’re looking for a job, trying to make a sale, or attempting to further your career, there is nothing more annoying that hearing the words “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” However, those words don’t seem to phase those who actually have the connections, and that’s where this article comes into play. You want to get yourself to a point where you know enough people in an industry to get you to where you want to go, and sharing other company’s or other individual’s…

  • Awesome Video! Now What?

    David Leonhardt
    14 May 2013 | 8:29 am
    You have just created an awesome little video.  A promotion that isn’t too promotional.  A teaser that entertains and raises curiosity. But now what? Here are five crucial places to post your video. First, get that video up on YouTube. That is a no-brainer that you have probably already thought of.  Even if you don’t promote the YouTube URL, chances are that somebody will see it there. If you do want to promote the YouTube URL directly and you need a little boost, you might try using some of the social sharing co-op services that I have reviewed here and here. Plus YouTube…

  • How To Make a Good First Impression with Clients

    GrowMap
    13 May 2013 | 4:38 am
    Click image to read 5 First Impressions Many are so focused on selling the “sizzle”or playing with the latest shiny gadget or social media platform that they forget the basics. You must get the basics right first or none of that will matter. It goes without saying that your client’s first impression of your brand, office and even your staff is of paramount importance. The way you present yourself and your working environment says a lot about your brand values and the company as a whole, so it’s important to get it right. Think about your office as an extension of your brand.
 
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    Digital Street Journal

  • A closer look at the impact of local search on restaurants

    Jonathan Trenn
    9 May 2013 | 10:00 pm
    Tweet Let’s take a look at local a bit further. That report from imma/yp focuses on several industries but eventually emphasizes “Restaurants and Dining” because it not only is one of the most sought after categories, it is also the number one category that the searcher will reach fulfillment with.  Meaning if they are searching for something (a restaurant’s location), they are more likely to actually go to the restaurant. Now lets remember that search engines, online directories, and social platforms such as Yelp and FourSquare will often have gobs of information…

  • Local search is vital; six things to remember

    Jonathan Trenn
    9 May 2013 | 2:47 pm
    Tweet OK.  More on local. As with most trends, consumers lead.  And the trend is that we’re now turning to the web as the go-to source for local information.  Not just going to the websites of local businesses.  We’re using local search to reel in information. According to a report from imma/yp, 40% of us use local search on a daily basis.  And two thirds of us use local search 3-4 times a week. Wow.  Those numbers are higher than I would think.  Nevertheless, using a PC, a tablet, or a smartphone for local information is becoming standard operating procedure for most of…

  • Small business misconceptions on social media

    Jonathan Trenn
    7 May 2013 | 7:35 am
    Tweet In April, I wrote that many small to mid sized businesses struggle to see any real results on their social media efforts.  I theorized that many enter the arena without any sense of what they’re doing.  They often base their efforts on misconceptions about the whole thing.  I wanted to list a few here that I’ve seen in my years of observing and participating. In no particular order… They view online as a vast frontier of nothingness where they won’t be on anyone’s radar. There is, of course, some truth to this.  But this ignores that their company is…

  • Social Media: The reality of it all vs. the wonder of it all

    Jonathan Trenn
    6 May 2013 | 9:28 am
    Tweet One thing that I think is a problem with social media for small and mid-size businesses is that anyone can “do it”.  Or so we’re told. Yes, any mom and pop can have their own Facebook page.  A Twitter feed can be set up in no time.  Download a blog format from WordPress and you’re on your way. Over the past few years, I’ve read countless articles, blog posts, and books written by “social media rock stars” that espouse lofty declarations telling us that one can start their blog and now have exposure to “millions of readers”. This…

  • A clue as to why small business struggle in social media

    Jonathan Trenn
    22 Apr 2013 | 8:39 pm
    Tweet Manta Research just came out with some survey numbers that should make many of us be uneasy.  To an extent. They surveyed 1235 of their members, all small businesses, and found that a solid majority of them (61%) don’t see any positive ROI on their social media efforts. Yes, that’s an alarming number.  And it DOES speak to how effective social media can actually be.  Or not be. Simply getting people to like your Facebook page or follow you on Twitter isn’t necessarily easy.  And the reality is that the content that a business can share via social networks is often…
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    TheWayoftheWeb

  • Testimonials

    SeanIble
    14 May 2013 | 8:01 am
    I’d just had a new eCommerce store built in WordPress, added loads of great products at really competitive prices but was lacking the traffic and conversion to really see my online business take off. The Way of the Web was recommended by a friend, they really showed an interest in my business and helped me fulfill its potential with SEO, content and traffic analysis. It’s an ongoing project and they have been with me every step of the way and long may they continue to do so John Wakefield CEO Bargain Biker Brands www.bargainbikerbrands.co.uk The post Testimonials appeared first…

  • Top social networks: Guide to images for company pages

    Dan Thornton
    13 May 2013 | 4:53 am
    Are you setting up social network profiles for your business? Or maintaining social media which already exists? Either way, it’s important to make sure your pages and profiles look their best. If you’re updating your company logos, re-branding, or simply want to change images to give your page a refresh, then it’s important to ensure you know the right image dimensions, file sizes and positioning for each social network. So we’ve compiled the requirements in once place. When looking at logo designs, always keep in mind that social media generally requires versions…

  • How we redesigned our website and logo

    Dan Thornton
    1 May 2013 | 6:31 am
    We’re lucky to have a number of talented web designers and developers in our network at TheWayoftheWeb. But we didn’t have a lot of time and money to get a new logo and website up and running. So I thought it would be really useful to share the process we went through…   Our new logo: For a long time I’d blogged without investing in a proper logo and identity. So I was enormously grateful to the talented David Darnes when he offered to donate his skills a few years ago to support me starting out as a business. Having originally been influenced in naming my blog…

  • Welcome to the new TheWayoftheWeb

    Dan Thornton
    11 Apr 2013 | 7:27 am
    Around 7 years ago, I started blogging on a free Blogspot website, mainly because I had thoughts and ideas about the internet and media which I wanted to share beyond a very small group of colleagues. One day, 5 years ago, I moved my blog onto the current domain and my own self-hosted WordPress site, as I’d grown my readership to thousands of people each month and wanted to give them a better experience. Then almost 3 years ago, I found myself setting up as a freelancer to provide content and marketing to a small group of clients which has since grown – along with my business…

  • If you’re seeing this…

    Dan Thornton
    9 Apr 2013 | 3:41 pm
    It means our recent hosting migration has been successful. You may also have noticed the site looks a little different – unfortunately the need to move hosting providers occurred during a period in which we have been looking at some design changes for the whole site, which haven’t been ready to publish in time for the move… So in the meantime, enjoy the focus on articles for a little bit while we finish with the crayons and paper to push out a new layout. The post If you’re seeing this… appeared first on TheWayoftheWeb.
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    Connection Agent

  • It’s Moving Day – Find Me Now at SteveWoodruff.com

    Steve Woodruff
    2 May 2013 | 5:15 am
    This will be the final post here at Connection Agent (I think!). As I announced earlier this week, I’ve decided to launch an entirely new site: SteveWoodruff.com The theme: Discover Your Fit. Because that’s what I do – help businesses and individuals discover their purpose, set new direction, refine their offerings, and craft a clear message. To say I’m excited about the new direction my business has taken in the last few years is an understatement. It’s really not just a business to me – it’s a mission. If  you’re a subscriber to Connection…

  • My Second-to-Last Post at Connection Agent Blog

    Steve Woodruff
    30 Apr 2013 | 4:30 am
    Connection Agent is going away? Yes. And, no. This week, I’ll be launching a new website at SteveWoodruff.com, which will be the new home for all my writings about marketing (my pharma biz, Impactiviti, retains its own separate identity and site). So this blog, and the Clarity Therapy blog, will be superseded by a professionally designed and hosted site. The overarching theme will be the message that has been at the core of my work for many years: Discovering Your Fit. (sneak peek – not quite live yet!) For a long time here at Connection Agent, I’ve blogged about marketing…

  • Why I Love Being an Introvert

    Steve Woodruff
    12 Apr 2013 | 4:50 am
    I didn’t always enjoy the fact that my wiring is definitely on the introvert side of the fence. Since our culture tends to value extrovert tendencies and behaviors, we who are quieter, who are more inclined to think before speaking, and who are energized more by alone time than by crowds can often feel marginalized or inferior. Over time, I’ve shaken free of that perspective. I was born with this wiring, and though I’ve become much more outgoing and confident with people (some people now mistake me for an extrovert), I remain a thorough-going introvert. And I love it. Yeah,…

  • Defeating Mis-Matches in Business

    Steve Woodruff
    11 Apr 2013 | 5:34 am
    Interview with Steve Woodruff, Clarity Therapist The goal of Clarity Therapy is to “defeat mis-matches – the wrong people in the wrong job; small companies pursuing the wrong types of business; or large companies partnering with the wrong vendors. A lack of clarity leads to tremendous inefficiencies in the business world.” More? Click to biggify (interview with New Jersey Business magazine). —> Want to understand what I’m all about? There it is, in a nutshell. Avoiding mis-matches by discovering your fit. Don’t merely think about finding work. Find your…

  • Solopreneur Isolation Syndrome

    Steve Woodruff
    19 Mar 2013 | 4:35 am
    I was speaking with a fellow consultant earlier this month, and the subject wandered over to one of the difficulties of being a solopreneur/small business owner. Isolation. Ever feel alone out there, hacking your way through the weeds? Yeah – join the club. Now, neither of us would go back to working for others, and we’ve freely chosen the paths we’ve taken. So this is not a lament. It’s just a fact of life. It can get pretty lonely out there when you’re not part of a (localized, physically present) team. As a solopreneur, I love my alone time, and I also get…
 
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    WordPress.com News

  • Freshly Pressed: Friday Faves

    Cheri Lucas Rowlands
    17 May 2013 | 9:00 am
    An ode to a father, a story of growing up with two mothers, a request for a cloak of visibility, and a reflection on goodbyes. Here are four Freshly Pressed standouts from this week — all quite personal pieces that have resonated with many readers. Go ahead and dive in: Why I Don’t Diet — An Ode to My Father My father spent his years fighting his size, wishing he was smaller, weaker, less of a giant. He was taught to hate his body, and he was ashamed of the amount of space he took up. But he passed his strength to me, and I won’t squander my inheritance. I will not let…

  • New Theme: Snap

    Nate Schaumburg
    16 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    Happy Theme Thursday! Sharing and managing your work online should be easy, and today I’m thrilled to announce a new theme from our friends at The Theme Foundry that helps you do just that! Snap is a responsive, lightweight, and minimalist theme that makes it easy to feature your projects. Snap’s clean grid based blog layout and configurable page templates also make it incredibly flexible. Snap: Home Page Read more about Snap in the Theme Showcase, or test drive it for yourself by going to Appearance → Themes in your Dashboard.

  • Widget Visibility and You

    Christopher Finke
    15 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Since the dawn of time, humankind has yearned for control. While we can’t give you more control over most of your life, we can give you more control over your widgets. And today, with the new widget visibility tool, you can configure your widgets to be shown or hidden only on certain pages. Widgets are a way to add new content (like your Twitter stream, a tag cloud, or a link to your blog archives) in the sidebar, header, or footer of your site. To see the widgets you have available to you, log in to your WordPress.com dashboard and click on Appearance » Widgets. To add a widget,…

  • Websites for the Greater Good: Non-Profits on WordPress.com

    michelle w.
    14 May 2013 | 11:47 am
    All kinds of organizations make their home on WordPress.com: small businesses, municipalities, religious organizations, schools, community groups. We also provide an online HQ for quite a few non-profits, from the global to the hyperlocal. They turn to WordPress.com for an easy-to-use, low cost solution that gets them an effective web presence without diverting thousands of dollars from their missions: helping others. Here are just a few of the organizations that call WordPress.com home, and some of the ways they’ve used WordPress.com to create compelling sites that tell their stories…

  • Five Minutes with Philip Arthur Moore

    Lauren Orsini
    13 May 2013 | 9:30 am
    Every few weeks, we’re sitting down with an Automattician to help you get to know the people who work behind the scenes to build new features, keep Automattic running, and make WordPress.com the best it can be. This week, we’re very pleased to introduce you to Mr. Philip Arthur Moore: Theme Broker, global nomad, and emoticon expert. What kinds of awesome things do you do at Automattic? Philip Arthur Moore I’m currently the Premium Theme Team lead at WordPress.com. The majority of my waking hours are spent feverishly obsessing over making premium themes a world-class experience for…
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    Social Media Bird Brain

  • Five Tools for Your Social Media Intern

    15 May 2013 | 3:51 pm
    Via Unpaid Intern Summertime... and the interns are easy... Well, not really. But if you've made it known that your small nonprofit would like to entertain a few interns for the summer and/or fall, you've probably got a couple interviewed and ready to start. And given that Social Media is a big deal that many small nonprofits can't afford a full-time manager for, you're probably thinking of

  • The Battle of the Sexes and Other Interesting Crossed Lines of Social Communication

    1 May 2013 | 7:39 pm
    Thought by Jason Griffey, Photo by Pierre Metivier (Flickr) Maybe you've heard the story about the Philosophy 101 student who wrote 'everything is everything else' and got an A for the class term. Yeah, it sounds kinda woo-woo, but to me at least, it makes sense. Especially when talking about the internet and social communications. To illustrate, let's take a look at a few things I found while

  • Re-igniting Your Fire Using Social Communications

    23 Apr 2013 | 6:38 pm
    Everyone can feel a little down from time to time. Especially after a big push or a big disappointment. We've talked a lot about how you can use social communications to get your message out, to share your triumphs, to ask for assistance. But have you ever thought of using it on those days that are a little bit darker - when it's a little harder to get out of bed, you're a little slower getting

  • Blackout

    22 Apr 2013 | 11:52 am

  • Four Requirements for Successful Social Communication

    17 Apr 2013 | 7:21 pm
    The hooha about the new medium in town is long gone. People are turning to subjects like big data and still looking for ROI. In whatever shape or form it takes in the future, social communications are here to stay. Over the years in this blog, I - and hundreds of others engaged in the subject of social media - have overlapped each others' messages about what's important in establishing your
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    Corporate Eye

  • Yahoo Considering Tumblr for Acquisition

    Susan Gunelius
    17 May 2013 | 7:53 am
    On Thursday, AllThingsD broke the news that Yahoo! is in serious talks to acquire Tumblr. This comes on the heels of failed acquisition attempts and acquisition rumors that Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer had her eye on Daily Motion (that acquisition was blocked in France), Hulu, Pinterest, Zynga, and more. It’s speculated that a Yahoo! acquisition of Tumblr could reach $1 billion. This news comes shortly after Yahoo! CFO Ken Goldman told the audience at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom conference in Boston that his company is launching marketing campaigns directed at the…

  • Yahoo! Tries to Regain Cool Factor with Younger Audiences

    Susan Gunelius
    15 May 2013 | 5:57 pm
    Yahoo! wants young people to think it’s cool. That’s a strategic priority for the company according to CFO Ken Goldman who told the audience at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom conference in Boston on this week that Yahoo! is launching marketing campaigns directed at the 18 to 34 year old audience. The new marketing initiatives will make the Yahoo! brand more visible and spread the word about new products on outdoor billboards, sporting events, and other places. Goldman explained, “Part of it is going to be just visibility again in making ourselves cool,…

  • 2 out of 3 U.K. Smarphone Users are Mobile Shoppers

    Susan Gunelius
    14 May 2013 | 6:44 am
    Think your customers aren’t using mobile devices to shop? Think again. New research from market research firm Arbitron Mobile found that 66.8% of U.K. smartphone owners used mobile commerce apps in March 2013. That number is higher than any other country included in the study (United States =55.9%, Germany = 57.6%, and France = 52.5%). The report also shows that U.K. smartphone owners spend the most time using mobile commerce apps and shopping with their mobile devices. You can see the specific data below: United Kingdom: Minutes per month = 134.8, Sessions per month = 54.5 United…

  • Responsible Business Summit: 15 Thoughts

    Adrian Meredith
    13 May 2013 | 1:25 am
    Earlier this week I was lucky enough to attend the 12th Annual Responsible Business Summit in London which was superbly hosted by Ethical Corporation. Having predominantly experienced investor relations conferences, I was full of enthusiasm for the wealth of new information and ideas about to assault my senses, and two full days later, I am pleased to say that it was an incredibly interesting and perhaps I could even say, an inspiring event. A real effort was made by the organisers to keep the sessions interactive and to use technology to engage the audience. We voted via Twitter and SMS on…

  • Leveraging Emotions Analytics in Brand Marketing

    Susan Gunelius
    10 May 2013 | 4:43 pm
    Today, brand marketers have access to more data than ever, but there is a new kind of data you might not be accessing yet. It’s called emotions analytics. Tel Aviv, Israel-based Beyond Verbal has launched a patented voice recognition technology that can extract, decode, and measure an individual’s full set of emotions and character traits from that person’s raw voice in real-time (i.e., as they speak). Using this data, the technology can detect moods, attitudes, and decision-making characteristics, which the company refers to as emotions analytics. A team of physicists and…
 
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    Vino Party - Il blog sul Vino

  • Wine & the city 2013 a Napoli

    Fabio Mele
    17 May 2013 | 2:31 am
    Dal 21 al 25 maggio 2013 si rinnoverà a Napoli l’evento “Wine & the city” giunto ormai alla sesta edizione. L’evento si configura sempre di più come un nodo cardine nella promozione del vino, dell’arte e delle attività correlate nella zona campana e più in generale del sud Italia. Non si svolge in fiera né in stand, ma in 100 indirizzi diversi lungo la città, dove vengono presentate 70 cantine vinicole italiane di cui l’80% campane, assieme ad eventi correlati tra musica, arte e installazioni. L’obiettivo è quello di fare sistema tra i massimi livelli vinicoli,…

  • Vino: la battaglia dell’export punta l’Oriente?

    Fabio Mele
    22 Apr 2013 | 1:55 am
    Incrociando i dati Coldiretti e il Wine Monitor di Nomisma, assieme al punto della situazione fatto recentemente dalle case vinicole al Vinitaly 2013, senza dar nemmeno troppo risalto ai numeri saltano all’occhio un paio di concetti: nel 2012 in Italia, complice la crisi economica, si è bevuto meno vino, mentre mercati esteri emergenti come Cina e Brasile sono in netta crescita in quanto a consumi. Basta fare due più due per capire come, oggi, l’opportunità più importante che il mercato offre alle aziende vitivinicole italiane non è tanto il mercato interno, quanto la grande crescita…

  • Il vino e l’apporto calorico

    Gelsomina
    8 Apr 2013 | 6:37 am
    Un aspetto molto studiato nell’ultimo decennio e relazionato al mondo del vino è quello legato al suo impatto sulla salute, in modo particolare all’apporto che esso è in grado di fornire all’essere umano sia in termini positivi che in termini negativi. In particolar modo, molti nutrizionisti si sono soffermati a considerare il suo “impatto” nell’alimentazione quotidiana di un individuo nei singoli casi di persone sottoposte a diete dimagranti. Innanzitutto specifichiamo che il vino, tra le bevande più antiche del mondo, è ottenuto dalla fermentazione alcolica…

  • Vinitaly 2013: il vino italiano leader nel mondo

    Fabio Mele
    8 Mar 2013 | 3:34 am
    Si rinnova il tradizionale evento di Vinitaly a Verona nell’edizione 2013, che si terrà nella bella città veneta dal 7 al 10 aprile, una quattro giorni che vedrà come sempre il vino assoluto protagonista. Diamo anche un po’ di numeri sul vino e sui prossimi sviluppi del mercato. L’Italia diventa leader nella produzione vinicola mondiale, producendo quasi 41 milioni di ettolitri – superando la Francia scesa a 40,5 – e di questi, 24 finiscono per riempire le bottiglie dei vini di qualità, vale a dire gli oltre cinquecento vini con etichettatura Doc, Docg o Igt, di cui potete…

  • Vini ed eventi per San Valentino

    Fabio Mele
    9 Feb 2013 | 4:19 am
    Prevedete una romantica cenetta a lume di candela con la vostra dolce metà per il 14 febbraio? Oppure uscirete per andare in un rinomato ristorante? In questa situazione, non potete lasciare la scelta del vino al caso, ma è possibile scegliere alcuni vini che sembrano essere studiati apposta per l’occasione! Se nel precedente articolo abbiamo puntato su consigli relativi al gusto, in questo caso tratteremo una serie di vini che vanno a pennello per l’occasione grazie al nome del marchio. Stiamo parlando del vino “Primo Amore”, prodotto dalle cantine venete Zonin, che promette di…
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    Chris Abraham

  • The Reebok Spartan Race is Sparta! This is Sparta!

    Chris Abraham
    18 May 2013 | 12:45 am
    My former Director of Client Services, Dan Krueger, is a brick shithouse. He literally looks like a character from the movie 300. When I met him he was kind of a dump, a little bit of a schlub, like I am now. That’s him to the right: commando!Now, he’s promoting the Reebok Spartan Race, one of those cool obstacle races that have become so fashionable and such an important part of the CrossFit obsession and lifestyle.To be honest, I am single and not getting any younger so I am going to go for it myself! Work on my inner studmuffin — the lad I used to be when I rowed in…

  • The Online Community Is Inexorably Global: Are You?

    Chris Abraham
    14 May 2013 | 11:42 pm
    I think “realness” is what’s required in online communications, just realness according to protocol. One cannot be rude. One cannot be uncouth. One should be tonally perfect when it comes to communicating online but don’t let that stop you — making mistakes (and copping to them, acknowledging them, and accepting them) is normal. But “normalspeak” is essential. Online chat and conversation is not, no matter what anyone tries to sell you, is not formal written communication. It shouldn’t be. It cannot be. Being stiff and inaccessible is almost…

  • The Online Community Is Inexorably Global: Are You?

    Chris Abraham
    14 May 2013 | 11:25 pm
    Well, desirability breeds solution: JPOP have single-handedly driven many a Gaijin to learn Kanji, Kana, Hiragana, and Katakana in order to bridge the divide. And people want to — and not only because Japanese is awesome and has a right tradition and cool pop music. I grew up in Hawaii and know the Japanese culture very well, though only once-removed. Most of my relationships with the Japanese culture and with Japanese people were 1st and 2nd generation. That’s another issue: how close are you, really? I am pretty darn close to understanding the Japanese culture but I know nothing…

  • The Online Community Is Inexorably Global: Are You?

    Chris Abraham
    14 May 2013 | 5:28 am
    You can spread your work and/or content over multiple platforms, languages, cultures, etc, but you’re going to need to customize it in the way your target market expects. Case-in-point: I saw WALL-E in a Berlin Cinema in Germany. The movie was made in “Hollywood,” right? Well, remember in WALL-E how many brands and billboards and all of that — all the signage — that was in the scenery of the movie? Well, Disney created a German-only or German-speaking-country-only version resplendent with German-language branding as well as all supporting aspects custom-tailored…

  • The Online Community Is Inexorably Global: Are You?

    Chris Abraham
    14 May 2013 | 3:17 am
    Mind you, at the end of the day, America has gotten used to Indian outsources tech support — because Indians tend to be even more charming, thoughtful, patient and kind than the teams they run into here… do we adapted after 10-years. But, if you can’t wait around long enough to change an entire cultural norm, don’t. More on YouTube Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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    Steve Kayser

  • Storytelling Story-Selling Secret Sources

    Steve Kayser
    25 Apr 2013 | 6:31 am
    The post Storytelling Story-Selling Secret Sources appeared first on Steve Kayser.Whatever business you're in you have a story. If it's a good story it informs, educates, entertains and helps people down a path to find a solution to the problem they have. The trip down the path is your story.The post Storytelling Story-Selling Secret Sources appeared first on Steve Kayser.

  • 3 Positive Ways to Deal with the Negative World

    Steve Kayser
    22 Apr 2013 | 2:24 pm
    The post 3 Positive Ways to Deal with the Negative World appeared first on Steve Kayser.Recent world events that have brought such overwhelming tragedy and negativity can make us spiral downward, creating despairing attitudes and dismal spirits. These affect our work. We’re less productive. We miss our sales goals. We wander away from family and friends. How do we get back on track? Find. Focus. Finish.The post 3 Positive Ways to Deal with the Negative World appeared first on Steve Kayser.

  • No Arms, No Legs … No Worries

    Steve Kayser
    15 Mar 2013 | 1:13 pm
    The post No Arms, No Legs … No Worries appeared first on Steve Kayser.Our times our piled high with difficulty and uncertainty. Stress and anxiety. Problems too big to get your arms around, Too high to climb. Unless ... you don't have legs or arms. The post No Arms, No Legs … No Worries appeared first on Steve Kayser.

  • The Stunningly Visual Power of Words

    Steve Kayser
    13 Mar 2013 | 8:47 am
    The post The Stunningly Visual Power of Words appeared first on Steve Kayser.The words in this video had the same purpose - but not the same meaning. And meaning is everything. It's seeing without eyes.The post The Stunningly Visual Power of Words appeared first on Steve Kayser.

  • The Complex Sale: How to Outsmart Yourself – With Your Own Brilliance

    Steve Kayser
    10 Mar 2013 | 11:50 am
    The post The Complex Sale: How to Outsmart Yourself – With Your Own Brilliance appeared first on Steve Kayser.To win at the complex sale, one must be a storyteller, master strategist, philosopher, psychologist and have an innate understanding of the B2B Goldilocks Universe ...The post The Complex Sale: How to Outsmart Yourself – With Your Own Brilliance appeared first on Steve Kayser.
 
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    Digital Marketing Blog // Digital Operative

  • Spring is Here and Kenshoo is in the Air

    Matt Browne
    7 May 2013 | 3:48 pm
    I’ve read some bold promises from marketing automation software throughout the years. They all seem to promise the same thing… sit back, relax and let our little bot make you look like the rock star of the marketing department. Sayings like, ‘it’s cheaper, it’s faster, it’s easier, it’s more profitable become commonplace in every sales pitch. I’ve been through enough of these pitches throughout my tenure that I’ve grown a sixth sense at cutting through the crap and getting down to what’s really important. When our agency first deployed…

  • Got Culture? What it is and How to Get it

    shannon
    7 May 2013 | 3:24 pm
    I’ve been thinking a lot about culture and what it means and how it can define a company. It’s a trendy buzzword as of late peppering blogs and whispered about at HR seminars with its promises of  providing a cool factor to any company. But what is it exactly and how can you get it? According to Frances Frei and Anne Morriss at Harvard Business Review: “Culture guides discretionary behavior and it picks up where the employee handbook leaves off.” To some culture is a guidepost that helps employees understand their company as a whole. If one were to mention Google,…

  • Responsive Javascript Part 2

    Thong
    2 May 2013 | 10:30 am
    Quick recap. In part 1 of this blog we create two events, a hover event for desktop and a click event for mobile. With these events, we wrapped it around an IF statement so the script can decide which event to render base on window width. In part 2 we are going to make that code better! The main issue addresses testing responsive. Most people seem to believe that, by dragging the browser handles, that’s is the best way to test responsive layouts. Just because the window emulate different resolutions doesnt mean its the best way to test. The ONLY REAL WAY of testing responsive is by…

  • Google Analytics Certification Tips from Around the Web

    Denise Pena
    30 Apr 2013 | 1:49 pm
    Are you planning on taking your Google Analytics Individual Qualifications Exam? Check out these resources from around the web to help you train and prepare. While it’s possible to pass the exam without paying for help, a few of the resources I’ve listed below require a fee. Some people can cram studying into one day and pass the test, while others need time to digest and review – whatever works best for you as long as you’re able to keep the information and don’t dump it right after the test (we’re not in college anymore!). Resources from Google:…

  • What is UX and What Could it be For Our Future?

    Carina Nicklaw
    29 Apr 2013 | 11:32 am
    To give you all a little bit of context, I am 7 months pregnant, so the idea of posterity has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Let’s take a moment to break down UX for a second. For the layperson U=User and X=Experience. Many times the abbreviation UX gets caught up in a bunch of boxes, arrows and wireframes — seemingly very static stuff. The fact of the matter is that User Experience is extremely fluid and constantly changing, which is what makes it so exciting. With new generations come new baselines of technology and new status quos. If the digital landscape is changing at a…
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    Seldom Seen Kid

  • Capcom Blood Pool

    Matt Churchill
    11 May 2013 | 1:18 pm
    Capcom, in support of their latest Resident Evil title Resident Evil Revelations, have created a swimming pool filled with blood. The PR stunt comes hot on the heels of their 2012 human butchery. It’s certainly an interesting way of getting people to associate your gaming brand with blood and gore, and will appeal to their core gamer market, but I can’t help but feel it’s a little contrived. It’s certainly got the Internet interested, with most of the major gaming blogs talking about the stunt – whether it helps or hinders the release of the title remains to be…

  • Warburton’s Loaf Sells for £112k on eBay

    Matt Churchill
    20 Jan 2013 | 2:41 pm
    A loaf of Warburton’s bread sells for £112k. I love the Internet.

  • NASA Invite Social Media Community to Launch

    Matt Churchill
    14 Dec 2012 | 4:17 pm
    NASA will give 70 members of its social media community the chance to get a behind the scenes view of the US space program and an opportunity to see a launch in-person. The NASA Social, scheduled for January 28-29, will coincide with the launch of NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K (TDRS-K). The selected few visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks. TDRS-K is targeted to launch at 8:52 p.m. EST Jan. 29 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V…

  • Twitter Photo Filters

    Matt Churchill
    10 Dec 2012 | 3:20 pm
    Twitter have announced that they will be launching photo filters with the latest versions of their iPhone and Android apps. The move comes hours after Twitter and Instagram integration ceased. There will be eight photo filters, all of which can be applied directly in the mobile app. This, along with the compulsory roll out of the new image heavy Twitter profiles, demonstrates just how much value Twitter is placing on imagery and the ease of sharing that content instantaneously. The success of Instagram and PicPlz has shown just how important the ability to share image content is to users.

  • Twitter and Instagram Fall Out

    Matt Churchill
    10 Dec 2012 | 2:09 pm
    Instagram has pulled photosharing from Twitter, the microblogging service confirmed on their blog on Sunday. It’s the latest example of a pair of social networks ceasing official ties and preventing their users from cross-posting or integrating their content; Linkedin dropped integration withTwitter in the summer much to users’ dismay. These moves demonstrate the coming of age as businesses of many of our favourite social networking services – to survive, no matter how big you are, you need to be ruthless and that means, it would seem, upsetting users in the short term.
 
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    the i.d.e.a. brand

  • How to Manage a PR/Advertising/Integrated Agency

    Indra
    16 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    It doesn’t matter what area of specialty your shop offers, whether you only do PR or you offer an integrated suite of services, like we do at i.d.e.a., you got into the business because you love what you do. Isn’t that great? To do work that you love is a gift. But somewhere along the way, you realized that it isn’t all about being creative, interacting with clients and working with a talented team. You actually have a business to ...The post How to Manage a PR/Advertising/Integrated Agency appeared first on the i.d.e.a. brand.

  • Subway Uses QR Codes the Right Way

    Gary Ware
    15 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    A few weeks ago, Joe wrote a great article on QR codes and how they’ve become more of a disruption in  advertising than they are helpful. Being a curious tech nerd who scans just about every QR code I come across, I have to agree with him. The majority of experiences with QR codes are so-so at best. I don’t have high-expectations, I just want to be taken to an experience that takes advantage of the fact that I am on ...The post Subway Uses QR Codes the Right Way appeared first on the i.d.e.a. brand.

  • Beyond the Hashtag: How Memecube Increases Engagement at Conferences

    Stephanie Garcia
    10 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    I don’t blame my coworkers for looking at me strangely when I came back from Gamification Summit and started talking about how cool Memecube was. If you’ve never heard of Memecube, you’d think it was some type of Rubik’s cube made up of Internet memes—although, that does sound like a really fun accessory to have on your desk. No, Memecube is even cooler than that. Let me explain… Live Tweeting At Conferences If you’ve attended a marketing conference within the last three ...The post Beyond the Hashtag: How Memecube Increases Engagement at Conferences appeared first on…

  • Fee, fie, foe, fum…

    James White
    8 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    I want to explore the realm of fairytales again and see if any of their sub-contexts ring true in the world of advertising. Let me ask you, what fairytale does this make you think of? Fee, fie, foe, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman… The thirteen Colonies winning the American War of Independence against the Kingdom of Great Britain, or Jack and the Beanstalk? Let’s go with the story of Jack, as I’m not sure if I believe the fairytale ...The post Fee, fie, foe, fum… appeared first on the i.d.e.a. brand.

  • Why Professional Photography Still Matters

    Indra
    6 May 2013 | 8:22 am
    Have you seen the latest Apple TV commercial? After a beautifully shot and edited series of images of people using their iPhones to shoot or edit, it ends with just one voice over line – “Every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera.” Brands like Apple remind us that “everyone” is a photographer. Just add an Instagram filter and you too will feel like an artist. But just as all burgers are not created equally, ...The post Why Professional Photography Still Matters appeared first on the i.d.e.a. brand.
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    Nashville SEO Social Media Marketing | Web Design Search Engine PPC

  • 7 FREE Dribbble iPhone Apps

    David
    26 Apr 2013 | 9:37 pm
    I’m fairly new in being a player on Dribbble, having only a couple of shots so far to boot, and have more to upload in the future. I have been wanting to be a player for so long, and being the benchwarmer that I have been for a while, it feels good to actually be a debut player, even if it means being a role player right now than an All-Star. With that being said, I have compiled a list of FREE Dribbble iPhone apps for those who are looking for their first Dribbble app client or those looking to replace their existing one(s). Look for an in-depth review of each of these apps in the next…

  • Halo Sketches

    David
    26 Mar 2013 | 9:44 pm
    Check out my Halo Sketch gallery. I needed a break from a lot of design, development, and marketing work, so here’s a sketch of the ever-popular Halo series from Microsoft. Enjoy the illustrations :) The post Halo Sketches appeared first on Nashville SEO Social Media Marketing | Web Design Search Engine PPC.

  • Website Promotion Extended!

    David
    26 Mar 2013 | 8:53 pm
    Win A Website! Visit http://www.zioneyemedia.com/win-a-website For Instructions. To all my friends: You think March Madness is about to end? Hope not! It’s being extended to April… That’s right, I’m extending the promotion to win an awesome website from yours truly until the END OF APRIL! So if you or your friends who are musicians, bands, Emcees, or in dance / bboy crews, do yourself a favor and check out this promotion! Visit http://www.zioneyemedia.com/win-a-website to find out more on instructions on participating and winning!   The post Website Promotion…

  • Win An Awesome Website

    David
    1 Mar 2013 | 12:16 am
    Are you a musician or in a band? Do you dance hip hop or are in a breakdance crew? Do you spit rhymes? Well, this promo is for you. For the month of march, one lucky winner will be able to get my Builder Web Package, valued at $2,599. Not only will the winner get an awesome site, but complete with customized logo, social media integration, email marketing tools, and more. Go to my promotion rules page to find out the rules and regulations on entering. Questions? The post Win An Awesome Website appeared first on Nashville SEO Social Media Marketing | Web Design Search Engine PPC.

  • 5 Things Non-Profits Can Do To Deliver Big Business Results

    David
    24 Feb 2013 | 10:46 am
    Throughout my professional career, I’ve always worked full-time for one company and do freelance work on the side. That type of work schedule was an effort to make myself more well-rounded as a professional, and simultaneously get myself wet in other ventures that are of my passion. While my “full-time jobs” were in big business, primarily in the tech industry, a good portion of my freelance work happened to be in the non-profit sector, where I literally dove in head first (and probably felt like I did it without swim trunks). I know that a big company environment can differ…
 
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    FreshNetworks Blog

  • Why Snapchat is about so much more than teens and sexting

    Matt Rhodes
    16 May 2013 | 4:46 am
    Snapchat seems to be attracting more interest recently with more users of and more questions about the mobile sharing app which allows you to send images and text (‘Snaps’) to contacts with an ‘auto-destruct’ after a few seconds. In April, CEO Evan Spiegel announced that 150m photos were shared each day, and the app has come under investigation as to whether the images actually do auto-destruct. There is also a perception that the app is a fad among teens, and the auto-destruct nature of the communication makes it suitable for mere frippery or even for sexting. But…

  • What’s the secret to being a great leader?

    Sarah Platts
    14 May 2013 | 10:59 am
    Last year I wrote about innovation having attended an Open University Business School event on the topic, and recently I’ve just been to another one all about leadership. Here’s a quick summary of 6 questions and answers that came out of the session: 1. What do we mean by leadership? Professor Jean Hartley took everyone through the 5 Ps: Person – personal characteristics and leadership style(s). Position – e.g. a position of authority often creates access to resource pools, but equally there are many leaders who don’t hold positions of formal authority. Process – i.e.

  • Sir Alex Ferguson retires – an analysis of the immediate reaction on Twitter

    Matt Rhodes
    8 May 2013 | 3:40 am
    Old Trafford, Manchester (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee) At 09:20 this morning Sir Alex Ferguson retired after 26 years in charge of Manchester United. The club, and the manager, are respected and supported far from the city of Manchester, and reaction was quick to spread on Twitter. In many analyses of event and how Twitter reacts to them, the focus is on volume – just how many people are talking about an issue. But more interesting than this is what people are saying. There is a hypothesis that when there is ‘breaking news’ (at least on Twitter), most of the discussions…

  • Research shows that 51% of consumers don’t want brands listening to them in social media

    Matt Rhodes
    18 Apr 2013 | 8:16 am
    Listen, Understand, Act (Photo credit: highersights) According to Altimeter, 42% of businesses in the US are prioritising Social Media Listening in 2013 – putting real focus on how they sift through and learn from the conversations in social media. But a recent study of US consumers found that 51% of them do not want brands to be listening to what they say online. As a greater emphasis is placed on social media listening and big data, the tensions with consumer privacy will also rise. The report, by Netbase, is based on a survey of 1,062 US consumers and highlights the challenges brands…

  • The Future of Education: How the Khan Academy is changing the way we learn

    Alex Boardman
    15 Apr 2013 | 1:23 am
    Classroom (Photo credit: Vitó) Last week I got a glimpse into the future of education through the eyes of  two visionaries: Salman Khan (founder of the Khan Academy) and Martin Bean (Vice President of the Open University). Both speakers talked about how online learning has had, and is still having a massive and transformative impact on education, and how it has the potential to vastly improve society. Khan’s website now has roughly 6.5 million unique users a month and it’s videos have had more than 200 million, while the Open University has had more than 1.5 million people graduate…
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    shesgotclients.com

  • How to Find Ideal Joint Venture Partners for Your Business

    Christine
    9 May 2013 | 12:55 pm
    Joint ventures are juicy. They’re all about two or more businesses combining resources to create a win-win situation. Entrepreneurs know they should be “doing” joint ventures (JVs for short)—but the big question is, how do you find good JV partners? You need to find partners who have the same client base as you do, so ask yourself: “who else do my clients buy from?” For example, if you’re a personal trainer, then your clients are also buying the services of a chiropractor or a massage therapist. So, you want to joint venture with a massage therapist, or a chiropractor. Where to…

  • FREE Call: What Savvy Entrepreneurs Know: 5 Essential Keys to Guarantee Financial Growth This Year

    Christine
    2 May 2013 | 4:44 pm
    Do you ever wonder what highly successful business owners are doing that keeps their income (AND their influence) growing year after year? Do you ever sit on the outside looking in at others who consistently launch new offers, run great programs, hold amazing workshops… and wonder how they do it? Do you ever wish you could take a peek behind the curtain and get the REAL scoop on the strategies these high-achieving folks use to fuel their growth? If you’re a smart, skilled entrepreneur who feels that the truly THRIVING business you want is just out of reach, you’ll want to…

  • Pricing 911: How to Know What to Charge!

    Christine
    25 Apr 2013 | 12:55 pm
    It’s true: most business owners get tripped up on pricing at one time or another. While there’s actually not a truly scientific way to set your prices, there are a few guidelines you can follow to make the process less tricky. 1) First and foremost, remember your big picture clarity: who your target market actually is. Have you done your research about their income level, buying habits and what they tend to spend on services or products similar to yours? Get really clear here. 2) Look at others who sell similar offerings in similar industries and pay attention to what they…

  • Resource: Be Fit, Fine & Fabulous in Career, Business and Life

    Christine
    24 Apr 2013 | 8:26 pm
    It is the goal of everyone to be successful – but sometimes dreams and intentions can get lost or take a back seat to the hectic day-to-day shuffle and bustle of life. Women especially are trying to find fulfillment and balance in their lives personally and professionally. Many struggle with their weight, finances, emotions and are often hungry for spiritual nourishment in their lives. So how do you take the drab and make it fab? That’s what Dr. Laureen Wishom examines, exposes and explains in Fit, Fine & Fabulous in Career, Business and Life. She says, “Fit, fine and fabulous is a…

  • Get More Clients By Getting Offline

    Christine
    18 Apr 2013 | 12:55 pm
    Building a business online is sexy. After all, who wouldn’t want to work from anywhere and wake up to sales that have come in while they were sleeping? While online marketing absolutely works, combining it with offline strategies and methods will build your business so much faster. Doing both in parallel will bring you more opportunities, relationships and clients than if you just did one or the other. In this Third Thursday video tip, I’m sharing three top strategies for getting out there in a big way by getting out from behind your computer. You’ll hear me talk about…
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    Online Marketing Blog

  • Online Marketing News: Video Trends Map, Content Recommendation Engine & New Google+ Layout

    Miranda Miller
    17 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    New Google+ Layout: Hangouts, Photos and Stream Reminiscent of Pinterest Google announced a major update to their social network this week that changes the way Hangouts, photos and the Google+ stream are viewed by users. The decidedly Pinterest-esque layout was just one of many announcements this week out of Google I/O, the totality of which Jeremiah Owyang and Chris Silva dubbed a “wreck.” “The end result, we hope, is an app that looks and feels great across a family of devices,” Senior VP Vic Gundotra wrote of the Google+ changes. This is in line with Google’s…

  • 11 Examples of Killer B2B Content Marketing Campaigns Including ROI

    Lee Odden
    16 May 2013 | 7:23 am
    According to a CMI and MarketingProfs study, 91% of B2B Marketers are using content marketing and that means a few things: First, it means content marketing has gained critical mass within the popular marketing mix and any company in a competitive industry would be hard pressed to attract business without it. Second, it means competition to stand out with your brand’s content is only going to get harder as more companies adopt content marketing best practices and mature in their skills. As companies evolve from simply recognizing the important role of content and experimenting with it,…

  • The Power of Visual Content Marketing and Brand Visuals in Action

    Miranda Miller
    15 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    Visual content is certainly trendy – see the meteoric rise in infographics and social engagement with images as proof. Yet the need for content that appeals on a visual level and presents information in a more engaging format than text goes far beyond what is cool or fun to create. In creating curriculum and learning materials for students (child to adult) and their teachers, I learned just how important visuals are in meeting the needs of different types of learners. This is too often a missing piece in the marketing mindset; we focus on what we want people to do, the action we want…

  • Content Marketing Tactics: Business Blogging Pros, Cons, Best Practices & Brands Doing It Right

    Miranda Miller
    14 May 2013 | 3:55 am
    As part of our continuing series on content marketing tactics, I’ll be covering a topic that is absolutely near and dear to every content marketer’s heart: business blogging. According to a recent NM Incite report, there are over 181 million blogs around the world. The way many companies treat blogs in their content marketing mix is to incorporate blogs into their website as a section or subdomain, or host them on their own domain name as we do. With that kind of popularity, you would think everyone in business would know what a blog is and would be using them to their maximum…

  • Want to Improve Your Online Marketing? Master These Search & Social Media Tactics

    Lee Odden
    13 May 2013 | 5:01 am
    Fast changing trends and serious competition has digital marketers chasing the latest and greatest tactics like hamsters on exercise wheels. Good advice is both hard and too easy to come by. Search “social media marketing” on Google and there are over 1 billion results. All the scrambling often means core skills are overlooked. In fact, one of the easiest things a company can do to improve online marketing performance is to stop sucking at the basics. When it comes to optimizing for search and social media, well implemented basics are as good for search engines and social networks…
 
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    Platform Wars

  • Ceasefire ...

    5 May 2013 | 8:36 am
    I'm working on some new things. And I've started to feel the need for a new online identity. And to try to find some collaborators with similar interests to join me in this next project. That's something I'm going to talk about more, on my other blog, very soon.But I can't keep opening up new fronts. There's a balancing / decluttering that's needed too.I just shut my Facebook account. That was for other reasons, but it's also going to clear some space and time. And it's pushed me towards thinking about further changes.Therefore I've decided that I'm going to close Platform Wars. Permanently.

  • Yahoo and Alibaba

    27 Apr 2013 | 7:11 pm
    Business Insider :So now you know the truth: The reason Yahoo is valuable to its investors has nothing to do with it being a consumer Internet company or its display advertising business. It's a tracking stock for Alibaba. This puts Marissa Mayer in a wonderful position. The only way Yahoo can return to growth is to invest lots of money in building or buying new, disruptive products and businesses ... That means Mayer has time to implode Yahoo's core business and spend a lot of money growing something else in its place.

  • Google Forks WebKit

    4 Apr 2013 | 10:43 am
    This is disturbing.Sure, there are probably good technical reasons. But forking WebKit means that the capabilities of Apple and Google's browsers are almost certainly going to diverge. Is this a subtle push-back by Apple and Google (owners of iOS / Android respectively) against HTML5 as a successful platform that cuts across mobile operating systems?

  • Facebook's Newsfeed

    4 Mar 2013 | 1:11 pm
    Good analysis by Josh Constine.

  • Microsoft Office on iPad

    4 Mar 2013 | 11:29 am
    ZDNet asks how it will work.
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    Comments on: Blog Link Bankruptcy

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    Content Matters

  • I Moved

    Barry Graubart
    9 May 2013 | 6:09 am
    I’m thrilled to share that I’ve just joined Connotate as Vice President, Product Strategy.  Connotate is the leader in the web content extraction space. Publishers, ecommerce retailers, financial institutions, government agencies and others rely upon Connotate to aggregate, organize, analyze and distribute web data at scale. Connotate agents can mine content from websites, extracting critical pieces of data, then structure, aggregate and organize that information for use in analytical applications. Clients use Connotate to monitor prices on tens of thousands of items, run background…

  • Sales Tax Will Have Little Impact on eCommerce

    Barry Graubart
    7 May 2013 | 10:53 am
    The web is all a-flutter about the likelihood that Congress will start requiring ecommerce sites (and catalog retailers) to begin to collect sales tax in all states. The bill has passed the Senate and now moves to the House, where its passage is less certain. If it passes, it will clearly be a boon for the states, who now miss out on an estimated $20 billion per year in sales taxes. But it's unlikely to do much for brick & mortar retailers, in their efforts to curb showrooming. In the early days of online commerce, the avoidance of sales tax was definitely a key factor in helping…

  • The Publisher's Guide to Mobile and Tablet Development

    Barry Graubart
    5 Apr 2013 | 8:10 am
    During the past 12-18 months I've had more conversations with publishers about tablet and mobile than about any other topic. In fact, it's probably more than the next three topics combined. The speed in which mobile and table computing are overtaking the desktop is unprecedented. According to Deloitte, more than one in five Americans own a tablet device. And every day, new vendors and agencies come along pitching products and solutions. The result for most publishers is confusion. In speaking with colleagues at Newstex, I learned that they were seeing the same confusion among many of their…

  • Facebook Home Could Throw Off Incredible Usage Data

    Barry Graubart
    4 Apr 2013 | 10:45 am
    The big thing that jumped out at me from today's Facebook Phone "Facebook Home on Android" event was the potential usage data trove that this could open up for Facebook. This diagram tells the story: Under this architecture, Facebook Home sits between the Android OS and your apps. In other words, Facebook potentially gains control of all of the usage data thrown off in "app exhaust".  Of course, that's on top of controlling communications on the phone via Chat Heads and other features. Of course, the underlying OS has always known about which apps you're using and with whom you're…

  • Facebook Inside: How Facebook Can Win at Mobile

    Barry Graubart
    2 Apr 2013 | 4:41 am
    For several years we’ve been dismissive about the idea of an inevitable “Facebook phone”. Apple and Android have won the mobile phone wars and, as Microsoft, Blackberry and others have learned, there are few crumbs remaining. But if rumors are true, Facebook just may have come up with a strategy for success.  The Facebook plan is not to build hardware, nor create its own operating system. Instead, the strategy is for a “Facebook Home on Android” app launcher, with hardware built by existing handset makers.  The idea of a customized version of Android is not new – that’s the…
 
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    FUEL LINES

  • Ad Agencies that don’t have content practices will be scrambling for new business

    Michael Gass
    5 May 2013 | 11:47 pm
    The Moroch Agency’s Niche BlogAgencies talk about the value of content marketing but few are doing it and even fewer do it well.Roper Public Affairs, 80% of business decision-makers said they prefer to get information via articles, not ads. 70% said content makes them feel closer to a company and 60% said content provided by companies helps them make smarter buying decisions.Agencies are historically bad at new business. They seem to lose their marketing minds when it comes to marketing themselves.  A clear example of this is with content marketing.  Digital, social and mobile have…

  • Podcasting for Ad Agency New Business

    Michael Gass
    1 May 2013 | 11:39 am
    Podcasting is an effective tool for business development, networking, and a positioning of expertise.Trent Dyrsmid, is an online marketing expert, author, speaker, and the founder of BrightIdeas.co. His podcasting audience is made up entirely of ad agency professionals, small business owners, and independent marketing consultants. Trent has produced over 100 episodes. Trent writes,“Podcasting, if done correctly, can be an incredibly powerful tool for business development, networking, and positioning yourself as a thought leader (which is what content marketing is all about). Consider…

  • My Steps for Fueling New Business Through Social Media

    Michael Gass
    23 Apr 2013 | 7:50 am
     Outlining a social media strategy for creating new business opportunities from inbound and content marketing quickly.strat·e·gy : A plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.Since I launched my consultancy using social media in 2007, social media has become main-lined into traditional marketing. But, a lot of agencies  were caught “flat-footed” when it caught fire, being fueled by the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Most agencies didn’t jump into the social media arena until 2010. When they did relent, their engagement…

  • Ad Agencies: Will 2013 Be the Year 3D Printing Goes Mainstream?

    Michael Gass
    15 Apr 2013 | 1:17 pm
    3D Printing is an innovative technology that is sure to impact advertising, marketing and even agency new business. “A faster and cheaper alternative to traditional methods of manufacturing is making its way into the mainstream market, and it looks to be changing the way people do business—including advertising.” 3D Printing Buzz3D printing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital model. Objects are created by laying down successive layers of material. This is performed by a materials printer using digital technology.  A design file is sent to the…

  • My 70-20-10 Twitter Formula for Ad Agency New Business

    Michael Gass
    2 Apr 2013 | 10:50 am
    A simple formula for using Twitter more effectively for new business.I’ve been using Twitter for new business since 2007. It is the leading traffic generator for my website traffic.  One of the best helps I found when I first started using Twitter came from Angela Maiers, educator, author, blogger who leads Maier Educational Services.Angela developed a simple Twitter Engagement Formula that provided focus and purpose for her participation. She called it the 70-20-10 Formula:70% Sharing others voices, opinions and tools. 20% Collaborations, directly responding, connecting and…
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    Kneale Mann | Leadership

  • Our Ongoing Education

    Kneale Mann
    17 May 2013 | 3:51 am
    We live in a fascinating time. Technology, communication, collaboration, and knowledge bring us more changes every day to connect and grow. As far as leadership and business culture, it’s also an ever more complex time. We have four and sometimes five generations in the workforce side by side trying to homogenize the experience through systems and processes, strategies and priorities, options and competing priorities. This is challenging for all of us. I do subscribe to the mantra that education is a lifelong journey and that may be more important now than every before in our existence. Sir…

  • Be a Human Leader

    Kneale Mann
    14 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    There are over seven billion of us on this planet, over two billion online, and the noise is unbearable most days. Look at this, click on that, check my offer, attend this event, go to that store, read this article, buy that cool gadget, the list is endless. Then we're expected to share it, text it, tweet it, connect it, friend it, email it, or blog it. The cries for attention seem unrelenting and perhaps as we have trained ourselves to sift through endless data, content, and advertising, we have forgotten ourselves? But it would be good to think we take more care with our relationships and…

  • Awaken the Child

    Kneale Mann
    10 May 2013 | 2:30 am
    When you were a kid, you were probably discovering new stuff all the time. There wasn't corporate governance tied to strategic objectives to increase third quarter earnings, you just tried stuff. Some stuff went well, some not so well, some evolved into other stuff, but you probably didn't over think much because you were too busy discovering and creating. My mom still remarks about how I would get lost in my own world when I was a kid. That kid is alive and well. Is yours? Snakes and Ladders But as we grow, we begin to form teams and norms and start to worry more about the opinions of others…

  • Customer Service in Two Steps

    Kneale Mann
    6 May 2013 | 7:46 pm
    If you were to ask everyone you know if they enjoyed receiving great customer service, the suspicion is most (all) would say yes. If you asked them if they received great customer service 100% of the time, the suspicion is most (all) would say no. If you asked them if they would enjoy working in a company which supports value-based collaborative culture, most (all) would say yes. Then ask how many have experienced or experience it in their career, and far too many would say no. Add it up... So if all of those facts were true, do the math, some of us are giving less than great…

  • Think Time

    Kneale Mann
    3 May 2013 | 4:30 am
    I was recently in a meeting with a client and asked how often she has time to think. She laughed and looked at me curiously and claimed she was thinking all the time. I clarified my question by asking when she booked time to just think – no emails, no meetings, and no interruptions. She laughed even louder. What followed was a list of tasks and deadlines and deliverables like we all have on our plate. There was no time to just think – time is money and there are things to get done. Cut the Waste I like to challenge leaders to find 25% of their week they spend on tasks they don’t need to…
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    The Fresh Peel

  • Teens and Social Media [Infographic]

    Chris Wilson
    22 Apr 2013 | 9:10 pm
    Teens are shying away from Facebook 61% of teens are using Tumblr, whereas only 55% of teens are on Facebook

  • Google Search Hacks Infographic

    Chris Wilson
    14 Apr 2013 | 5:47 am
    Knowing how to find the right information online is not just an important skill set for students. It is a crucial skill for new age marketers and planners as well.    

  • Email Design Best Practices Infographic

    Chris Wilson
    4 Apr 2013 | 6:29 am
    Great email design tips from Email Monk. There are a lot of low hanging fruit here. If you implementing these best practices into your current email campaigns, then you’d be an idiot not to start implementing them right away. The only one I question is the animated GIF tip. Email Monk claims they have seen deliverability issues with animated GIFs, yet I continue to see them widely used. I personally don’t have much experience with them so I can’t provide any insight there. The last section on mobile design is something that most brand marketers are falling short on right…

  • Customizing Accessories for Your Business

    Chris Wilson
    31 Mar 2013 | 7:52 pm
    Customized accessories for your business can truly come in handy. These accessories are often used for promotional purposes. You can spread the word about your business by having accessories personalized with the name of your business or a special logo that you have created. The name of your business or the picture of your logo can be placed on all types of accessories, including shirts, hats, and even mugs. Personalized Office Supplies With such a wide selection of accessories that can be personalized, you may not exactly be sure as to which of these promotional products you truly want to…

  • Who Won the Social Media Super Bowl XLVII [Infographic]

    Chris Wilson
    9 Feb 2013 | 7:28 am
    The Baltimore Ravens should be grateful that social media doesn’t have any impact on the outcome of the game. The San Francisco 49ers dominated social media during the Super Bowl with 62% of conversation.
 
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    Social Networking Watch: News on the Social Networking and Social Media Industry

  • MessageMe Raises $10M

    Mark Brooks
    17 May 2013 | 12:31 pm
    TECH CRUNCH - May 17 - MessageMe, a messaging app that launched in March, has raised another $10M. This newest round will be used to help MessageMe keep up with growth in the future, as it faces up to an increasingly crowded field of competitors. They include biggies like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Two months ago, the app was seeing 500 notifications per second among 1M users, despite the fact that Facebook cut MessageMe off from Social Graph access one week after it launched. Facebook apps are not allowed to use “Find Friends” features to seek out Facebook contacts on third-party…

  • Tencent Eyes Revenue Growth

    Mark Brooks
    16 May 2013 | 12:31 pm
    REUTERS - May 15 - China's largest online gaming and social networking company, Tencent Holdings, more than tripled the number of active users for its mobile chat app in Q1. Active user numbers soared 228% to 194M. Strong sales of online advertising and gaming helped Tencent report a 37% rise in Q1 profit to 4.0 billion yuan ($645M). by Melanie Lee & Lee Chyen YeeSee full article at Global Post See all posts on Tencent

  • Google Revamped Google+

    Mark Brooks
    16 May 2013 | 12:21 pm
    SF GATE - May 15 - Google is making its strongest push yet to go after Facebook by revamping its Google+ with dozens of new features and enhancements, including self-editing photos, automatic hashtags and improved messaging. With photos, Google is gunning for the most popular activity on Facebook, which also owns mobile photo-sharing app Instagram. Google hopes people will use the photo tools to share more on Google+. by Benny EvangelistaSee full article at SF Gate See all posts on GoogleSee all posts on Google+

  • Founder2be Took A Lesson From Online Dating

    Mark Brooks
    15 May 2013 | 12:51 pm
    FORBES - May 15 - Back in 2011, Oliver Bremer was seeking a partner, a co-founder, with which to kick off a B2B-type software startup. He was not having much luck. Then it struck him that if people take to social internet sites to find love and find jobs, why not startup co-founders? And so Founder2be was born. “It’s like Match.com meets LinkedIn for startups,” Bremer said. “It’s online dating to find a cofounder.” People sign up for the service and create a profile that reflects what they are all about in the hope of attracting like-minded potential partners. So far there are~…

  • Radisson Hotel Rolls Out Social Networking App LobbyFriend

    Mark Brooks
    15 May 2013 | 12:12 pm
    EDMONTON JOURNAL - May 14 - The Radisson Edmonton South hotel is rolling out LobbyFriend, a social media platform that enables guests to connect with each other and with staff. Guests will be given a personal identification number when they check in and invited to download the free app. by Bill MahSee full article at The Province
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    HighTalk

  • The Big, Fat Content Glut

    gfsnell3
    14 May 2013 | 2:10 pm
    Content is everywhere – and that’s the problem. Content creators – bloggers, videographers, writers, artists, designers, musicians, journalists, directors, illustrators, actors, etc. – should be celebrating. The internet has opened up the world to them. Writers can sell novels and non-fiction directly to readers. Musicians can sell their songs right to listeners. YouTube and Vimeo […]

  • Why “Likes” Matter

    gfsnell3
    8 May 2013 | 11:50 am
    Nothing causes as much consternation as a Facebook “like.” Marketers want to give it a value.  Sales guys want to monetize it.  Communicators want to measure it. But the simple fact is that few people understand it. So what is a like?  What does it mean when a Facebook user “likes” something? First, you need […]

  • 10 Signs That You Need to Unplug

    gfsnell3
    2 May 2013 | 1:50 pm
    1. You use the word retweet instead of repeat in casual conversation. 2. You actually say to someone: “I just read something about that on Facebook.” 3. The distant sound of a mobile phone ring makes you check your own phone for an incoming call (extra points if you do this after hearing a mobile […]

  • 4 Myths of Social Media Authenticity

    gfsnell3
    29 Apr 2013 | 9:12 am
    One of the great big whopping lies about social media is authenticity. Because – let’s face it – there isn’t much that’s authentic about social media. There’s lots of spin, cherry-picking, and bright-side propaganda from both individuals and brands going on. Few people and brands are truly genuine about their attitudes, personalities and opinions on […]

  • What Technology in the Classroom Should Mean

    gfsnell3
    24 Apr 2013 | 1:42 pm
    Public schools are adding tablets and laptop computers into their educational programs in record numbers.  One of the main reasons educators cite for this proliferation of technology is a variation of this thinking: “The jobs of the future will be using technology and computers and students need to learn them to be prepared for the […]
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    Jeff Korhan - New Media and Small Business Marketing

  • Social Marketing is Relationship Selling

    Jeff Korhan
    17 May 2013 | 4:16 pm
    The Social Marketing Process ©Jeff Korhan Mainstream small business will more reliably get better results from social media if they view it more as selling than marketing. Why? Because effective relationship selling is personal, and now marketing is too. As social influences continue to profoundly affect business, just about every business activity is going to require relationship building skills. Traditional marketing or advertising was something you did – to your communities. Whereas, social marketing in our digital environment is something we do – with our communities. That…

  • If I Were Starting Social Media from Zero

    Jeff Korhan
    13 May 2013 | 2:30 am
    A couple of months ago without notice, all of the social media sharing counters on my primary website had reverted to zero. Just like that, thousands of shares that had accumulated over a period of nearly seven years had vanished. Why is this significant? Social sharing is what is known as “social proof.”  It’s evidence that your site is active and worthy of the attention of new buyers that happen to be passing through. Not knowing if this action was recoverable, I settled into the realization that I may have to simply move on and start fresh. While the problem was…

  • Social Media is Still Uncharted Waters

    Jeff Korhan
    10 May 2013 | 3:52 pm
    When you are embarking on a journey whose destination is uncertain, you have to get comfortable with uncertainty. When it comes to social media, uncertainty has been, and for the foreseeable future, will necessarily be part of its use in your marketing equation. These are uncharted waters. Everyone is still learning. So, small businesses simply need to first get their feet wet, after which they will find their way if they follow a proven process, such as the one outlined in Built-In Social. What I’m Hearing Now that social media hype is beginning to fizzle, the truth is coming out from…

  • Why The Best Products are Souvenirs

    Jeff Korhan
    28 Apr 2013 | 8:10 pm
    Marketing expert Seth Godin has more than once noted that a book is souvenir – a vessel for ideas that allows them to be readily used and shared. I believe we can further expand on that idea. Have you ever considered that the products and services your small business creates are souvenirs too? What Exactly is a Souvenir? We often think of souvenirs as relatively low-value items that are purchased or received for free as a memento of an experience with a place, occasion, business, or organization. However, the original and primary definition of souvenir is to remember or come to mind.

  • Small Business Social Media Accountability

    Jeff Korhan
    19 Apr 2013 | 3:03 pm
    Recent tragic events here in the United States (and around the world) have heightened awareness of the global reach of media, especially social media, and the consequences for businesses using it. Small business advertising has historically been local, making it easy to craft messaging that is appropriate for the targeted audience. However, now any piece of digital content has the capability of reaching audiences far removed from those for which it is intended. This creates new responsibilities that many businesses are only just beginning to fully comprehend. Your small business may be local,…
 
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    Phil Gerbyshak

  • The 3 R’s of DIY Video: Record, Rinse, Repeat

    Phil Gerbyshak
    8 May 2013 | 6:21 am
    [Today's guest post…..Sean is the Head of Business Development at Bravo Video, which enables businesses to capture video from customers, users and fans - right over the web.] Notice any trends lately on Phil’s blog?  If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably noticed a handful of self-recorded videos in some of Phil’s recent posts.  Knowing what we know about Phil, my guess is he’s on to something. We also know that video is incredibly powerful, so I won’t spend too much time arguing this point (although I do feel the need to mention that a recent…

  • Help Stop Human Trafficking in Milwaukee and Beyond

    Phil Gerbyshak
    30 Apr 2013 | 10:22 am
    Did you know Approximately 27 million people a year are trafficked worldwide for labor and sexual exploitation. Of these, 80% are women and 50% are children. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. Estimated to generate $32 billion annually, it is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Due to increased media attention, many Americans are more aware of the horrors of trafficking. But most perceive it to be a crime isolated to the far corners of the globe rather than a domestic or local issue. Trafficking victims have been identified in cities, suburbs, and rural area in all 50…

  • Discover the Power of Story Telling for Your Small Business

    Phil Gerbyshak
    26 Apr 2013 | 9:30 am
    One of the most important tools you have as a small business owner is the power of storytelling. Your story makes the difference between someone buying from you, and someone buying from someone else. Not directly mind you, but indirectly. All of the marketing you do, all of the people you hire, and yes, all of the reasons you’ve started your business, they all matter to somebody, often to you. What story gets passed down from generation to generation? That your company had another record year in 2008? Or that your company was founded in 1997 by a single dad looking for a better way for…

  • How Can My Business Get Social Media Right?

    Phil Gerbyshak
    19 Apr 2013 | 3:00 pm
    In Nielsen’s 2012 annual Social Media Report, they reported that Americans were, collectively, spending more than two billion hours on social media sites every month. With 212 million Americans using some form of social media, businesses (both small and large) cannot overlook these sites when coming up with a marketing plan. Here are a few tips to nail your company’s social media presence: 1. Plan Your Strategy With so many social networking sites to choose from, each with its own style of conversation, you’ll have to come up with a plan in order to be successful. Before you…

  • Prepare for the Worst (but Expect the Best)

    Phil Gerbyshak
    9 Apr 2013 | 9:16 am
    Very often I get what I expect, for better or for worse. I always expect the best out of people, and fortunately, I get what I expect. People generally EXCEED my expectations – and they’re even better than I’d hoped they’d be. But I also prepare for the worst. I leave myself extra time everywhere I go – just in case. This morning offered a great reason of why I do both of these things. I am on my way to Phoenix for a speaking engagement. I booked the first flight of the day out, as I always do, just in case there are weather problems out of Milwaukee, or Chicago,…
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    We First Blog

  • LIVESTRONG is #StillStrong and Sharing Its Story

    Dana Byerlee
    17 May 2013 | 8:29 am
    Today is LIVESTRONG Day and the anniversary of the launch of their now iconic LIVESTRONG wristband. Since 2004, the Foundation has recognized one day each year as LIVESTRONG Day to honor the 28 million people living with cancer. Yet this year marks a special opportunity: to drive the conversation past the Lance Armstrong controversy and shine a refocused light on the incredible ways the organization impacts thousands of lives every day. Many people will probably find the actual breadth of contribution by LIVESTRONG both surprising and inspiring. While most people are aware of the foundation,…

  • Why We Need a Global Brand Initiative

    Dana Byerlee
    14 May 2013 | 9:33 am
    Last month, the United Nations marked 1000 days until the 2015 deadline of the “Millennium Development Goals,” a program started in 2000 with the goal of eliminating the worst impacts of human poverty within 15 years. This countdown was, in part, a response to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that countries are giving less and less to international development. In the steepest reduction in 15 years, aid was down 4% last year and 2% percent in 2011. Unfortunately, many of the programs designed to help developing nations reach the Millennium goals…

  • SuperBrands and the Unreasonable Screen: How to lead in mobile

    Simon
    13 May 2013 | 8:58 am
    Guest post from Gary Schwartz I was speaking with David Epstein, the founder of The Unreasonable Institute, the brainchild of Unreasonable at Sea, the Google sponsored innovation ship that is presently sailing from port to port globally. Mr. Epstein’s mission statement is borrowed from George Bernard Shaw who in 1903 wrote in Man and Superman: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” The Unreasonable Institute is based in Boulder, Colorado and is…

  • Why Business Must Become a Third Pillar of Social Change

    Dana Byerlee
    9 May 2013 | 6:40 am
    In 2008 Bill Gates told the World Economic Forum that governments and philanthropies could no longer meet the needs of the world’s problems. He called on companies to accept greater responsibility to develop solutions to the massive problems that endlessly plague our planet, and to take on projects of “creative capitalism.” Many people didn’t know what to make of it, or found it a little ironic coming from the world’s richest man. The issue was hotly debated but by 2013, this vision can no longer be called idealistic, unrealistic, or naïve. It’s fast becoming a reality and…

  • Live G+ Hangout: From Profit To Purpose – How Business Can Build a Better World

    Dana Byerlee
    2 May 2013 | 10:44 am
    The unprecedented collision of global needs and personal hopes, of human emotion and social technology, of powerful brands and newly empowered consumers, has the potential to transform our world- and we are witnessing a historical transformation in which the private sector is slowly emerging as a 3rd pillar of social change. If you are interested in learning more from those actively working towards this goal, please join us and thought leaders from Nike and B Corp for a free Google+ Hangout discussing From Profit to Purpose: How Business Can Build a Better World. We’ll be live on-air with…
 
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    Interactive Insights Group

  • 8 Ways to Create the Perfect Facebook Post

    Robin Broitman
    2 May 2013 | 11:43 am
    We recently updated our Superlist of Social Media and Content Marketing Case Studies and one of the enhancements that people really like is the Facebook Page section.  This section provides examples of the myriad ways smart  companies are using their Facebook pages successfully to engage customers and grow their businesses. I recently discovered a terrific Blueprint for the Perfect Facebook Page Infographic from Salesforce that provides great tips for creating the perfect Facebook post.   In sum, the recommendations are: Keep your post copy short and your tone personal. Target your…

  • Updated & Expanded: Superlist of Social Media & Content Marketing Case Studies & Examples

    Robin Broitman
    14 Mar 2013 | 1:36 pm
    UPDATED AND EXPANDED!!  Much has changed in the world of social media since we first published our Superlist of Social Media Case Studies in 2008.  A plethora of new social media services have come and (some) gone.  More and more organizations are using social media tools in unique and creative ways.  It’s a rare organization that isn’t using some form of social media these days. But finding and learning examples and case studies of good social media remains important to anyone wanting to improve their organization’s social media program. Therefore, we decided to update our…

  • Spring Cleaning Your Facebook Page for Timeline

    Robin Broitman
    1 Apr 2012 | 8:26 am
    Facebook’s Timeline for Pages is here. If you haven’t refreshed your page for Facebook’s Timeline feature, you should do it soon. Here are a couple of guides to help you with Spring Cleaning Your Facebook Page: View the story “Spring Cleaning Your Facebook Page for Timeline” on Storify

  • Ultimate Guide to Facebook Pages

    Robin Broitman
    28 Jul 2010 | 6:58 am
    In our popular Facebook for Business Superguide we included a section on Facebook Groups and Pages. But, with Facebook’s new “like” feature and the growing popularity of Facebook Pages as a legitimate business tool, things have changed a bit. So we’ve gathered some additional and updated resources that will help you make your organization’s Facebook page more effective — whether you’re just building one or whether you’ve already got one that you’d like to improve.  We have several sections including – Setting Up Your Page, Enhancing…

  • HOW TO: Respond to Rants & Other Criticism on the Social Web

    Robin Broitman
    9 Jun 2010 | 5:44 am
    If your organization is participating in social media through blogs, Twitter and other social networks –and even if you’re not — it’s only a matter of time before someone rants, makes a negative comment or expresses criticism about some aspect of what you’ve said or done or stand for. Sometimes the comments demand a response.  Other times, it’s better to ignore them.  Determining when and how to respond to these negative comments is something that every organization wrestles with on a regular basis. We’ve pulled together this collection of articles…
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    Social Media University, Global

  • Happy 5th Twitter Birthday @MayoClinic

    Lee Aase
    29 Apr 2013 | 1:24 pm
    It was five years ago today that I created our @MayoClinic Twitter account, and launched it with this message: Just signed up for Twitter — Mayo Clinic (@MayoClinic) April 29, 2008 If I had known Twitter was going to get this big, I would have been a little more creative and thoughtful in composing that first tweet. Not exactly a memorable “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” formulation. But it got us started. That’s probably the main thing. A little over 10,500 tweets (and 530,000 followers) later, we have seen revolutionary impact and…

  • A Tale of Two Daves

    Lee Aase
    29 Apr 2013 | 6:07 am
    Two guys named Dave have had life-changing impact on me, and I recently noticed several similarities in their approaches to life. David Allen is the Guru of GTD (or Getting Things Done), and reading his book by that name eight years ago made a huge difference in my approach to dealing with the potentially bewildering blizzard of “stuff” that knowledge workers must manage just to stay afloat. Much of the early content in this blog (in the pre-SMUG days) was about David Allen’s practical tips, and I have no doubt that the psychic space he helped me create gave me the breathing room so I…

  • How do you take down a deceased family member’s Facebook profile?

    Lee Aase
    27 Mar 2013 | 5:07 pm
    From the mailbag this morning: My son passed away Jan 10, 2013 and still has an active site on facebook.  A friend of his is posting messages from him in heaven to his family and we feel that this is inappropriate. How can I get this site closed? Any suggestions on how this mom can take down her deceased son’s Facebook profile?

  • Gluten-Free Parody Makes Celiac Disease Less Miserable

    Lee Aase
    15 Feb 2013 | 10:15 am
    My daughters are big fans of Les Misérables, and we regularly hear strains from the movie soundtrack throughout the house and on family car rides. They also are real troupers when it comes to helping with gluten-free baking and cooking, which is a necessity in our house because my son John and I both have celiac disease. So Ruthie was excited when she came across this parody that blended the two topics…and posted it on my Facebook wall. If you haven’t had to deal with gluten-free baking, references like xanthan gum may be lost on you, but the parody by Michael Bihovsky is really…

  • Developing Social Media Residency Curriculum

    Lee Aase
    2 Feb 2013 | 10:16 am
    I’m developing curriculum for our Social Media Residency program, which we put on through the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media. The course I’m doing right now is Blogging 101: Getting Started with Blogging. So I’m writing a post to show how all of the formatting tools work… or at least to give a sense for the basics. So while the rest of this post might not be particularly compelling or meaningful for you, if you participate in Social Media Residency you will get to see the end product. You also can get access to the module if you or your organization join the…
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    Are We Connected?

  • Upcoming changes to Google SEO

    Mike Mueller
    13 May 2013 | 9:53 am
    Yet another post on SEO.  Sorry about that.  It’s relevent and timely information so it just made sense to do it now. The video below is from Matt Cutts.  You can read his original post HERE.  He’s one of the three most important Matts you should know.  He’s a very nice and genuine guy (I’ve met him a few times).  He’s the head of Google’s Webspam Team. Why is that important?  They are the one’s who determine where site’s show up in search results amongst other things. When Matt says something, it might be a good idea to listen. BTW:  I…

  • What is SEO? What is Search Engine Optimization?

    Mike Mueller
    7 May 2013 | 10:08 am
    SEO isn’t a button you can push. SEO isn’t a plugin you can add. SEO is a combination of tools and techniques applied consistently to a properly built site in an effort to achieve a higher rank for specific keywords. That’s it. I just wrote that in an email to someone and I think it’s worthy of a blog post. Am I right?  Am I missing something?  What would you add? Search Engine Optimized?I want the tools and techniques of a properly built site photo by: stevendepolo The post What is SEO? What is Search Engine Optimization? appeared first on AreWeConnected.com.
 
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    SociableBlog

  • Google Hangouts – A New Messenger by Google

    Guest Authors
    17 May 2013 | 6:55 am
    The Google Talk history is probably the longest and the strangest history for Google. Sometimes they “lost the source code“ for the app and it weren’t upgraded for years, then the messenger was changed with every new launch of a different service – the most recent change occurred when the company launched Google+. And it ...

  • 79 Most Popular Social Media Blogs to Comment on or Guest Post For

    John Gibb
    17 May 2013 | 5:35 am
    Ah, social media… most people can’t live without accessing their Facebook or Twitter at least once a day, if not multiple times in the morning! What about blogging? It is still one of the biggest activities in the cyberspace. It is so huge that it cannot be ignored any more. Statistics available from NM Incite, ...

  • Data Breach Strike Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Users

    Guest Authors
    17 May 2013 | 4:01 am
    Because of the fast pace development of communication technology, particularly the internet, you could say that letters are a thing of the past. The world now welcomes the lightning speed of digital technology that can send messages to anyone, and anywhere in a blink of an eye. That is why there is no doubt how ...

  • Blackberry Extends BBM Chat to iOS and Android

    Bidisha Gupta
    16 May 2013 | 10:11 am
    Have you heard the latest buzz? BlackBerry is making its Messenger (a.k.a BBM) real-time messaging service available on Apple’s iPhone and iPad and Google’s Android platforms from summer. BBM was the original free messaging service between BlackBerry users and now the company is abandoning its platform exclusivity to generate more revenue for the company. Who ...

  • How Guest Bloggers Are Sleepwalking Their Way Into Penalties

    Guest Authors
    16 May 2013 | 4:59 am
    If you’re not living under a rock, you have probably known by now that Google has been updating algorithms for SEO. With that said, webmasters must take more careful consideration in accepting guest posts from bloggers who may compromise quality of their site by contributing unrelated content and links. In this article, we will try ...
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    Social Networking Watch: News on the Social Networking and Social Media Industry

  • MessageMe Raises $10M

    Mark Brooks
    17 May 2013 | 12:31 pm
    TECH CRUNCH - May 17 - MessageMe, a messaging app that launched in March, has raised another $10M. This newest round will be used to help MessageMe keep up with growth in the future, as it faces up to an increasingly crowded field of competitors. They include biggies like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Two months ago, the app was seeing 500 notifications per second among 1M users, despite the fact that Facebook cut MessageMe off from Social Graph access one week after it launched. Facebook apps are not allowed to use “Find Friends” features to seek out Facebook contacts on third-party…

  • Tencent Eyes Revenue Growth

    Mark Brooks
    16 May 2013 | 12:31 pm
    REUTERS - May 15 - China's largest online gaming and social networking company, Tencent Holdings, more than tripled the number of active users for its mobile chat app in Q1. Active user numbers soared 228% to 194M. Strong sales of online advertising and gaming helped Tencent report a 37% rise in Q1 profit to 4.0 billion yuan ($645M). by Melanie Lee & Lee Chyen YeeSee full article at Global Post See all posts on Tencent

  • Google Revamped Google+

    Mark Brooks
    16 May 2013 | 12:21 pm
    SF GATE - May 15 - Google is making its strongest push yet to go after Facebook by revamping its Google+ with dozens of new features and enhancements, including self-editing photos, automatic hashtags and improved messaging. With photos, Google is gunning for the most popular activity on Facebook, which also owns mobile photo-sharing app Instagram. Google hopes people will use the photo tools to share more on Google+. by Benny EvangelistaSee full article at SF Gate See all posts on GoogleSee all posts on Google+

  • Founder2be Took A Lesson From Online Dating

    Mark Brooks
    15 May 2013 | 12:51 pm
    FORBES - May 15 - Back in 2011, Oliver Bremer was seeking a partner, a co-founder, with which to kick off a B2B-type software startup. He was not having much luck. Then it struck him that if people take to social internet sites to find love and find jobs, why not startup co-founders? And so Founder2be was born. “It’s like Match.com meets LinkedIn for startups,” Bremer said. “It’s online dating to find a cofounder.” People sign up for the service and create a profile that reflects what they are all about in the hope of attracting like-minded potential partners. So far there are~…

  • Radisson Hotel Rolls Out Social Networking App LobbyFriend

    Mark Brooks
    15 May 2013 | 12:12 pm
    EDMONTON JOURNAL - May 14 - The Radisson Edmonton South hotel is rolling out LobbyFriend, a social media platform that enables guests to connect with each other and with staff. Guests will be given a personal identification number when they check in and invited to download the free app. by Bill MahSee full article at The Province
 
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    prTini

  • Imagining the Amplified Agency

    Heather Whaling
    16 May 2013 | 9:29 am
    According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review, there’s a new kind of worker that every company needs: the amplified individual: We live in a world in which amplified individuals — people empowered by technologies and the collective intelligence of their social networks — can do things that previously only a large organization could. … People like these are engaged in “socialstructing” — that is, bypassing established institutions and processes for building new things, and instead working to create what they find missing in the world by communicating…

  • Geben Communication’s Must Read Articles – Week of May 6th

    Heather Whaling
    10 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    Each week, Geben will compile and share some of our favorite PR and social media articles. As we close out this new week, here are some of this week’s must-reads: The Best Social Media Tools of 2013 (so far) Why is Facebook Blue? The Science Behind Colors in Marketing Scholastic engages–and increases–Facebook fans with live author chats Starbucks, BuzzFeed Introduce Reaction-Cam to Create Animated GIFs of Your Face Fashion Billionaire Tory Burch Talks Oprah, Eric Schmidt, And The Importance Of Thick Skin Flipboard Brings Personalized Magazines To Android, Heads To The Web With…

  • 3 Reasons to Love the Web Today that Have Nothing to Do with PR & Marketing

    Heather Whaling
    9 May 2013 | 9:50 am
    After national tragedies or community disasters, I’m always amazed at the power of digital communication and seeing how social media amplifies social good. After the Boston Marathon bombing, Mark Drapuea reminded us that ”social media scales human nature.” After the earthquakes in Japan, Amy Jo Martin realized that “social media can allow us to accelerate the act of kindness.” Here’s the thing: This scaling and accelerating doesn’t — shouldn’t — only happen in the wake of a tragedy. In the last 12 hours, I’ve already come…

  • Introducing #CommHacks: A Virtual “Hackathon” for PR Pros

    Heather Whaling
    6 May 2013 | 10:55 am
    Finally — a “hackathon” for the non-coders among us! The team at Tracky is hosting the first virtual hackathon for communications professionals. #CommHacks, if you will. Anyone working in the PR, marketing, journalism or content space can participate. The best part? No formal developer/coding training required. Here’s the deal: #CommHacks is a hackathon based around #workhacks, or things that make a frequently used communications task easier, more efficient or, perhaps, eliminated altogether. #CommHacks encourages virtual collaboration to improve the entire…

  • Geben Communication’s Must Read Articles – Week of April 29th

    Heather Whaling
    3 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    Each week, Geben will compile and share some of our favorite PR and social media articles. As we close out this new week, here are some of this week’s must-reads: Staying Human in a Digital World 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Try to Be Apple 9 Awesome Reasons to Use Infographics in Your Content Marketing Making a Request from Fans is the Keystone of a Product Launch Four New Roles for PR Pros The Imminent Shift From Social to Digital Engagement Technology is a Canvas, Not a Platform Leap2 Raises $1.6M For A More Social And Image-Centric Approach To Mobile Search Instagram Lets Users Tag Others…
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    Tech in Asia

  • 16 Startups in Asia That Caught Our Eye

    Emily Goh
    19 May 2013 | 12:30 am
    Here we are again with our weekly startup list! Remember, for startup tips and story suggestions, feel free to email us. Alternatively, you can send tips here and/or tell us about your startup here. Enjoy this week’s list: 1. KreditAjai | Singapore Singapore-based Loan Garage, a startup that aims to help people get loans online, announced that it has launched its Indonesian platform KreditAja.com just two months after Loan Garage made its full launch in Singapore. The Indonesian counterpart has also secured a partnership with Indonesia’s Ministry of Economic Coordination (KUR) to…

  • Staff Picks: 5 Top News Stories this Week on Tech in Asia

    C. Custer
    18 May 2013 | 8:00 pm
    We all know why we’re here: to get a taste of the top stories Tech in Asia covered from across the region this week. But before we do that, let’s all take a second to breakdance in celebration of the weekend. Ready? GO! …OK, here’s the news: Charlie’s pick: Jack Ma’s Last Speech as CEO Although I’m sure we’ll still see him around, it’s the end of an era at Alibaba with founder Jack Ma stepping out of the CEO’s chair to take a more background role at the company. It’d be hard to understate the effect Ma and his company have had on the development of the Chinese…

  • 7 Must-Read Tech Stories in China This Week

    C. Custer
    18 May 2013 | 6:30 pm
    This week we saw all kinds of interesting stuff happen in China. A king stepped off his throne, we talked about 1970s pornography, and QQ got a makeover that made everyone sad. So what are the top stories this week? They are these: 1. Jack Ma’s Last Speech as Alibaba CEO The king of Chinese e-commerce stepped off his throne after one final oration, and while we’ll still see Jack Ma around, I think it’s definitely worth reflecting on. Also worth checking out the first speech from Alibaba’s new CEO. 2. China’s Top Chat-App Gets a WeChat-Like Makeover, But Everyone Hates It Well,…

  • App Annie: “Google Play is growing very fast in Southeast Asia”

    Willis Wee
    17 May 2013 | 8:08 pm
    Beijing’s App Annie is growing rapidly with over 80 team members located at Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, San Francisco, and London. Today it serves over 220,000 apps with 85 percent of the top 100 iOS publishers using its service. App Annie is largely serving clients from the US, Europe, China, and Japan and hasn’t really gotten into Southeast Asia yet. But the team just might start to look at Southeast Asia as it is seeing growth in this region. Vice president of APAC at App Annie Junde Yu said in an email: Google Play is growing very fast in terms of downloads in the region,…

  • Samsung CEO Hails 10 Million Galaxy S4 Sales in 3 Weeks, Hints at 100 Million in Future

    Steven Millward
    17 May 2013 | 6:55 am
    Samsung (005930:KS) co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun has today hailed the company’s new Galaxy S4 phone as its fastest ever selling gadget. It’s expected to hit 10 million in sales next week, a mere three weeks after it first launched. JK Shin also told The Korea Times: We are confident that we will pass more than 10 million sales of the S4 next week. It is selling much faster than the previous model S3. He added that the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S4 could ultimately reach 100 million units sold, a feat which would represent double the global sales of its predecessor, the Galaxy S3, which…
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    Capture the Conversation

  • Intro to Google Enhanced Campaigns

    Graham Swalling
    15 May 2013 | 10:44 am
    In early 2013 Google announced ‘Enhanced Campaigns’ as the next iteration of campaigns in Google AdWords.  Alongside a preview of new features was notice that all existing campaigns would have to be manually updated, or they would be automatically updated by July 22nd. To assist you in preparation for upcoming changes and manual updates, we are be producing a blog series on news, features, and benefits relating to Google Enhanced Campaigns.Like most other members of the online advertising community, we are excited by some of the new features and their respective benefits. On the…

  • Google+ Changes And What They Mean For You Part III

    Reed Pankratz
    8 May 2013 | 9:00 am
    Part Three: The Next Steps Now that we’ve walked you through Google+ changes and the benefits associated with those changes in Part 1 and Part 2, you are prepared to move forward in taking advantage of Google+ and what it has to offer your brand and your community. Create A Google+ Page If you haven’t yet, use a Gmail account and create a Google+ Brand Page. Creating a Brand Page is easy and the first step in taking advantage of changes taking place in Google Search to reach more consumers. Completing the verification process, adding recommended links and utilizing keywords in the…

  • The Path // Q1 2013

    Brandon Whalen
    7 May 2013 | 10:41 am
    We are very excited to announce the release (and re-branding) of our quarterly social media trend reports. You still get the same insightful analysis and reporting on the latest digital marketing and social media trends, but now it comes under a much cooler name. With that being said, head here to download a free copy of The Path // Q1 2013!We build these reports every quarter as a way to extend the work we do around the agency to our friends, clients and colleagues who run into the same struggles. Our hope is that we can support learning and growth in the industry and make some new friends…

  • Join Our Intensive Social Media Training Workshop!

    Brandon Whalen
    3 May 2013 | 9:30 am
    Have you been looking for ways to integrate your marketing efforts with social media, but don’t know where to start? Join us for an all day social media training workshop on June 18th at the Boulderado Hotel in downtown Boulder.We’ve partnered with our friends at LOHAS to create a full-day social media intensive workshop as a pre-event to the opening of the 2013 LOHAS Forum. You’ll get a deep dive into the behaviors of today’s most conscious consumers and learn how best to engage with them on modern social platforms.What’s on the agenda?Keynote: Creating Fierce…

  • Google+ Changes And What They Mean For You Part II

    Reed Pankratz
    29 Apr 2013 | 8:00 am
    Understanding the Google+ platform and the changes being made from Part 1 in our series is the first step in creating a better Google+ experience for your brand and your audience. Now, we’ll take the next step by diving into what these changes mean for your job as a community manager.Now You Can Get More Creative/Promotional With Your G+ Layout Brands now have the opportunity to use the extra space provided in their cover photos to make a great first impression. With the increase in creative real estate, brands can now showcase what separates them from their competition and make it the…
 
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    McKremie Online Marketing Blog

  • How to Write Edgy SEO Titles that Go Viral

    AnnaMack
    14 May 2013 | 12:29 am
    Every content provider wants their content to be shared along as many paths as possible. This is the foundation for why content marketers are in the business they are in: to create buzz about what they provide. Achieving this buzz can be difficult and is based on more than simply the general public’s whims at [...]

  • The Wrong Way to Do Social Media Marketing

    AnnaMack
    28 Apr 2013 | 12:09 pm
    By now, companies large and small understand that social media is a great way to promote brands and build customer relationships. This knowledge does not come without a learning curve. Several large corporations have made social media blunders that have caused them to come into the online news spotlight, as well as to be discussed—not [...]

  • How to Tell if Your SEO Company Sucks

    AnnaMack
    21 Apr 2013 | 4:09 pm
    Search engine optimization is certainly a tough industry for your average business owner to understand. All of the complicated lingo regarding keyword density, backlinks and citations can make the owner of a small business’ head spin. For this reason, many of them leave the technical mumbo jumbo to the SEO Company, and simply look at [...]

  • What’s the Difference: Content Marketing Vs. Inbound Marketing Vs. Digital Marketing

    Stuart
    16 Apr 2013 | 10:13 pm
    Content marketing, inbound marketing, digital marketing…marketing, marketing, marketing. What’s a business owner to do when faced with all these sub-categories of promoting their business to potential customers? It’s enough to create a marketing madness that isn’t a positive one, but that instead has you wanting to digital your content and market it inbound, or something [...]

  • Stop Writing Keyword Stuffed SEO Articles Already!

    Stuart
    11 Apr 2013 | 9:04 pm
    For over a whole year, web analysts have been claiming that SEO is dead and they could be right. Actually, search engines are smarter and can detect keyword stuffing and many other search engine optimization elements that actually turn on a red flag when they are encountered on a web page. The main problem is [...]
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    Position² Blog

  • Google’s I/O Coverage for Marketers, Video Ad Units in Facebook and much more.. | Best of the Week

    Team Position²
    17 May 2013 | 3:29 pm
    This week’s hot news, events and videos from the online marketing and social media world.   From the Position² Blog This Week:   Foursquare – 11 Ways to Get More Out of it 11 ways to get more business out of the Foursquare.     How to Compare Your Facebook Page With the Competition User-Generated Video Ad Units Come To Facebook Newsfeeds Through New Partnership Google’s Big Announcements: Everything You Need to Know Here’s Why These 6 Videos Went Viral How to Fix 6 Failing Marketing Metrics Your CEO Actually Cares About   Matt Cutts Talks…

  • Google+ Announces Site Re-design and Hangouts App Launch

    Team Position²
    17 May 2013 | 4:12 am
    Well folks, what do you know…?! It’s raining Google updates this week!!! The multi-faceted company has announced a list of updates ranging from changes in Google+ to its Street View technology. In this article, we’ll focus on two important updates among those, the Google+ site redesign and the launch of the Hangouts app. Google+ Site Re-design Google+ added 41 new features to its social network to make it smarter and more intuitive! It increased picture size and included hashtags. The new design is more image-focused. The site re-design also includes a multi-column layout for images and…

  • Foursquare – 11 Ways to Get More Out of it

    Team Position²
    16 May 2013 | 9:13 am
    Checking in at locations from social networking sites is all the rage today. Be it from cafes, hotels or shopping malls – citizens of the social media world are at it with full gusto. With over 30 million users worldwide and 3 billion check-ins and millions more being added daily, Foursquare is one of the top players among location-based sites. A strong, active presence on Foursquare is definitely a plus and should be an important part of your marketing mix. Here are 11 ways to get more business out of the location-based service: Stake Claim on Your Business You can easily create your…

  • YouTube Launches Paid Channels

    Team Position²
    10 May 2013 | 7:08 am
    The video kingpin is now giving brands a chance to have increased flexibility in monetizing and distributing video content. YouTube launched a

  • YouTube Paid Channels, Google Adwords New Keyword Tool and much more… | Best of the Week

    Team Position²
    10 May 2013 | 4:28 am
    This week’s hot news, events and videos from the online marketing and social media world.   From the Position² Blog This Week:   Using Apps in Marketing – 5 Lessons For BrandsWhat should your app offer? Read on to find out…     The End of Traditional Ad Agencies  22 Facebook PR Secrets Every Community Manager Should Know  26 Social Media Marketing Tips from the Pros  Two Terms Marketers Need for Today’s Media Landscape  YouTube Introduces Paid Channels    Still Relying on Old SEO Tricks? Here’s What Works…
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    The Next Web

  • The Internet of Things: In action

    Lauren Fisher
    18 May 2013 | 3:05 pm
    By 2015, six billion objects in the world will be connected to the internet. While it may seem tricky to grasp as a concept, the internet of things is nothing simpler, and more stunning, than objects being connected to the internet. At its most mind-blowing, these objects are learning and adapting to the behaviour of the user. The internet has well and truly left the computer and is running amok in ‘things’, showing us how previously inanimate, everyday objects can be bought to life through being connected . The internet of things was first coined as a term in 1999 and it is now well and…

  • Autodesk buys Tinkercad, saving the easy to use Web-based 3D modeling tool from closure

    Jon Russell
    18 May 2013 | 1:35 pm
    Autodesk is doubling down on easy-to-use 3D design software after it announced the acquisition of Tinkercad for an undisclosed sum. The deal secures the long-term future of the Web-based 3D modeling tool less than one month after its founders announced plans to close it. Tinkercad’s tag line is ‘mind to design in minutes’  and the browser-based 3D modeling removes technical barriers to allow anyone — designers and non-designers alike — to create prototype designs or professional-looking renders. The software takes a focus on helping to create ‘fun and…

  • Developer releases template code to allow almost anyone to create a Google Glass app

    Jon Russell
    18 May 2013 | 12:22 pm
    Google has started to ramp up the selection of apps available for Google Glass after official apps for Facebook, Twitter, CNN, Elle, Evernote and Tumblr were released at Google I/O on Friday, but now there’s an easy way for almost anyone to create a dedicated Glass app. New York-based developer Chris Maddern, who runs Applaunch and works for video startup Animoto, has released an open-source code that is effectively a template to create basic apps for any Web-based service, and with minimal fuss. In fact, Maddern says 15 minutes is all that it takes. The code uses the Mirror API and…

  • Lunch date with Twitter and Square founder Jack Dorsey raises $31,600 for educational charity BUILD

    Ken Yeung
    18 May 2013 | 10:28 am
    How much would you pay for lunch with Jack Dorsey, one of the most successful tech entrepreneurs in recent history? One anonymous person is forking out $31,600 for a date with the Twitter and Square founder, after scooping a charity auction. It ended on Friday after 24 bids. The money will go to benefit the BUILD organization, a group that helps foster education in the entrepreneur space for low-income students. Ten days ago, BUILD began the auction with its culmination taking place prior to the group’s annual Gala in San Francisco. Dorsey has been a supporter of BUILD for the past…

  • Russia gets its first taste of mobile social banking, thanks to Instabank

    East-West Digital News
    18 May 2013 | 7:38 am
    Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on East-West Digital News, a leading English-language resource on Russian digital industries and related venture activity. Russian iPhone users can now experiment with social banking – an entirely new concept in the country – thanks to an app launched last month by Instabank, a Moscow-based startup. The iPhone app allows clients to transfer money to Facebook friends who also use Instabank, get notifications of new account activity, and add geotags and photos to their transactions. At present Instabank is limiting the number of new users…
 
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    Atomthought.com

  • How a Start-up is Boosting the Indian Economy in a Small Way!

    Saurabh Pandey
    23 Apr 2013 | 10:42 pm
    About 4 million young people graduate every year in India .(This includes engineering graduates), which makes us a nation with one of the largest pool of talented and skilled population in the world. However almost 75% of this population is underemployed and unemployed If we take last 5 years data- we can fathom that at

  • Tryst with Categorization in a Classifieds Platform

    Saurabh Pandey
    12 Apr 2013 | 9:28 pm
    When I started tradusads a C2C classifieds platform at ibibo, one of the many thoughts that engulfed the product strategy was – Why do all classifieds platform have a directory based approach or a newspaper style to categories? For e.g. why do we have matrimony as a category in India? Why don’t we have Mobile

  • The Sharing Economy

    Saurabh Pandey
    24 Mar 2013 | 8:23 am
    If I ask you to rent out your car when you are not using, and make additional money ; perhaps the answer would be ‘no’, at best you would skeptically ask “do these concepts work”? Getaround.com, a car sharing company in San Francisco, has signed up 10,000 vehicles in less than 2 years! This is

  • 17 Irresistible Small Office Concepts on Pinterest

    Saurabh Pandey
    30 Jan 2013 | 8:47 pm
    Friends, here are 17 small office and workspace concepts that will inspire you to create one for yourself. So, click here and immerse yourself in the irresistible inspiration of being yourself. Related Posts: 9 Top ‘Jugaads’ on Pinterest! Technology Marketing in Digital Age! How Volvo is leveraging Pinterest for success? Social Media and the New

  • Stereotyping of Online Advertising- From The Eyes of a Print Media Publisher

    Saurabh Pandey
    2 Jan 2013 | 8:07 am
    Hello Friends, In this edition of the ‘Guest Post’ we have Bhavesh Thakor, Publisher of AutoCar -The cult magazine for car lovers across the world among other titles. This article delineates the quandrum and confusion of a print medium that is trying to now also break into the online medium. Bhavesh rightly raises a few
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    Jennings Social Media

  • JSMM & VBM Announce Summer 2013 Video Blog Packages: VBM Rolls Out Newest Promotion

    admin
    17 May 2013 | 10:17 am
    Jennings Social Media Marketing (JSMM) and Viral Bolt Media (VBM), a sister company to JSMM announced new summer video blog pricing. A video blog (vblog) is a video weblog that captures the essence of a subject matter expert, discussing key points of content. These short excerpts are not to be confused with a promotional Web video as they constitute the core messages of a particular topic without much editing or special effects.

  • JSMM Announces Newest Client: TITLE Boxing Club® – Parkville

    admin
    10 May 2013 | 10:14 am
    JSMM is very excited to be lacing up the gloves with TITLE Boxing Club® - Parkville on developing a knockout social media strategy.

  • JSMM Welcome Newest Client: Creative Candles

    admin
    2 May 2013 | 7:08 am
    By Valerie Jennings, CEO of JSMM JSMM is very excited to announce our newest client, Creative Candles. Creative Candles is a exclusive candle manufacturer headquartered out of Kansas City. Many will find these beautiful candles on the shelves of Pottery Barn, on the pages of Oprah Magazine and in the presence of Martha Stewart. Creative Candles has a wide selection of candles from their 39-inch tapers, which are among the tallest in the world, to rustic Tuscan Pillars all in over 44 choices of colors. Their tapers have graced the tables at the White House, Lincoln Center, The Waldorf Astoria,…

  • JSMM Welcomes New Clients

    admin
    23 Apr 2013 | 1:30 pm
    By Valerie Jennings, CEO of JSMM We are very excited to announce a few new clients this spring.  Welcome Experience Fitness, LLC, Evologic, and Spaces, Inc. Thank you for becoming JSMM’s new clients! Experience Fitness, LLC is a private fitness studio located in Overland Park, Kan. providing personal training, small group training, youth training and boot camp training. Experience Fitness LLC prides itself on its nationally certified and experienced trainers with the knowledge and attitude to help achieve goals. Evologic is a complete resource for ever-changing office needs. They…

  • Does Social Media Sell? Influencer Over Purchase & ROI

    admin
    17 Apr 2013 | 2:47 pm
    By Valerie Jennings, CEO of JSMM Social media marketing can sell, but what about influence over purchase?  In this recent article about social media and sales, some brands still believe that social media shouldn’t be utilized for generating revenue.  What a conundrum for a CFO: spend more money on social media but don’t use it for sales?  JSMM disagrees.  Social media should be utilized for sales for B2C brands and B2B brands should still have a ROI strategy, even if it’s just SEO. Find out how retailers are making money from social media and how to tap influence over purchasing…
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    Relationship Economy

  • The Solution Is Finding New Answers

    Jay Deragon
    17 May 2013 | 2:13 am
    No matter what the industry every leader is facing new challenges. These are not the same old challenges of yesterday so the same old solutions will not meet today’s challenges. Market’s are getting smarter. Competitors are getting smaller and employee’s are expecting more than a pay check as the reward for a job.  Customers are expecting instant feedback and customization. Reorganization isn’t the answer. A new mission statement isn’t the answer. Forming teams to solve your problems isn’t the answer. Bringing in the “change experts”…

  • How Does Intangible Capital Influence Results?

    Jay Deragon
    16 May 2013 | 2:15 am
    In today’s marketplace organizations cannot afford to simply manage by results. An organization’s results are the effect of cumulative interactions between people, processes, markets, and the organizations strategy. Managing by results usually means adding or subtracting to reach a desired result. For example a headline in Bloomberg Magazine yesterday read “HSBC Signals 14,000 Jobs Cuts in $3 Billion Savings Plan”. The copy read “HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA), Europe’s largest bank, will eliminate as many as 14,000 more jobs as Chief Executive Officer Stuart Gulliver set out plans to…

  • It’s About Changing The Conversation

    Jay Deragon
    15 May 2013 | 2:15 am
    When we use the word “social” most businesses think in terms of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or having a blog with the social network icons on their web site. This represents a clear lack of understanding of the fundamental shifts occurring before our eyes yet most cannot see. We cannot see what we don’t understand. To truly understand something we have to listen to the meaning not just the words.  The easy way to do something you don’t completely understand is to copy someone else who seems to understand.  The old school has taken this thing called…

  • The 21st Century Is Not About Reorganization

    Jay Deragon
    13 May 2013 | 2:18 am
    Business leaders traditional react to change by reorganizing people, processes and products. It is akin to rearranging the chairs on the Titanic thinking that will prevent it from sinking, The problem isn’t in the arrangement of the chairs it is in the very design of the ship. The fundamental designs of business haven’t changed much over the last hundred years. Sure there have been a few improvements along the way. We’ve learned to squeeze more out of processes, improve productivity with technology, improve the quality of products sold and increase shareholder value. Much of…

  • Does It Really Matter?

    Jay Deragon
    9 May 2013 | 2:14 am
    The roads in life can take you too many places. Some places don’t matter as much as others but sometimes we don’t realize what really matters until we get to a place of recognizing what really matters. In a world that is filled with constant change you have to first learn what doesn’t matter in order to understand what really matters. Learning what doesn’t matter can take time because our nature is to get caught up doing without thinking about whether or not what we are doing really matters.  Then times goes by and we realize what we’ve been doing didn’t…
 
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    jasonyormark

  • My Switch From iPhone To Android: Part One

    Jason Yormark
    13 May 2013 | 1:46 pm
    After a month or so of research, testing and gathering opinions, I finally made the switch from iPhone to Android. I ultimately landed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 even though my search initially had me thinking either the HTC One or the Samsung Galaxy S4. When I actually moved my search to in person, while I was impressed with these devices, I was intrigued by the additional screen real estate of the the Note 2. After a few weeks of pondering and testing, I decided that having one device that could replace my iPhone and iPad Mini was the way to go. Here are my thoughts and observations thus…

  • My Search For An iPhone Alternative

    Jason Yormark
    25 Apr 2013 | 9:44 am
    About 6 years ago when I was still at Microsoft, I made the jump from whatever Microsoft friendly phone I was using at the time to the iPhone. I was insanely jealous of my Apple fanboy co-worker and his. Let’s be honest, the iPhone was a game changer, and me being the gadget freak, I needed to have one. Especially after playing around with it. For the past 6 years I’ve been an iPhone user and never thought twice about anything else. It fueled my migration from PC user to Apple across the board. Macbook, Apple TV, iPad, all of it. I’m somewhat deeply invested in the App Store…

  • 5 Ways To Ensure You Don’t Get Hired

    Jason Yormark
    28 Jan 2013 | 10:50 am
    If there’s one area that I have had a tremendous amount of experience around, is in the hiring process. When I was at Microsoft, there was a period of time, where that was practically all I was doing as Microsoft Advertising was in a hiring frenzy back in 2006 or so. Literally 30-40 phone, and in person interviews not to mention all the reviewing of resumes. While I certainly don’t interview at that pace anymore, since joining Strategies 360/ShowPony, I’ve continued to have to interview as we grow our team. To this day I am amazed at some of the choices (or lack thereof)…

  • Twitter Advertising Review: Not Ready For Primetime

    Jason Yormark
    14 Jan 2013 | 9:03 am
    I have had the luxury of having quite a bit of experience watching an ad platform evolve from the ground up having been at Microsoft Advertising in the launch days of adCenter. It’s not an easy task to build a platform to accomodate that much data and users. Many of these plastforms, even the Microsofts and Googles of the world experience growing pains in figuring out how to deliver value and a strong user experience. It takes time. And Twitter needs A LOT more time. On the work front, we’ve managed our fair share of ad campaigns on a variety of search and social networks all with…

  • My Hot Brands & Products of 2012

    Jason Yormark
    9 Jan 2013 | 11:38 am
    I always feel compelled to share some of my favorite things that I experience or use whether they be everyday occurrences  or one time experiences.  I thought the best way to do so was to wrap them up into a yearly recap to make it easier to compile all of them.  So without further ado, here were my favorite products, experiences and services I used in the past year that you should definitely check out. HOT Spotify – Without a doubt, Spotify was my favorite product in 2012.  I only started as a casual user, but quickly I found that the bulk of my music consumption found it’s…
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    Edelman

  • How Will You Measure Your Life?

    Richard Edelman
    17 May 2013 | 9:59 am
    In Clayton Christensen’s new book, How Will You Measure Your Life?, the Harvard Business School professor offers profound advice about priorities; specifically about the importance of investing in family, about living a life of integrity and having metrics that make it easier to make the right decisions. Christensen opens the book with a disturbing story. At the 30th reunion of his Harvard Business School class, about half of his returning classmates related stories of divorce, alienated kids and personal unhappiness. They had great careers but little fulfillment. Worst of all, one of their…

  • Edelman Hires Atsuo Ishida as Co-Head of Digital in Japan

    Lauren Olney
    17 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Edelman today announced that it has hired Atsuo Ishida as the co-head of its Digital practice in Japan, effective immediately. The new hire will further enhance the firm’s service to clients and expand its rapidly-growing Digital practice in Japan, which in FY12 grew by 128 percent. Ishida was previously at Dentsu and Dentsu PR, where he planned and launched marketing PR campaigns for eight years. He has experience specializing in content creation and digital media outreach for a variety of domestic and international clients in industries such as entertainment and food and beverage. He has…

  • Why the Seizure of AP Records Matters to PR

    Dan Page
    17 May 2013 | 6:57 am
    Since the adoption of the U.S. Bill of Rights in 1791, government and the media have sparred over balancing press protections guaranteed by the First Amendment against public interests ranging from national security to obscenity to libel. The latest turn in this freedom dance peculiar to democracy went public on Monday, when the Associated Press reported that the Justice Department had secretly obtained records of calls placed on more than 20 AP phone lines over two months in the spring of 2012. AP CEO Gary Pruitt described the action as a “massive and unprecedented intrusion”…

  • A Day in the Life: Michelle, Senior Account Executive, São Paulo

    Jenny Cogan
    16 May 2013 | 12:53 pm
    Name: Michelle Ito What is your title? Senior account executive, Technology, São Paulo How many people are in your office? About 130 What does your job entail? I help our clients shape their messages and share them with the right audiences. What might you find yourself doing around 10 a.m. on a regular day? I read the news as soon as I get to the office at 9 a.m. Afterwards, I answer emails from clients and journalists and make a to-do list of my priorities for the day. What are your top two sources of news and how often do you check them? Folha de S.Paulo and O Estado de S.Paulo…

  • Fired For a Breach?

    Leigh Nakanishi
    16 May 2013 | 11:02 am
    Ahead of its upcoming Security and Risk Management Summit, I noticed an interesting prediction by leading security analyst firm Gartner, which highlights how seriously several companies are taking data breaches now and in the near future. Gartner is predicting that “through 2016, 75 percent of chief information security officers (CISOs) who experience publicly disclosed security breaches and lack documented, tested response plans will be fired.” The concern and possible consequences certainly make sense to me in the wake of what seems to be a near daily drumbeat of data…
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    Adam Sherk

  • Top Link Building Tactics for Publishers

    Adam Sherk
    14 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    When it comes to link building publishers have a significant advantage because editorial content, be it hard news or evergreen content, lends itself naturally to linking and sharing. In addition producing quality content on a daily basis creates a steady stream of new opportunities. It is one of the many reasons that content marketing has become so popular, as brands in other industries put an emphasis on content development and promotion and essentially become publishers themselves. For traditional publishers, link building typically falls within the third main bucket of a comprehensive SEO…

  • The Best Free (or Cheap) Tools for Blogger and Influencer Outreach

    Adam Sherk
    30 Apr 2013 | 5:07 am
    Blogger and influencer outreach is an area with strong crossover between PR, audience development and link building. For publishers it typically involves identifying users that are sharing, discussing and linking to content from your brands and their competitors, and about specific topics. Then building relationships with those users over time and coming up with ideas for outreach, content development and promotion. But the same general approach applies to any industry. Social monitoring tools like Radian6 and PR suites like Vocus and Cision offer the greatest range of functionality for…

  • SEO Tips for Infinite Scrolling

    Adam Sherk
    16 Apr 2013 | 5:15 am
    Infinite scrolling has been growing in popularity with various forms being utilized on a variety of sites. While there are pros and cons from both a technical and usability perspective, and it hasn’t worked for everyone, in the right situation it can be a good fit. Social sites use infinite scrolling as a way to offer a never-ending stream of new content, and it has appeal for sites that want to offer a seamless browsing experience for large groups of items. Publishers are starting to use it more often too on their home and channel pages. Don’t Forget SEO In reviewing infinite…

  • SEO Guidelines for Sponsored Content and Partner Links

    Adam Sherk
    3 Apr 2013 | 5:27 am
    Sponsored content or “native advertising” in various forms is growing in popularity as publishers seek additional sources of revenue. Done well it can be a good fit for both publishers and advertisers, and dare I say even add value for users. However in any implementation it is important to comply with search engine guidelines to avoid negative repercussions for SEO. This topic has been in the news recently with Google first issuing a reminder that any links within sponsored content should not pass PageRank. This stemmed from the incident in which Interflora and some UK newspapers…

  • Has Search Interest in Celebrity Gossip Peaked?

    Adam Sherk
    26 Mar 2013 | 7:37 am
    Are searchers less interested in celebrity gossip than they used to be? According to Google Trends, yes. While doing some research I was surprised to see that search interest in the keyword phrase [celebrity gossip] peaked around 2009. Despite occasional spikes it has been declining ever since: By comparison [celebrity news] has been more consistent over the years but it has always trailed behind. However according to Google Trends it overtook [celebrity gossip] for the first time in October 2012: In the Google AdWords Keyword Tool [celebrity gossip] still has more than twice the average…
 
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    The Blog of Matthew Loop | Chiropractic Internet Marketing

  • How to Get a Celebrity Endorsement for Free [video]

    Matthew Loop
    16 May 2013 | 8:18 am
    Here’s a powerful short video reveals the #1 secret to getting a celebrity endorsement and how ridiculously simple it can be. The benefit of doing this is that you’ll be perceived as the most credible business professional in your city / town or in your online niche. This, in turn, leads to EXPONENTIALLY more new customers, clients and sales. For filming, we were on location at the beautiful Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena. Click the play button and watch the video now.     Did you like this post? If so, click the Facebook “like” button below and share it…

  • Charles Ramsey: America’s New Hero (Interview and 911 Call)

    Matthew Loop
    7 May 2013 | 5:18 pm
    Today, while on Twitter, I noticed a blog post by Global Grind titled, 13 Reasons Why Charles Ramsey Is The Most Epic Hero In History. The headline naturally sparked my curiosity so I clicked and had a look. I’m SO GLAD I did! In case you’re not familiar, Charles Ramsey has become an instant internet sensation. He helped rescue Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, two girls that made headlines a whopping 10 years ago when they were kidnapped. Below is the actual video interview. The story is very inspirational, but to hear Charles tell it is hilarious! It totally made my day. I think…

  • 3 Chiropractic Marketing Strategies That MULTIPLY Your New Patients

    Matthew Loop
    2 May 2013 | 1:51 pm
    Here are 3 PROVEN chiropractic practice marketing strategies that get you 2-3x more new patients monthly. These are very simple and do not require a lot of time or effort to implement. If you’re a chiropractor searching to grow your practice quickly, this is a must-watch video.     Did you like this post? Click the Facebook “like” button below and share it with your friends. Related Blog Posts: Does Your CA Know How To Properly Answer The Phone? Free Facebook Training for Chiropractors [video] Chiropractor Fractures Wrists in Accident! Now What? 5 COSTLY Mistakes…

  • Caribbean Adventure on the Island of Providenciales

    Matthew Loop
    2 May 2013 | 7:30 am
    Here’s a glimpse of our getaway to the exclusive island of Providenciales, which is part of Turks and Caicos. Of all the places we’ve been in the Caribbean, this was our favorite and had the most beautiful beaches. We stayed in the world-famous Grace Bay area at the Windsong Resort.     Did you like this post? Click the Facebook “like” button below and share it with your friends. Related Blog Posts: 5 Things I Really Love About Being a Dad Ferrari F430 Test Drive [video] Hot Air Balloon Adventure in Sedona, AZ AWESOME Paragliding Adventure in South America

  • Does Your Front Desk Know How To Properly Answer The Phone?

    Matthew Loop
    26 Apr 2013 | 8:18 am
    (This is a guest post by Dr. Len Schwartz. He is an entrepreneur, speaker, author and master marketing consultant. Dr. Len has impacted thousands of chiropractors, doctors and other professionals in more than 20 countries. Over the last 10+ years it is estimated that he helped generate more than 150 million dollars of new business for his clients. Dr. Len is now the CEO of http://www.pro2pronetwork.com) – It is likely that you are unaware of how many potential patients call your office and ask typical “shopper” questions in order to decide whether they should become your patient.
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    Diva Marketing (Blog)

  • What Is Your One Big Truth About Social Media?

    Toby
    13 May 2013 | 5:45 am
    The truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time but it ain't goin' away. ~ Elvis Presley Just One Crowd Sourced Question Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and other social networks changed how we think about "social media" from those long ago days of the blogosphere. However, I wondered if the "truths" of social media also changed. Is social media still about people-to-people conversations or is monetization the focus? Has social media become a ghost writer's paradise or is transparency still critical? What does authenticity mean in 2013? Just Once Crowd…

  • 7 Step Secret Sauce Recipe For Social Media Success

    Toby
    3 Apr 2013 | 7:58 pm
    He: I need more traffic to my blog, more followers to my Twitter account and more likes on my Facebook. Me: So I told him the 7 Step Secret Sauce Recipe For Social Media Success. In all candour, it's nothing new but as a reminder I thought I'd pass along. 1. The End Game - Start with the end game in mind .. or as marketers might say -- your goals. What do you want to achieve? What is success to you? Is it gaining a new audience or repositioning your brand with current customers? Is it building stronger relationships with your employees? 2. Know Your Audience - The more you understand the…

  • Social Sharing

    Toby
    11 Feb 2013 | 6:18 am
    Remember the all important word we were taught in kindergarten? Share. We shared crayons, books and sometimes our PB&J sandwiches. Through sharing we made new friends. What we didn't understand, at least at five I had not a clue, was that from these small interactions we were creating a unique 'classroom community' that was a little different from the other kindergarten classes. Taking that idea into the social web .. each social network and digital community we particiapte in has its own culture influencing our experiences. In the social web we're sharing like mad. Some people might say…

  • Super Bowl 2013 Lights Go Out But Oreo's Twitter Team Has A Light Bulb Moment

    Toby
    3 Feb 2013 | 8:48 pm
    When The Baltimore Ravens might be walking way with the 2013 Superbowl win, but when it came to social media marketing Oreo won the viral prize with a simple tweet. When the lights went out in the Super Dome tonight the savvy Oreo Twitter team had a brilliant light bulb moment. Within minutes their tweet ~ "You can still dunk with the lights out" was was being shared across social networks, on blogs and picked up by main stream media. When I first checked there were 10,521 retweets within 41 minutes. Let's do a little sideline analysis. The Plays Content: relevant, creative, fun,…

  • Stories From Smaller Nonprofits: VolunteenNation

    Toby
    31 Dec 2012 | 2:46 pm
    Traditionally, December has been Diva Marketing's Holiday For Small Nonprofits Series. It's a time when people who work in smaller nonprofts are welcome to tell their stories. It's a way of giving back through shining a light on lesser known organizations through the voices of the those who are passionate about their cause. It's a hope that perhaps before the year ends you'll reach into the your heart for one last 2012 donation. Or as 2013 begins find a new organization to support. This year life got in the way of life. As The Fates would have it, just as I was feeling sad that I didn't have…
 
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    SocialTimes

  • Social Media Jobs: KBS+, Newsday, Time Inc

    Nadine Cheung
    17 May 2013 | 10:38 am
    This week, KBS+ is hiring a community manager, while Newsday needs a social media coordinator. Time Inc. is hiring a social media editor for RealSimple.com, and Moosylvania is on the hunt for a director of social media. Get the scoop on these openings below, and find additional social media jobs on Mediabistro. Community Manager KBS+ (New York, NY) Social Media Coordinator Newsday (Melville, NY) Social Media Editor – RealSimple.com Time Inc. (New York, NY) Director, Social Media Moosylvania (St. Louis, MO) Digital and Social Media Marketing Specialist National Geographic Channel…

  • Google’s Overhauled Maps Make Geography Social

    Cameron Scott
    17 May 2013 | 9:34 am
    Other than Google Glass, the standout launch at Google’s I/O conference has been a major update of Maps, with much of the new functionality drawing on Google’s increasing social intelligence. The overhauled user experience eliminates the white space on the Maps page, putting more information onto the maps themselves. It brings in ratings and reviews and makes Google Earth available in the browser. It also displays thumbnails of user photos of common landmarks beneath the map, when available. Google draws the local ratings and social context for Maps from Google+. When Bernhard…

  • Google Brings Discounts and Deals from Merchants to Google+

    Devon Glenn
    17 May 2013 | 7:19 am
    Certain brands are now sharing discounts and deals with the people in their circles on Google+, Google announced today.  The deals can be redeemed online with a code or in-store using the Google Offers mobile app. The first companies to test out the offer feature are +ZAGAT , +Hello Kitty , +Art.com ,+NOOK , and +Adafruit Industries, all of which have posted percentage discounts and free-gift-with-purchase deals on their pages. Here’s a quick run-down of what happens when you click on a deal: Clicking on the offer will automatically send an email to your associated Gmail…

  • Friday Morning Laughs: Don’t Be a Glasshole

    Devon Glenn
    17 May 2013 | 4:26 am
    Happy Friday, SocialTimes readers! Google has been all up in our faces this week with the new Google glasses, which have replaced the pager belt clip as the fashion statement of The Future. They look pretty cool (charcoal, right?), but before we get too carried away with our wardrobe planning, let’s take a look at some of this week’s viral videos. If you squint, you can see other ways the internet is creeping into our daily lives: into our bedrooms, our bathrooms, and even classic works of literature. A Facebook Update In Real Life, by ExtremelyDecentFilms Published on May 11,…

  • The Great Catsby: An Internet Musical

    Phi Tran
    17 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    The Great Catsby is an internet phenomenon that started with a symphony of cat-shopped covers of Fitzgerald’s literary masterpiece and emerged as naturally as cats and musicals often do – with lots of singing. The final cat-daptation deserves some serious accolades. Cats, music, and great literature – how can you go wrong?   Photoshop is the queen of memes, but internet artists really impressed me with some original renderings…   until the Trailer Cats provided us with a tease hinting at what could be. This was naturally followed by more variations and…
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    VIRALBLOG.COM » Viral ideas.Trends. Inspiration

  • How Somersby Cider Gets Men Dancing At Parties Again?

    Igor Beuker
    18 May 2013 | 5:14 am
    Somersby Cider has launched Project OpenMinded after discovering that 52% of men are not dancing at parties. Get the insights and cool video here. What happens when you ask a window cleaner to work in the middle of a bar? Welcome to Project OpenMinded. Let’s turn party Oh no’s into party Oh yeah’s. White Men Can’t Jump – Why Men Don’t Dance Remember the 1992 movie White Men Can’t Jump starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson? The famous and fun movie about black and white basketball hustlers joining forces to double their chances. Well, jumping does…

  • Top 5 Videos In Viral Friday: Space Oddity

    Martin Michalik
    17 May 2013 | 5:20 am
    Millions of videos get uploaded, so we curate them for you in our flagship format Viral Friday. See the 5 top viral videos of this week here on ViralBlog. Trailer created by Michiel Zwart of EditieM This week, we selected the following five great viral videos for you: 1. Space Oddity Click here to view the embedded video. ISS Commander Chris Hadfield is already back on Earth after five months in space, but before his return he recorded a revised version of a famous song – David Bowie’s Space Oddity. How did he do? Great video that got more than 12,8 million views in just one week!

  • How Brands Remastered 7 Famous Masterpieces Of Art?

    Igor Beuker
    16 May 2013 | 8:31 am
    Modern brands have remastered 7 famous masterpieces of art. Have you seen the recreations of the Night Watch by Rembrandt or Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci? In the end of this story we will ask your opinion about the remastered works. Are they a tribute or a disrepute to the artists? Modern Reenactments of Famous Artworks Although this might go down as one of the most elaborate modern reenactments of a famous artwork, it’s not new territory in the world of branding. Companies have long taken inspiration from art history, referencing everyone from Leonardo da Vinci to Grant Wood in the hope…

  • Pringles And Star Wars Use The Force For Campaign

    Marion aan 't Goor
    14 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    Pringles and Star Wars have joined forces to rule the snacking universe with The Force For Fun video project, a campaign in which fans can make their own Star Wars themed video for Pringles. Pringles and Star Wars have teamed up before. This time, however, they are bringing in extra forces: their fans! Through the organizing of a video contest on the social media platform Tongal, Pringles and Star Wars want to ask their fans to help them create a new Pringles advertisement. Tongal is a website on which creatives can help brands by offering them their video content. Users can sign up and…

  • Los Angeles Opens Outdoor Marketplace For Creative Startups

    Igor Beuker
    13 May 2013 | 11:36 am
    This summer the great city of Los Angeles opens an outdoor marketplace for creative startups. Meet the clever idea called: The Service Station. Sorry folks. This time it’s a start-up story on people enabling us to do more good. Not about smoking hot tech startups. But I guess this startup format will be inspiring to every entrepreneur, artist or creativo around the globe. Why? Beacuase it is a very cool and clever idea. Service Station: LA’s Marketplace for Creative Startups An abandoned retro gas station in Los Feliz, Los Angeles is set to become a new multi-purpose community…
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    Pamorama | Social Media Marketing Blog

  • 50 Top Tools for Social Media Monitoring, Analytics, and Management

    Pam Dyer
    12 May 2013 | 1:01 pm
    Use these platforms to manage, measure, and analyze your social media marketing initiatives. To succeed in today’s connected world, you need to build a community around your company, brand, and products. Over the last decade, social media monitoring has become a primary form of business intelligence, used to identify, predict, and respond to consumer behavior. Listening to what your customers, competitors, critics, and supporters are saying about you is key to getting great results from your social media campaigns. There are countless tools out there, offering many ways to analyze, measure,…

  • Understanding Facebook EdgeRank [Infographics]

    Pam Dyer
    5 May 2013 | 1:03 pm
    Give your posts a higher probability of appearing at the top of users’ News Feeds. The News Feed — in the center column of your home page — is a list of stories from the people and pages you follow on Facebook. Customized and continuously updated, it is designed to make the most out of the time you spend on the social network by serving up the information that’s the most meaningful to you. News Feed stories include likes, status updates, app activity, photos, videos, and links. According to comScore, 40% of time on Facebook is spent on the News Feed. When a user logs in, there…

  • Use Pinterest Web Analytics to Jumpstart Your Social Media Marketing

    Pam Dyer
    28 Apr 2013 | 3:54 pm
    Pinterest Web Analytics gives site owners insights into how people are interacting with pins that originate from their websites. With more than 48 million users, Pinterest is one of the most popular social networks on the Web. Rather than telling people about your products, Pinterest makes it possible to show what you have to offer. Companies are increasingly using the platform to reach new audiences, increase visits to their websites, and generate leads and sales — and it’s working. As I noted in a previous post, Pinterest users spend more money, shop more frequently, and…

  • The Role of Color in Marketing [Infographics]

    Pam Dyer
    21 Apr 2013 | 3:09 pm
    Use the right colors to increase brand recognition and drive purchasing. It’s more important than ever for brands to project their value. Marketers in general understand the need for consistency in color and design. But it’s also vital to move beyond the standard logo and tagline and take a holistic approach to evoking emotions among potential customers across all of your marketing channels — including social media sites. You can use color to your advantage. Color is a form of non-verbal communication and an important part of our daily lives. The underlying emotions that…

  • Use Google Authorship to Improve SEO and Drive Traffic

    Pam Dyer
    14 Apr 2013 | 1:06 pm
    Don’t miss a huge branding opportunity: Link your Google+ profile to the content you create Google is looking to put user identity at the forefront of a number of its products, including search. They are trying new ways to authenticate quality links. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt discusses this in his upcoming book, “The New Digital Age”, writing that profile verification will be directly linked to search engine rankings: “Within search results, information tied to verified onlineprofiles will be ranked higher than content without suchverification, which will result in most…
 
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    Exploring Conversational Media

  • Vin Diesel, Ponies and Bacon

    Jeff Esposito
    17 May 2013 | 3:28 am
    Wikepedia This week flew by. In what started out a bit slow and draggy finished out with a head-down, pop it up and damn its 5:30 and time to head home.  Looking forward to the weekend, putting together Baby Espo Jr.’s Buzz Lightyear bed, mowing the lawn and catching up on some reading with some relaxation baked in there. How was your week? Any big weekend plans? Hope you have a good one – catch you next week. Until then, enjoy this week’s edition of Five for Friday. Vin Diesel: Facebook ‘Owes Me Billions Of Dollars’ – no you did not read that wrong… the Fast &…

  • Cartoon of the day

    Jeff Esposito
    17 May 2013 | 3:19 am

  • Facebook changes in the real world

    Jeff Esposito
    15 May 2013 | 2:29 am
    A bit satire, a bit lazy post, but also a bit true. Imagine if Facebook’s changes happened to your offline life…

  • Cartoon of the day

    Jeff Esposito
    14 May 2013 | 9:34 pm

  • Have we lost civility in social media? Yes we have

    Jeff Esposito
    14 May 2013 | 5:10 pm
    Today has made me realize that the social media echo-chamber is filled with idiots. Instead of looking for ways to advance our profession, we spend time with passive-aggressive posts and finger pointing at companies who do social media wrong. We use #fail and worst case study ever in our messaging. Seriously we should all be more focused on our day-to-day jobs than a train wreck of a small business in social media. <I know you thought it was hilarious and the best ever or whatever else Buzzfeed said> We’re better than this. Passive aggressive is a waste of time. Making groups…
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    Social Media B2B

  • 10 Ideas to Make Boring B2B Social Media Posts Captivating

    Jeffrey L. Cohen
    1 May 2013 | 4:20 am
    Many B2B marketers are still trying to figure out social media for their companies. Years of product marketing driven writing, or content as we now call it, has honed their skills on features-based marketing. No matter how exciting your products and services are, this kind of marketing is boring. And it is not going to work in a social media context. Prospects and customer want solutions to their problems. They don’t want to hear about your products in a blog post. Once you identify your target audience and their pain points, you can begin creating top-of-the-funnel content to connect…

  • B2B Social Media Success Starts with Measurable Objectives

    Jeffrey L. Cohen
    10 Apr 2013 | 4:36 am
    B2B Marketers are always comparing their company social media efforts to other B2B companies. What are other companies trying to achieve? What is working? What are their biggest challenges? In a recent survey Ascend2 asked 687 business leaders, marketing executives and practitioners from around the world just those questions. And good for us they separated out the answers for B2B companies. Some of these results were featured on eMarketer, but you can download the full Social Media Marketing Strategy Report for free from Ascend2 (registration required). Below are a selection of the results.

  • Integration, Content and Analytics Drive B2B Digital Marketing Success

    Jeffrey L. Cohen
    19 Mar 2013 | 4:00 am
    In a recent study, CEB’s Marketing Leadership Council and Google found that 57% of the buying process is complete before a B2B buyer ever contacts a salesperson. And their results showed an even higher number, 70%, in some instances. The researchers used their interviews with more than 1500 decision makers and influencers in a recent major business purchase at 22 large B2B organizations (spanning all major NAICS categories and 10 industries) as the basis for their Digital Evolution in B2B Marketing whitepaper. The authors contend that mastering the following three topics are required…

  • How To Find the Best B2B Social Media Linkedin Groups

    Eric Schwartzman
    28 Feb 2013 | 5:56 am
    Most people learn how to use Linkedin by building a network of professional connections. Some even take the time to post updates to their activity feed. But if you haven’t noticed yet, not a lot of people hang out in the activity stream on Linkedin. The lion’s share of real engagement happens in Linkedin Groups, especially for B2B companies. But not all Linkedin Groups. Most are veritable spam fests where unscrupulous marketers spam links to promotions or try to drive clicks to their blog posts. So how do you find the really good Linkedin Groups? How can you tell which ones are…

  • 4 Reasons Why Google+ is a Killer B2B Social Media Platform

    Glenn Gow
    25 Feb 2013 | 4:15 am
    Most of our B2B clients have staked a claim on Google+, but they don’t invest in it. Why? Because they consider it a ghost town. They say Google+ is irrelevant. They invest in Facebook and Twitter and (more and more) in LinkedIn. But you know what? Recent studies indicate that, while many companies were asleep at the switch, Google+ has emerged as the killer platform for B2B social media marketing. B2B marketers need to understand these four reasons that Google+ is the next killer platform for marketing, and why it should be an important part of your B2B marketing mix. 1. Number of Active…
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    {grow}

  • The magic of social media. A {growtoon}.

    Mark
    16 May 2013 | 9:02 pm
      Join the growtoonists each Friday for a humorous take on marketing, social media, and current business events. Joey Strawn is a social media strategist who loves enjoying a good book and then drawing in it. Check him out on Twitter: @joey_strawn          CommentsBy: the 3 best funnies to end your week… | IMHOOT by the 3 best funnies to end your week… | IMHOOTRelated StoriesTree S(app). A {growtoon}.No horsing around. A {growtoon}.March Madness. A {growtoon}.Inappropriate Attire. A {growtoon}.Blogzilla. A {growtoon}. 

  • The changes to Google+ are great. But they don’t matter

    Mark
    16 May 2013 | 2:49 pm
    What an exciting week of announcements from Google! Of course many of us in the social media space were focused on the interface improvements on Google+, but the company also announced: It is re-charging the crucial Maps effort, including graphics, animations, and local landmarks Partnership with NASA on a new quantum computer laboratory to study artificial intelligence A host of specialized apps for Google Glass called Glassware, including alliances with Evernote, CNN, and Elle A new free photo storage system that gives you an option to let Google select, tag, and improve your photos for you…

  • Five tools to help with your social media makeover

    Mark
    15 May 2013 | 9:02 pm
    By Ian Cleary, {grow} Contributing Columnist Part of my daily routine is going to the gym. The gym is a chance for me to think about what I’ve delivered that morning, plan out my day and dream about potential ideas for my business. In the world of social media it’s important to step back and review what you have done and implement changes on a regular basis. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time for a makeover.  Here are five cool tools you can use that just might deliver some new “oomph” to your social media efforts:  1.  Ignite Facebook Fans On average only 16 percent of…

  • We create content and content also creates us

    Mark
    14 May 2013 | 9:02 pm
    Recently I was interviewed by my friend Elizabeth Sosnow and she asked me about an observation in Return On Influence: “We create content … but in a way, content is also creating us.” It had been a long time since I thought about this and I thought it was timely to reflect on this powerful concept. I think my friend Jason Falls put it very well when he stated in the book: “Before the social web, there was always a ceiling or a velvet rope – a limit to where you could go with your influence unless you were somebody famous. Now anybody can be heard. Social media and the…

  • Is it time to embrace the social media faker?

    Mark
    13 May 2013 | 5:00 pm
    By Matt Ridings {grow} Community Member There’s this guy. He’s become very popular in the “social business” space. He annoys the crap out of me.  He tweets nothing unique, mainly just quotes and platitudes of the type that are very retweetable.  He writes nothing original, mainly just articles geared to appeal to the masses but without much actual substance. He has a PR mission for the company he works for, to become known and by proxy make his company be perceived as a social business. He preaches authenticity and transparency but then has all of the employee…
 
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    AdamVincenzini[dot]com

  • David Warner's Twitter Tirade Becomes an Instant Social Media Cautionary Tale

    17 May 2013 | 9:05 pm
    In the last few hours, yet another Twitter-storm has sent the traditional media into a spin and sports administrators into damage control. Let's go through the time line of events and then take a look at what all involved parties can learn from the very public event. Australian Cricketer David Warner (@davidwarner31) is currently taking part in the Indian Premier League cricket competition. He woke up this morning to an article written by News Ltd journalist Robert "Crash" Craddock (@CrashCraddock1) who highlighted the pitfalls of the world's most lucrative cricket competition. His…

  • 10 of the Most Useful New Social Media Tools of 2013 (so far)

    3 May 2013 | 8:54 pm
    It's been a while since I've cobbled together a post that looks at some of the newer social media tools making an impact around the web. If you haven't come across one of these posts before, the aim is to highlight some of the hidden gems which can make your online life a bit easier, as opposed to talking about the more mainstream tools that get the big chunks of air time. Some similar posts from the past can be found here. Enough reminiscing for now, let's take a look at the new tools, sites and web and mobile apps worth having on your radar. 10 of the most useful social media tools of 2013…

  • The 7 different types of social media consultants

    30 Mar 2013 | 4:22 am
    Over the last few weeks, I've sat in a bunch of meetings where the skill set of social media specialists have been a hot topic. The reason why there is so much debate about it is because there are so many different types of people, of widely varying experience, who can occupy positions with a social media remit. On the back of these discussions, and to help organise my own thinking on the subject, I thought it might be useful to try and classify the different types of social media consultants and the pros and cons of each. It is difficult to categorise these types without making some…

  • 30 great business, innovation and marketing quotes for the wall in your office

    10 Mar 2013 | 9:31 pm
    I'm a huge fan of quotes. I like the way they help validate the values you consider important and question ones held by others. I also think quotes tell other people a lot about who you are and who you aren't. In a previous job, we had a wall covered in our favourite quotes, each serving a different purpose depending on what the priority was on any given day. So, when I was searching for some of my favourites the other day I thought it'd be fun to compile a nice list of them, and share them here on my blog. I'd really like to add to the list too, so if you have your favourites handy, drop…

  • How to start and grow a blog (part two: technology)

    3 Mar 2013 | 4:40 am
    Welcome to a special multi-post feature on starting and growing a blog. This series has been designed with the blogging novice in mind but may contain a few tips that might appeal to more seasoned bloggers too. In part one of this series, I looked at the important questions you need to address from a strategy perspective. Part two focuses on the technological options at your disposal, specifically around the selection of the blogging platform most appropriate for you. (The rest of the series will include posts on blog optimisation, content planning and refinement, promotion, and a few others…
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    Janet Clarey

  • So how do you show that you can learn and adapt – and master – constant change?

    Janet
    15 May 2013 | 4:56 am
    My colleague, Bill Brandon, brought Brian Hall’s post 10 Technology Skills That Will No Longer Help You Get A Job to my attention when I was looking for feedback on what the most relevant and valuable professional development needs are of today’s training and learning technologies practitioners. Hall’s post ends with this: “To justify any salary, it’s not only about what you know – now – but what you can learn going forward. The key to a long career in Silicon Valley, or anywhere in the tech world, is showing that you can learn and adapt –…

  • Ten Lessons Over Ten Years

    Janet
    2 May 2013 | 11:09 am
    I was in San Francisco in 2003 at a conference that was held at the same time as The eLearning Guild’s “Annual Conference.” I remember sitting in a cable car that was loaded with the Guild’s conference attendees and wondered how I could bail on my conference and attend the Guild’s conference instead. The eLearning Guild’s conference seemed to be much cooler – lots of instructional design and e-Learning types. The theme of the conference I was trapped in was blended learning. I sat in a room and watched PowerPoint presentation after PowerPoint…

  • Is there value in defining mobile learning and classifying mobile devices?

    Janet
    14 Feb 2013 | 12:20 pm
    While  writing our Mobile Learning Cookbook, I tweeted that… This simple statement served as a catalyst for debate of sorts that extended to Facebook and then back to Twitter. Andy Black jabbed at me a bit saying mobile learning has been around for a long time and that wearable integrated tech is the next wave.  (There’s almost always a snark.) Yup, mobile learning has been around a long time but in reality, mobile learning hasn’t been implemented at the majority of organizations hence my discussion. (I don’t disagree that wearable integrated tech is here now and probably in…

  • Hello 2013

    Janet
    2 Jan 2013 | 2:34 pm
    For me, 2012 will go down as a year I basically went dark publicly. While I wrote a lot for my work, I think I posted here just 5 times.  Good grief, three or four years ago I probably was posting 5 times in a week! As 2013  begins, it seems an ideal time to reflect back on 2012, share some observations and predictions, and get blogging again. LCMSs are alive and well and the market will grow. In December, I wrote about Bankia’s learning content management architecture and how its use of a single source, asset-based approach to content led to huge cost savings and greater efficiency.

  • A Glimpse of Your Future Workforce – Now in Middle School

    Janet
    7 May 2012 | 6:29 am
    Six months ago Thomas Suarez, a 6th grader from Los Angeles, spoke at a TEDS event about the making and sale of an “app”  he created on his own – “Bustin Jieber” (a whack-a-mole type anti-Justin-Bieber game.)  (There’s nearly 2 million views of the video on YouTube so you may have seen it.) Anyway, he’s quite eloquent and now owns his own company. While he’s clearly much further ahead than the majority of 6th graders I know, his actions offer a glimpse of our future workforce. Suarez, who is self taught, started to build, create and sell his…
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    360i Blog

  • Debunking 5 Myths of Programmatic Buying

    Kolin Kleveno
    16 May 2013 | 10:53 am
    At last week’s iMedia Agency Summit, I spoke on a panel called ‘Demystifying Programmatic Inventory.’ The entire session was geared toward helping marketers better understand the somewhat murky world of programmatic buying. As someone who lives and breathes in this space everyday, I’m often surprised by the number of misconceptions that exist about this subset of marketing. It is my belief that the lack of clarity on programmatic buying is a big part of our industry’s general ambivalence toward it: Whereas some advertisers are reticent to accept programmatic buying as a viable…

  • IWNY13: Join 360i & Four Top Content Startups for #CurationNation

    360i
    16 May 2013 | 7:17 am
    Internet Week, a week-long festival celebrating the business and culture of the web, returns May 20-27. This year, we’re hosting our own I-Week event at 360i HQ in New York called “Curation Nation.” The event and panel discussion is a special installment of our Startup Outlook series and will feature four top startups in the content curation game. Tickets to the May 22 event are still available at curationnation.eventbrite.com, but limited spots remain so be sure to RSVP as soon as possible. The event will share how four leading curation startups are using technology to help brands and…

  • Hanes Launches New Digital Campaign: ‘Soften the Blow’

    Soraya Eltomey
    14 May 2013 | 7:42 am
    Destruction videos are all the rage in the digital space, so when Hanes sought to promote its new super soft ComfortBlendTM line of T-shirts, socks and boxer briefs, it wanted to leverage the phenomenon to show how its ultra-soft apparel can “soften the blow” for most any type of physical destruction. That’s when we created and developed the campaign “Soften the Blow” to wrap the web in ComfortBend – sharing demolition-style content that leverages the power of digital in a creative way. To put this into action, Hanes launched four separate web videos as part of a series that…

  • Instagram’s ‘Photos of You’ Brings New Opportunities for Brands

    Tatiana Urriaga
    10 May 2013 | 7:59 am
    A new update from Instagram continues to blur the line between the mobile photo-sharing platform and Facebook, which acquired it last year. Since being purchased by Facebook in April 2012, Instagram has consistently inched toward full integration with the Facebook platform. Instagram has expanded its mobile application to web profiles, dropped Twitter support (users can no longer view Instagram images within the feed) and even updated its privacy policy. Last week, Instagram launched a new feature called “Photos of You” – marking its very own take on Facebook’s popular tagging…

  • A Marketer’s Guide to the 2013 Digital Content NewFronts

    Jessica Sanfilippo
    7 May 2013 | 2:30 pm
    Last week, members of the 360i team attended several events as part of the second annual Digital Content NewFronts. The NewFronts represent the digital version of the Upfronts that have long dominated the TV buying world, and were created to drum up interest in the digital video content available for complementing (and, in some cases, replacing) traditional broadcast content. This post summarizes our collective learnings from the 2013 NewFronts. Similar to last year’s roundup, we’ll dive into the key themes that emerged, and share what they mean for marketers. We’ll also highlight a few…
 
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    Mindjumpers

  • How Brands Use Vine

    Anne Herngaard
    16 May 2013 | 1:28 am
    The video app Vine is moving into a golden age. The six seconds format perfectly suits today’s news stream and will probably be an advantage like we have seen it for Twitter’s 140 character format. It makes it shareable and accessible. Some huge brands are already using the new service, but what can you actually do with it? The biggest strength of Vine is its simplicity. With the phone in your hand, you can suddenly be a director. The app allows you to as many frames as you want within the six seconds of video shot. This makes it a perfect tool to create visual storytelling and…

  • Understanding EdgeRank [infographic]

    Anne Herngaard
    10 May 2013 | 2:13 am
    Most people have heard of Facebook EdgeRank by now. But many probably also gets a bit lost on the way of actually accommodating to the algorithm. The logic behind Facebook is often difficult to decipher and page owners can easily feel that the equation is out of their hands. We have found this infographic from the Postrocket blog that summarizes how EdgeRank works. In the infographic, Facebook’s news feed product manager, Will Cathhart, has broken down the algorithm into 4 main social factors. 1. Your previous interactions with the author 2. Your previous interactions with the post type…

  • How To Create Relevant Content

    Anne Herngaard
    7 May 2013 | 1:52 am
    In today’s media landscape, brands constantly strive to engage its users, customers and stakeholders. However, it is easy to get lost by making it a quest for Likes or by focusing too much on your own products in the communication and thereby loose engagement. One of the most crucial things when creating content is to make it relevant to your users. Your audience needs to be able to connect your products and services to their own context, so why not help them out? Relevant content adds value to the individual and makes him or her more prone to engage with it. Here are a few tips to help you…

  • How to Manage Issues on Social Media

    Julie Elina Lipsøe Jørgensen
    3 May 2013 | 1:03 am
    Everything is closer and goes faster in the world of social media. People on Greenland can respond to a thread written in Madagascar within seconds. People are able to find likeminded people, build communities around specific interests, and find inspiration and support within those communities. If one yells, the reach is not only limited to local and random surroundings. An army can be assembled from the whole world, within seconds, ready to fight and destroy your brand. So how do you respond, stop the army from increasing, and maybe turn the situation around to your benefit? What does the…

  • For Social Success: Think As A Media Company

    Sara Hansson
    26 Apr 2013 | 2:00 am
    A lot of brands know that they need to create conversations with their audience, but don’t know which conversations. The consumer journey is more fragmented than ever, and multiple topics are influencing the consumer. Relevance is thus key to break through the increasing consumption of content. Brands need to “think as a media company” and improve their editorial skills in order to create shareworthy stories that are valuable for the community members.   Create Conversational Touch Points Thinking as a media means to know what stories your audience wants to take part of. Define a…
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    SocialTechWeb

  • DSTV on your iPad

    Pierre
    3 May 2013 | 4:55 am
    Sky TV in the UK has had this feature forever but it is great news that DSTV in South Africa has also made this amazing feature available. You can now play DSTV OnDemand programs on your iPad. It’s easy to setup and actually works perfectly well on a 4mb/sec MWEB ADSL line. All you need to do is register on the DSTV website. http://ondemand.dstv.com/ After the registration you will be sent an email. Following the basic instructions on the email DSTV send you, you will link your DSTV smart card number to this account. I would safely assume that this is how the application will determine…

  • The new LinkedIn navigation

    Retha
    10 Apr 2013 | 2:20 am
    LinkedIn made many changes over the past year, most for the better such as the new profile design and new Jobs search.  The next rollout of design changes started a short while ago, and we will all soon have the new top navigation to simplify our LinkedIn experience. The top bar will now consist of a much simpler layout, with a small LinkedIn logo and menu options only for Home, Profile, Network and Career. Network has two drop-down options: Connections and Groups, and Career splits into Jobs, Companies and Post a Job. There’s a new and improved Search with autosuggest, autocomplete and…

  • Do you have a secure backup of your website?

    Pierre
    9 Apr 2013 | 6:18 am
    If the answer is no you stand a very real chance of losing all of it completely. We live in a time that hackers abound. Their motives for creating havoc on your site is often not clear. You should be aware that to be recognised as a “hacker” you have to be rated. To obtain said rating the padawan hacker has to hack a website leaving their hacker handle as proof of their dirty work. This explains a reason behind their intent. There’s obviously a million other reasons why your site could be targeted. No matter what precautions you might have taken or how up to date you keep…

  • In app purchases

    Pierre
    9 Apr 2013 | 6:13 am
    The current trend is that apps are free to download and use but the developers build in “in app purchases.” These are also referred to as micro transactions. It’s not a bad practise or done with any malicious intent. It rewards the developers with some money to continue their endeavours. For example: you could download a basic drawing program and then opt to purchase additional pen types or additional colours. The problems arise when the ipad is handed over to our little darlings. (Kids) The games they download with or without our consent mostly have these in app purchases.

  • Who should you connect to on LinkedIn?

    Retha
    6 Mar 2013 | 3:32 am
    Your LinkedIn success depends a lot on who you are connected to.  Many professionals on LinkedIn misunderstand this and believe that you should be connected to as many people as you can convince to accept your connections. This could not be further from the truth. This is what LinkedIn says about it: Connecting to someone on LinkedIn implies that you know them well: They’ll have access to people you know Others may ask you about them and vice versa You’ll get updates on their activity LinkedIn lets you invite colleagues, classmates, friends and business partners without entering their…
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    The Next Web » Social Media

  • Instagram turns on ‘Photos of You’ section for everyone, here’s how to control the pictures you’re tagged in

    Emil Protalinski
    16 May 2013 | 11:33 am
    Instagram on Thursday reminded all its users that today is the day its new “Photos of You” section is being turned on for everyone. This means everyone who can currently see your profile is now able to see all the pictures that you have been tagged in. The feature was first announced two weeks ago but was only available if you chose to opt-in. Now it’s available for everyone, but thankfully you can choose whether photos others add of you appear on your profile automatically or only once you select them. If you don’t want pictures of you to show up automatically, turn…

  • Yahoo partners with Twitter to bring tweets directly into its US newsfeed on the desktop and mobile Web

    Emil Protalinski
    16 May 2013 | 9:20 am
    Yahoo on Thursday announced a new partnership with Twitter that will see tweets brought directly into the company’s homepage newsfeed. The new integration will be rolling out “over the next few days” on Yahoo’s US site, available to both desktop and mobile Web users. Yahoo says it plans to include “relevant and personalized tweets” alongside its stories. If the partnership bears fruit, however, it’s fair to say Yahoo will look to expand it to its mobile apps as well as overseas. If you’re in the US, here’s what to look for on the Yahoo…

  • Facebook completes one-column Timeline rollout, says users now adding 200m items daily to the new sections

    Emil Protalinski
    14 May 2013 | 1:21 pm
    Facebook on Tuesday announced it has completed rolling out the new sections on its Timeline profiles to everyone. Furthermore, the company says users are now collectively adding almost 200 million items daily. Two months ago, Facebook debuted the new one-column Timeline. The company emphasized the redesigned sections on user profiles that let people have one place to add items of interest. Yet everyone realized this was Facebook’s way of admitting the previous two-column design for posts simply wasn’t working. In case you’ve abandoned the service, here’s the new…

  • Foursquare adds location filters by price, hours, and friend check-ins to its website, coming soon to apps

    Emil Protalinski
    10 May 2013 | 12:37 pm
    Foursquare on Friday announced a new feature for its website: location filters. The feature is live now (you can check it out over at foursquare.com/explore) and Foursquare say it plans to bring it to your phone next. There are multiple filters to choose from, including Specials, Haven’t Been, Friends, Price, Open Now, and Saved. Here’s how the feature looks in action: Specials and Saved are self-explanatory, the former is for Foursquare to make money (by offering you deals that save you money) and the latter is for your personal use. The rest can be boiled down to: price ranges…

  • Timehop now connects to Dropbox to help you relive the past through old photos

    Robin Wauters
    10 May 2013 | 2:35 am
    Timehop, that marvellous little service that helps you relive and share stories from the past based on your online activity on other platforms, has now added the ability for users to connect their Dropbox accounts. That basically means you can now get all nostalgic peeking at all those photos you’ve backed up to Dropbox in the past. And if that includes photos you definitely don’t wanna see anymore, worry not, because Timehop will only surface the photos from the folders you pick. Timehop will also leave out any text files or screenshots you’ve synced to your Dropbox…
 
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    Rich Baker

  • This is Water

    Rich
    17 May 2013 | 6:19 am
    In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn’t become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death. It is, without a doubt, some of the best life advice we’ve ever come across, and perhaps the [...]

  • Engage for Success – 4 years in the making #E4S

    Rich
    8 Nov 2012 | 2:05 pm
    Four year ago David Macleod and Nita Clarke published their ground-breaking study into employee engagement. The report, called Engaging for Success, commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, shared real-life case studies ...

  • Do you value Intuition?

    Rich
    17 Sep 2012 | 11:19 am
    One of the areas I am studied during my MBA involved a look at how innovation and creativity manifest themselves in individuals and organisations. Part of this considers the perception we have of intuition. Rather than it be a ???magical??? ability th...

  • Branch – from the creators of Twitter

    Rich
    26 Aug 2012 | 12:31 am
    I've been invited to try out the new 'conversation platform' Branch, from the creators of Twitter. It's a more structured and controlled way to have conversations about things. And you can choose who participates! I'm also interested in Branch as ...

  • 2 Leadership Questions

    Rich
    12 Jun 2012 | 7:06 am
    Two very interesting questions raised into today's BQF Leadership Conference by the Leadership Trust;"What leader will you be in this world?"And"What difference will you make?"Values based leadership is the route to authentic leadership - so it is...
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    Courtney Engle

  • Connecting Across the Web

    Courtney Engle Robertson
    17 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    When you meet someone in person, do you connect with them online for ongoing networking?  Have you threaded together your online community across multiple platforms? Extending the Networking Relationship Networking in meatspace is so old fashioned! Who really shows up at local networking events or meets people offline?  Uh…. I do! Really, this proven method of connecting with others can often be more valuable than an endless number of followers on any social platform.  That said, it is still incredibly valuable for you to extend that relationship from meeting in person to remaining…

  • How to Use LinkedIn Channels

    Courtney Engle Robertson
    16 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    LinkedIn Channels are a new addition to the news area of LinkedIn, known as LinkedIn Today.  Essentially, it is a list of curated topics (up to 20) that LinkedIn members can follow. While it may not be breaking news, it will likely be more on point for recent information in your industry.   You can subscribe to LinkedIn Channels at http://www.linkedin.com/today/channels. Once subscribed, view http://www.linkedin.com/today to see news that you’ve subscribed to. To make use of channels, visit your LinkedIn Today view on a regular basis.  Find articles here that are interesting to…

  • Manage Multiple WordPress Websites

    Courtney Engle Robertson
    15 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Have you ever found yourself in need of managing multiple WordPress websites?  Until recently, I had been logging in to many websites every time there was an urgent update.  This can be very time consuming, and doesn’t even account for security and backup on these sites.  I was struggling just to maintain these sites until I found a way to leverage my time better with ManageWP. ManageWP allows me to manage WordPress sites and blogs from one dashboard.  I can login and see all my sites and all the sites of my clients. From this dashboard, I can run updates, optimize the databases,…

  • How to Increase Local SEO for Your Small Business

    Courtney Engle Robertson
    14 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Search engine optimization is important for local small business. With it, you can stand out when potential customers are searching for what you have to offer.  By claiming your listings and including data on your website for search engines to know exactly where you are located and help your community discover you in search, you will see higher search engine rankings. Local SEO Tips: Claim the big social media sites like Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Complete your company profile thoroughly.  Claim your business on the local check-in places like Foursquare, Yelp, and any niche…

  • Small Business Mobile Marketing

    Courtney Engle Robertson
    13 May 2013 | 10:49 am
    Mobile marketing for small business continues to grow by leaps and bounds.  It is important for local small business owners to make full use of mobile marketing to best reach their audience. What is mobile marketing? SMS text message marketing Creating mobile optimized websites to ensure that your whole website is thumb-navigation friendly, that all embedded photos and videos work across all types of mobile devices, and that the website is visually appealing on smartphones and tablets Implementing mobile landing pages (such as hours, menues, or any other specific page designed to be…
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    The Social Workplace

  • Star Trek Out of Darkness and Into Enterprise Mobility

    Elizabeth Lupfer
    17 May 2013 | 8:13 am
    This article originally appeared: What Star Trek Can Teach Us About Enterprise Mobility, Citrix Online Photo courtesy of: Legoagogo via Flickr Being on the Starship Enterprise was like being in the workplace of the future. In fact the Enterprise operated with the same challenges that enterprises face today. Everyone had lots of devices, needed access to lots of different apps and desktops from these devices, and the ability to share data and do this with complete security and control. On top of that, everyone wanted the ability to work at any time, from any device and from anywhere. The…

  • Commit. Engage. Excel. Keeping and Engaging Your Talent.

    Elizabeth Lupfer
    16 May 2013 | 12:28 pm
    TalentKeepers just released its 2013 Talent Engagement and Retention Trends Survey Report which is now the largest and longest running study of its kind.  This year’s research signals another shift in nearly every aspect of how organizations manage human resources is underway, and finally this time the shift is signaling a brighter outlook. This optimism shows up in a wide range of measures as organizations gain confidence and take a longer view in planning their talent strategies. In all, it’s a great, comprehensive report and a valuable read for any human resources and employee…

  • The Business Impacts of Talent Intelligence

    Elizabeth Lupfer
    13 Mar 2013 | 2:41 pm
    Last year, Oracle President Mark Hurd outlined the ways that executives can use HR intelligence to help them make better business decisions, shape the future of their organizations and improve the bottom line. He highlighted that talent management is one of the top three focus areas for CEOs, and explained how HR intelligence can help drive decisions to meet business objectives. Hurd urged HR leaders to use data to make fact-based decisions about hiring, talent management and succession to drive strategic growth. To win the race for talent, Hurd explained that organizations need powerful…

  • Recognizing a Multigenerational Workforce this Employee Appreciation Day

    Elizabeth Lupfer
    1 Mar 2013 | 4:00 am
    Happy Employee Appreciation Day! In order to help you quickly identify generational differences as well as motivators and themes for recognizing employees of every generation appropriately, Michael C. Fina, a leading provider of global employee recognition and incentive programs, launched a new infographic: “Appreciating A Multigenerational Workforce”. The infographic allows managers and leaders to quickly identify generational differences as well as motivators and themes for appreciating employees of every generation appropriately. “While it is important to recognize employees every…

  • Who’s Using Social Media Anyway?

    Elizabeth Lupfer
    28 Feb 2013 | 2:39 pm
    Guest post by Ann Barrett, Director eRecruitment & Social Media Strategy at Sun Life Digital. You can find Ann via her Social Recruiting blog where she writes about social media and Human Resources. She can also be found on LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. Google+. Pintrest, Instagram, LinkedIn. They all have become mainstream words we use in our everyday conversation. They have penetrated all forms of media including print, TV, radio, video and digital. It would almost seem strange not to hear or see those familiar icons. For a long time, there seemed to be a perception that only younger…
 
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    CompuKol Connection » Blog

  • Why Content Marketing Is Important for Your Business

    Carolyn Cohn
    16 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    You may have heard about content marketing and you may even understand why it is important the question is whether you have a deep enough understanding to recognize the differences between content marketing and traditional approaches to marketing. What content marketing is and why it works Content marketing uses online content for promotional purposes. The objective of this is to get clients to buy what you are selling eventually. Of course, that will only happen after you have had the chance to build a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with your customers.  Effective content…

  • What’s a Blog Without Comments?

    Deirdre Breakenridge
    14 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    When it comes to internal company blogs the communications department is usually onboard and the executives come to realize that they have to take the time to blog and write out their thoughts.  They know it’s important to communicate information in their own voice about company initiatives in order to keep everyone informed and sharing useful information. Blogs are a great way to communicate directly with employees, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that employees will embrace the blog from the start and engage with executives.  What’s a company to do? When I met with my client last…

  • Preventing Google From Killing Your Business

    Traian Neacsu
    11 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    Too much reliance on Google’s organic traffic plus a hit by an algorithm update like Penguin, and your business can go south from one day to another. Sound too dramatic? I don’t wish this on anyone but sadly, it happens, and I’m confident this is not the only case. The best way to be Google-safe and to build a thriving online business is to simply ignore Google. Yes, that’s right. This might sound a bit strange, especially coming from someone who makes a living selling SEO services. However, I am also a business owner and the more I learn about business management, the…

  • Enticing Your Audience With Your Blog

    Carolyn Cohn
    9 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    You spend a great deal of time and effort on your content. You make sure that your content is enticing and educational so that it benefits your target audience. Your goal is to compel them to want to read more. The appeal of your business blog You definitely understand by now that you need to write content that engages your readers and, at the same time, you have a responsibility to provide new, fresh content on a regular and frequent basis. If you can’t commit to doing that, don’t even bother because you won’t get anywhere. Your readers have a certain expectation by now and the bar has…

  • Planning Your Online Activities for the Future

    Michael Cohn
    7 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    Now is the time to plan for the future. You need to make sure that you have a strategy in place so that you don’t have a gap in your work and in your progress going forward. Putting a strategic plan in place It is critical that you are as organized as you can possibly be when planning (or revising) your strategy to work in the future. When considering how you want do approach your online activities, you first need to reflect on what you did in the past so that you can identify what worked and what didn’t work. After you have established those concepts, you can devise your strategic plan…
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    Finger Candy Media from Jessica Northey

  • Managing Social Media During a Tragedy

    Jessica Northey
    21 Apr 2013 | 3:41 pm
    TweetGUEST POST from Social Media Strategist/Photographer Danielle Bowers We’re standing on the edge of a new frontier with social media.  Every step we take, every advance is new ground and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Why Y’all Love Country So Much #CMchat

    Jessica Northey
    25 Mar 2013 | 5:00 am
    Tweetby Jessica Northey Find me on Google+ I haven’t done a blog post here for few months, my excuse is that I been a little busy over here.  I also discovered Google Plus Hangouts and have... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Weeding Between Your Ears

    Jessica Northey
    22 Dec 2012 | 10:07 am
    Tweetby Jessica Northey Find me on Google+ First of all…HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!! I wonder how much of what I write and post is actually “Social Media” in your eyes?  It’s... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Twangout with @GuyKawasaki 12/19 Talking About His New Book #APE

    Jessica Northey
    13 Dec 2012 | 8:55 pm
    Tweetby Jessica Northey Find me on Google+ Hey everybody! Happy Holidays! This Wednesday December 19 at 2pm PT/5pm ET, I will be hosting a LIVE VIDEO chat with the always Enchanting, Guy Kawasaki who... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • What Your Dog Can Teach YOU About Social Media

    Jessica Northey
    24 Nov 2012 | 8:29 am
    What Your Dog Can Teach YOU About Social Media Over the years, I have picked up a few things about Social Media. Some from my broadcasting years, a lot on the job, like everyone else but it would be... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    Sneeze It

  • Writing a Great Email Subject Line

    David Steel
    13 May 2013 | 5:45 am
    If you’re using email to market your products and services, it’s important to know how to write an email subject line that will hold your reader’s attention. Today’s email marketer has to juggle quite a few responsibilities, including managing mailing lists, creating marketing campaigns, and composing high quality sales copy for emails that will be received by current and potential customers. Content is always king, but it’s just as essential to write a buzzworthy line in the subject of your email to optimize results. So how do you go about writing compelling subject lines that your…

  • 6 Tips for Twitter Engagement

    David Steel
    4 May 2013 | 5:45 am
    It seems like every business and every person out there has their own Twitter account these days. However, few of them are seeing real success from their presence on Twitter. They just put up an account and then throw their hands in the air wondering why nothing is happening. The key, therefore, is in learning to increase user engagement onTwitter. So how do you go about doing that? Take a look at these easy tips and ideas for how to boost your Twitter Engagement. • Get active – If you send out one Tweet per week, don’t be surprised that you don’t have any…

  • SEO Is Not Dead

    David Steel
    7 Feb 2013 | 11:45 am
    Since the onset of Penguin and the climactic changes taking place in the online world, we’ve heard it said repeatedly, in the voice of gloom and doom, that SEO is dead. In fact, SEO today is more important than ever before. With so much riding on the correct layout of your pages, your navigation and your overall search engine visibility, SEO is an important part of our website plan. SEO is not the same as once it was, that much is true. The ability to build links and to have them count as the vote that they were at one time in a search is simply no longer an option. Your best option, as…

  • How to Maximize Customer Service on Twitter

    David Steel
    21 Jan 2013 | 6:45 am
    Twitter is by far the most up-and-coming customer service channel for brands who want to provide near real-time support, as well as show the Twitterverse that they are a customer-centric brand. However, like other customer service channels, it is important to monitor performance in terms of response time and satisfaction rate. WaveMetrix has looked at some of the best practices from brands that are successfully providing support on Twitter, to help other brands understand where to start and how to go about it. The first step is to make sure you have a brand-centric Twitter account (handle)…

  • Five Reasons to Consider Guest Blogging

    David Steel
    7 Jan 2013 | 6:06 pm
    There are many reasons why people blog, but for businesses it’s mostly to increase revenue and gain credibility while reaching new customers. One way to do this is to lend your expertise to other sites as a guest blogger. Now, you may question the benefits of guest blogging and wonder, “Why help somebody else get new content on their sites when I can be focusing on getting fresh content on my own sites?” Well, that’s a valid question worth exploring so here are a few reasons why you should consider guest blogging: Increase Quality Traffic To Your Site – If you put out quality work…
 
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    all the news that's fit to blog, tweet & post

  • Latinos: Social & Mobile Study

    Debbie Hemley
    15 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    I’m a big fan of Infographics, especially ones that are beautifully designed and illustrated plus contain a summary of valuable research. Love this one, Latinos on the Road: A Social and Mobile Ride, from Social Lens Research:

  • Social Media Marketing Tips from #SMMW13

    Debbie Hemley
    8 May 2013 | 5:18 am
    Over the past five years, social media marketing has grown by leaps and bounds. The rules of engagement have steadily been evolving and there’s now a body of tried and true experiences to learn from. Social media marketers have been asking for guidance and at Social Media Marketing World 13, their wishes were granted. I’d even go as far to say–exceeded. Today, in my new article on Social Media Examiner I discuss 26 Tips that resonated loud and clear over the two day conference. Read the full post. If you’ve found your way to my blog as a result of the article, welcome…

  • Mobile Apps for Business and Social Networking

    Debbie Hemley
    23 Apr 2013 | 4:30 am
    Mobile apps have taken the business world by storm.  Apps are targeted to specific interests and needs.  And, can assist carrying out business tasks and networking on the go. Today, I have a new article on Social Media Examiner, 26 Mobile Apps to Improve Your Business and Networking. You can read the full post there. If you’ve found your way to my blog as a result of the article, welcome and thanks for stopping by. You may want to check out my portfolio. Feel free to drop me a line in the comments below or via the contact form.

  • Why 26?

    Debbie Hemley
    15 Apr 2013 | 9:33 am
    For the past few years I’ve been writing articles about social media and developed a personal style, 26 Tips: An A-Z Guide, that has become my signature post on Social Media Examiner. Last week while at Social Media Marketing World, #SMMW13, a woman introduced me to her colleague as Social Media Examiner’s “26 person.” The woman graciously shook my hand and immediately inquired, “Why 26?” Hmm, good question! I’ve been writing these posts for so long that I had to stop and think a moment. I realize this: blogging, like other types of writing, needs to…

  • Visuals and Social Media Marketing

    Debbie Hemley
    20 Mar 2013 | 4:16 am
    Perhaps you’ve been told pictures are worth a thousand words. And, how visuals are favored on social networking platforms. At times you may feel at a loss for how to use them or the myriad of ways they can be incorporated into your social media marketing efforts. Today, I have a new article on Social Media Examiner, 26 Ways to Use Visuals in Your Social Media Marketing. You can read the full post there. If you’ve found your way to my blog as a result of the article, welcome and thanks for stopping by. You may want to check out my portfolio. Feel free to drop me a line in the…
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    The Anti-Social Media

  • LinkedIn Bans Users From Promoting Prostitution, Escort Services

    Jay
    13 May 2013 | 7:07 pm
    Well, there goes my social networking strategy. The post LinkedIn Bans Users From Promoting Prostitution, Escort Services appeared first on The Anti-Social Media.

  • F*#& You! Friday – Chat Stickers

    Jay
    3 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    Somewhere in the past year, Facebook and other instant message services decided smileys weren’t enough. We needed bigger, bolder images to fully express ourselves as digital beings. And thus, chat stickers were born. No longer bound to the cold confines of text, you can now express yourself in an oversized smiley face. Or an animated cat. Or whatever else could be stuck to your chat. And I love it. Who needs words when you can express yourself as as bunny with an oversized head? I know I don’t. I welcome the sticker revolution. The less language to be butchered, the better. The…

  • Get off my Facebook!

    Jay
    30 Apr 2013 | 4:00 am
    Every time I see a promoted post on Facebook, I always see this comment: Get off my Facebook! Ugh. Let me break down everything I hate about that comment. Since when do you own Facebook? Last I checked, you were too busy clicking on cat photos and inspirational quotes to invest in Facebook stock. How do you think Facebook is paid for? Do you think Faceboook just runs flawlessly every day through magical elves? Or that thousands of people spend countless hours developing code for fun? Advertisers pay lots of money to display ads so you can keep coming back for free. What else can I give to you…

  • Adding Emotions to your Facebook Status

    Jay
    29 Apr 2013 | 4:00 am
    I want to know which genius thought of Facebook emotions so I can kick his or her ass. Facebook emotions are little addendum’s you can add to your Facebook status. You might say, “I’m feeling happy!” or “I’m feeling sad.” Others many get more creative and say, “I’m feeling nonchalant.” Still others might cross the line with things like, “I’m feeling you.” These can also be expanded to illustrate the media you are consuming, such as movies, TV, or books. Color me unimpressed with this new “feature.”…

  • The Age of the Individual Advertiser

    Jay
    2 Apr 2013 | 3:30 am
    The other day, I got $50 to advertise my personal twitter account, @JayDolan. Then I got another $100, because I’m a "small business owner." Apparently, being human qualifies you as a small business. Nothing is more empowering than feeling like human cattle. In the world where everyone is a publisher, everyone is an advertiser. We all fight for the same attention and notice whenever we publish a message online. The ability to pay to promote used to be something for businesses only. But now, we see it for everyone. The social networks rely on advertising to generate revenue.
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    HubSpot's Inbound Marketing Blog

  • Why P&G Can't Blame 6,250 Layoffs on Facebook

    18 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    Over a year ago, I wrote about P&G's plans to lay off over 1,600 of their workforce because they'd wasted so much money on advertisements, and needed to move to more efficient expenditures like Facebook and Google. This week, I come to find they haven't learned a damn thing. When I wrote about their layoffs last year, I cautioned P&G (because they were obviously reading my blog article) that: Digital media is not free Not all advertising is inherently bad Not all digital advertising is inherently effective Apparently, the words of warning did not resonate. This week, Business Insider…

  • The 10 Cutest Brand Mascots of All Time

    17 May 2013 | 1:00 pm
    This post is full of gratuitous cuteness. Here's why. I'm looking into some flights to Ireland (I'm a sufferer of the most debilitating form of wanderlust), and I'm using the flight comparison engine Hipmunk to find a flight. I used to use a couple other ones, but the Hipmunk chipmunk is just so cute it's paralyzing. Like, he shows up in my Facebook News Feed, and I stop scrolling and emit an audible "awww!" That kind of cute. (And by the way, I know two men who also admitted to being fans of Hipmunk on Facebook purely because "the little chipmunk's so cute!" Both of them have since…

  • 8 Data-Based Tips for Optimizing Your Content on Pinterest and Instagram

    17 May 2013 | 9:30 am
    Even though the two most popular social networks to emerge in the past few years (Instagram and Pinterest) revolve around visual content, there isn't much data about what content performs best on these platforms. Because Instagram and Pinterest revolve around visual (not textual) content and their APIs are difficult to access, it can be challenging to research these networks. But just because something is challenging doesn't mean it's impossible. After diving into the data, I found eight actionable data points to help you use Instagram and Pinterest to their maximum in your inbound…

  • Google Launches Dramatic Redesign of Google+, Emphasizing Context and Content Discovery

    17 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    You may have caught wind of some of the announcements coming out of the Google I/O conference over the past couple of days. And while we made some high-level observations here yesterday about how this year's emphasis seems to be on context, there was one announcement we thought deserved more of our attention: the complete redesign of Google+. Uhh ... yeah. Did you miss that? We kind of glossed over it, too. So in this post, we'll pick apart what's different about Google+'s new look -- which Google is rolling out over the next week -- and what these changes mean for marketers like you. What's…

  • Practical Tips for Modern SEO From the Best Minds in Europe

    17 May 2013 | 12:00 am
    The only certainty in the SEO world -- or, really, the digital marketing world -- is change. And over the past two years, we have seen a whole lot of it. Both Google Panda & Penguin have severely disrupted what works for search marketers, leaving many rather confused about what they should be doing to attract more organic traffic. And not only that; it has left many unsure which best practices may now actually actively harm their organic search strategy. As a response to this confusion, we decided to reach out to five of the top SEO minds in Europe to ask if they could…
 
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    Rey(es) of Light

  • Why I Run

    Patrick Reyes
    26 Apr 2013 | 7:03 pm
    Sharing my “Why I Run” story I was recently asked to share why I run to our Team Kensington running group. I had sort of thought about it before but as I now get into the heart of the training and the recent events at the Boston Marathon, the reasons of why I run continue to evolve. I think it would be easy for me to say that I’m running to “lose weight” or “get healthy” but those reasons began to change as my training over the last 7 months continued and my mileage increased. Now I view running as an opportunity to interact with others, encourage…

  • It’s Friday, But Sunday Is Coming

    Patrick Reyes
    29 Mar 2013 | 9:00 am

  • A Look Ahead…2013

    Patrick Reyes
    15 Jan 2013 | 5:00 am
    Gini Dietrich shared her 2013 Business and Personal Goals with you yesterday and it motivated me to share with you my personal goals for 2013. If you happen to be friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that 2 Timothy 1:7 is my personal Bible verse for 2013. The idea of not living in fear but with “power, love and self-discipline” covers every aspect of my life…both relational, physical, mental, and professional giving me the motivation to try new things this year and experience things that quite frankly would normally scare the heck out of me!

  • The Downside of Success

    Patrick Reyes
    21 Dec 2012 | 6:58 am
    In my last post, I told all of you about my weight loss and exercise program as part of Oakland Christian School‘s Biggest Loser competition.  Well today’s is to give you a little update! On Wednesday, I received an email from Merianne telling us that we are in for a “surprise weigh in” on Friday.  Well, much to my delight, my initial thought was “Nice! I can’t wait to see if I maintained or maybe even lost another pound or 2!” So this morning, I stepped on that scale and I actually GAINED almost 4 pounds!  Not the news I was hoping to get!

  • You’re Not As Healthy As You Think

    Patrick Reyes
    13 Nov 2012 | 3:00 pm
    I’ve always considered myself “athletic” but never “healthy”.  Often times, many people think the 2 are interchangeable but I’m here to tell you they aren’t.  Sure, I’ve been able to play soccer but there were times that I jumped into a game only to feel the painful effects the following day or the next few days for that matter.  When I actually played a season, it would take me at least 3-4 games to get into game shape. I mention all of this to you for a couple of reasons.  First, many of you might be aware of the lifestyle change…
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    33 Charts

  • Should Doctors be Paid to Use Social Media?

    DrV
    18 May 2013 | 6:40 am
    The question of physicians and renumeration for social participation makes great cocktail party, or Twitter, conversation.  If you cornered me around a plate of hors d’ouvres, here’s what I might say: I think we have a responsibility to be part of the conversation.  All of us should be participating in some way.  Optimally we should be making the stuff that starts conversation.  At a minimum we should be contributing to the dialog. But bandwidth is limited.   The translation of great thinking and experience into digital media requires time, energy and rest.  Caring for the sick…

  • Creating Content Beyond Patients

    DrV
    9 May 2013 | 8:20 am
    When we think about doctors using tools of communication, we assume that the only thing they are capable of is creating for patients.  When people look at my blog they say, ‘why would a mother of a child with intestinal problems care about that?‘ I never said that they would. And who said that a physician’s only use of public media is to translate health info?  It’s a great service but its not all we can do.  Our capacity to publish can be used in all kinds of ways.  Advocacy, policy, political action, business development, health awareness, personal reflection,…

  • Doctors, Social Media and Shiny Objects

    DrV
    7 May 2013 | 6:35 am
    Most presentations to physicians on social media don’t do the job that they should be doing.  They focus on the medium rather than what the medium can bring.  They focus on tools rather than the value offered by tools.  The audience only sees the shiny object. Presentations that tell doctors about social media rarely motivate.  Few of us care about computer processors.  But everyone cares about what computers allow us to do. Our focus should be on what a networked public presence can deliver to make our lives as professionals or the lives of our patients better.  Emphasize the…

  • Medical Microcelebrity

    DrV
    1 May 2013 | 9:25 pm
    I like to look beyond the confines of medicine in order to understand medicine.  And I happen to follow a handful of sociologists who bring me things that get me there.  Today I stumbled upon “Not This One”:  Social Movements, the Attention Economy, and Microcelebrity Networked Activism by Zeynep Turfekci  The paper explores a new dynamic borne of the networked age: the microcelebrity. (Unless you have masochistic tendencies or an advanced degree in sociology, I would not try to muscle through this one.) The microcelebrity uses “affordances of social media to engage in…

  • Permanence and the Public Physician

    DrV
    16 Apr 2013 | 3:07 pm
    The idea of permanence is an important concept for the public physician.  It’s important because it’s a new concept.  Since the dawn of civilization medical students and doctors have had opinions, ideas, beliefs and complaints.  Anger and frustration were around long before the digital medium for sharing.  Traditionally remarks went no further than earshot of the nurse’s station or surgeon’s lounge.  Now the news is full of stories of doctors and their offhand remarks caught on Facebook. So the question isn’t can you be frustrated and upset.  The question is what do we do with…
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    Talk It Up!

  • Social Customer Service in Action

    heidim@heidimillerpresents.com (Heidi Miller)
    1 May 2013 | 4:50 pm
    At the GartnerCRM summit, an enlightening session using real customer case studies and data to show the trends and techniques for winning customer service on social media Jenny Sussin, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner with a primary focus on social for CRM, gave this informative session on not only what is happening in terms of social customer management but also how to start initiatives and what to expect when you do. A brief summary of her presentation follows, with some of my own editorial comments thrown in. Approaching Social Considering that 340 million Tweets are exchanged every…

  • Writing your own user manual

    heidim@heidimillerpresents.com (Heidi Miller)
    27 Apr 2013 | 8:27 pm
    The session at #shesgeeky Seattle on writing your own user manual. Write your own user manual from Heidi Miller

  • Real beauty and why it matters

    heidim@heidimillerpresents.com (Heidi Miller)
    17 Apr 2013 | 4:23 pm
    Three days ago, Dove launched a new part of its Campaign for Real Beauty: a forensic sketch artist drew women as they described themselves and then a second time, as others described them. The differences are shocking. Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty has been running successfully since 2004, sporting images of women of all colors, shapes and sizes celebrating their life, experiences and wrinkles as beautiful. This week, the company ran a campaign showing the results of a recent experiment. Dove's PR firm, Ogilvy & Mather, hired Gil Zamora, an FBI-trained forensics artist, to sketch women…

  • Inside the social media mind

    heidim@heidimillerpresents.com (Heidi Miller)
    5 Apr 2013 | 10:46 am
    Yup, it's been a while! My position at the rapidly-growing startup Spoken Communications leaves me very little time to indulge in writing up blog posts. However, I'm still quite actively coaching and speaking, and today, I had the honor of speaking to a group of OS developers at the Hewlett Packard brown bag lunch. I have to admit that I was nervous: what could I teach developers? In my experience, these are some of the smartest and most creative thinkers on the planet. When I asked Mark Atwood, my friend who made the speaking invitation, he said, "We just want to know what you people do all…

  • Why your bank should do customer service on Twitter

    heidim@heidimillerpresents.com (Heidi Miller)
    25 Sep 2012 | 8:29 am
    An argument in favor of Twitter customer service The Financial Brand recently asked if it is wise for financial institutions to offer customer service through social channels such as Twitter and Facebook. The post posits the dangers of establishing social media accounts for customer service. The drawback, it points out, is that engaging with users on Facebook and Twitter will only encourage them to air private complaints about the bank in a public space: Key Question: Do banks and credit unions really want to encourage people to gripe about their organization and its products in public…
 
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    Wave: "tracking how people and brands use social media"

  • BlackBerry Q10: why do consumers buy it?

    Jason Hardman
    14 May 2013 | 2:51 am
    Previous Learning Deficit case studies looked at the Sony Xperia Z, Oreo and Pepsi to show the detailed insights which social media can offer alongside topline volume of engagement. However, our experience shows that truly maximising social insight means asking specific questions where the answer can help brands advance their business and make decisions.   As an example, we looked at owner reviews of the BlackBerry Q10, which is said to be outpacing BlackBerry's flagship Z10, to understand why owners of the Q10 say they bought the model. Our analysis shows that the keyboard accounts for…

  • Driving social media engagement: there is no ‘one size fits all’

    Anders Schonberg
    1 May 2013 | 3:36 am
    Brands need to invest in understanding exactly what gets their fans involved. A few weeks ago, we introduced the Engagement Curve, showing that the proportion of people engaged within a Facebook community drops as the fanbase gets larger. The clients I meet often ask what the key is to an engaged community and there are many best practices out there claiming to provide the perfect recipe, but we wanted to explore this issue ourselves to help provide clients with actionable advice. We investigated successful brands’ strategies, including Mercedes-Benz USA, ASDA and Game of Thrones, to…

  • Pepsi’s Beyoncé campaign suggests relying on social engagement volume can be misleading

    Ben Rogers
    24 Apr 2013 | 5:27 am
    Pepsi's new Beyoncé campaign received 7 million views in three days, but is that the best way to measure its success? Our first article in the Learning Deficit series revealed that social media insight is not just about analysing volume. We identified seven other dimensions in social media, one of those being the topics of discussion which drive engagement. After looking at brands such as Oreo and Sony's Xperia Z, this third case study investigates Pepsi’s 2013 Beyoncé ad. The video shows Beyoncé drinking a Pepsi before dancing to her new single "Grown…

  • Posting regularly and at least once per day is the first step to build Facebook engagement

    Andy Pilkington
    18 Apr 2013 | 3:27 am
    Brands with less than 1% of their community engaging tend to post at irregular intervals, making it hard to build an involved community. A few weeks ago, we introduced the Engagement Curve, showing that the proportion of people engaged within a Facebook community drops as the fanbase gets larger. We also showed that 70% of brands perform below the average. Whilst our previous case studies have looked at how brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Asda or the TV show Game of Thrones are beating this downward trend, this case study looks at ten underperforming brands and what they have in common.  …

  • Sharing professional advocacy in brand communities boosts engagement by 40%

    Leonie Bulman
    9 Apr 2013 | 9:20 am
    Posts sharing professional advocacy resonate better with brand community fans than posts sharing consumer advocacy or none at all. A few weeks ago, we introduced the Advocacy Deficit which shows that brands may be missing the opportunity to turn their large social fanbases into brand advocates. We also looked at how some consumer electronics brands have started to put this right by sharing advocacy contained in professional reviews about their products. We have also seen brands such as HTC, DELL, ACER, Clarins and AVON sharing consumer advocacy from review sites or forums, as well as…
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    Social-Media

  • 5 Things You Shouldn’t Post On Your Social Media Sites

    johnteevan
    14 May 2013 | 1:35 pm
    Social media is a superb item to use for marketing and promotion, but sometimes it can appear annoying to some of your followers without you even realizing it. Begging for “re-tweets” on Twitter is amongst one of the most annoying habits, and that does not include just me. According to David Siteman Garland at Rise to the Top, many users find this motive of begging annoying and many just surpass it when received. Spamming someone’s Facebook wall or Twitter timeline is another massive annoying habit. This includes posting links to someone’s wall or tagging them in pictures they have…

  • My Journey Out of Debt Step #7: Pay Off Your Mortgage Early

    stotw
    3 May 2013 | 7:05 am
    Did you know that the vast majority of self-employed millionaire businesswoman (98%) are home owners? Not only that, but about one in three (34 percent) has a ZERO mortgage balance! One in five has a balance under $100,000, and only 4 percent has a balance of $500,000 or more. (SOURCE: Stanley, Thomas J., Millionaire Women Next Door, p 9). While some may argue that it’s more “tax-savvy” to maintain a mortgage on your primary residence, I perceive the benefits of a zero mortgage balance to outweigh the cons: 1. One of the biggest benefits of paying off your mortgage is…

  • The Future of Publishing and Digital Audiences

    klacy
    25 Apr 2013 | 2:42 pm
    I think we can all agree that we are in the publishing game. Publishers of rich, story bent content ranges from the New York Times to any brand. The changes that are happening in traditional publishing also matter to any marketer. Our ability to shift with changes in technology from mobile to social will be the foundation to success over the next five years. Below you will find a presentation I gave to a publishing conference in Minneapolis, MN. The future of publishing is here and now. Content is kind. The rest is just details. The Future of Publishing and Digital Audiences from Kyle Lacy…

  • 4 Mobile Website Tips

    lspencer
    19 Apr 2013 | 11:17 am
    New and advanced technologies are paving the way in terms of businesses and commerce growth.  New and improved digital platforms are being created every day to help businesses reach out to their target market and generate more sales. If you think digital technologies have advanced at lightning speeds over the past decade, wait until you see what’s in store over the coming months and years. Recent research shows that digital media and technology is expected to grow at even faster rates in the next few years. One of the main forms of digital growth being seen today is mobile device usage.

  • Do You Need To Break Up With A Bad Client?

    stotw
    17 Apr 2013 | 1:11 pm
    Have you ever worked with a client who makes you a little crazy, and brings a ton of stress to your life? Of course you have. We’ve all been there, and today’s episode of She Takes on the World TV has your back. Once you realize you’ve got a bad client on your hands, it’s important to identify how the relationship is interfering with your life so that it becomes clear what you need to do next: Break up with your client. Just like your friends would tell you that you should never stay in a bad relationship, you should never keep working with a client that drains your…
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    Web Ink Now

  • Building inbound marketing assets are not marketing expenses

    David Meerman Scott
    16 May 2013 | 7:03 am
    I get pushback from many entrepreneurs and business owners as well as CMOs in larger businesses about the idea of using inbound marketing because they see the investment in people to create content as a barrier. They say things like: "I cannot find money in my budget to spend $5,000 a month (or whatever the number) on content creation." When I probe, the vast majority of these decision makers are looking at content creation in the same way as they look at other marketing expenses they currently have such as advertising, trade show booths, spending on agency retainers, and printing brochures.

  • My TEDx talk The Need to Explore

    David Meerman Scott
    14 May 2013 | 9:45 am
    The video of my talk was just posted to the TEDx YouTube channel. Direct link to The Need to Explore on YouTube. This is a completely new speech for me with no reliance on the material I use in my keynotes. It was fun (but hard work) to create a brand new talk combining several subjects I am passionate about: space exploration and our ongoing communications revolution. Soon I will post about how I created the talk.

  • How to Pitch a Blogger

    David Meerman Scott
    8 May 2013 | 8:41 pm
    I get several hundred pitches a week from well-meaning PR people. Conversations with other bloggers suggest this is the norm, so now it is as tough to reach a blogger as it is to reach a mainstream journalist. It may be even more difficult since most of us work part-time on our blogs and we devote less time to wading though pitches as journalists. Sadly, nearly all of the pitches I get are just plain spam. But the good news is that I do pay attention to things that people send me. I occasionally write about them. So how do you increase your chances of getting a blogger like me to talk about…

  • How Gareth Fairhurst used content marketing to get elected

    David Meerman Scott
    2 May 2013 | 9:14 am
    Gareth Fairhurst, a local councillor on Wigan Council, has used online communications and social media, including his blog, Twitter @cllrgwfairhurst, and Facebook to communicate with his constituents in Standish, a village in Greater Manchester, England. In 2012 Gareth, an independent, won re-election with twice the number of votes as his nearest major party rival. He credits his content marketing efforts as instrumental in his success. "In the last local elections [May, 2012] I knew I had to try the online experience, as I was an independent candidate and that is always a disadvantage to the…

  • World's worst website

    David Meerman Scott
    29 Apr 2013 | 7:25 am
    I'd like to nominate the English-language edition of the Tokyo 2020 Candidate City website as the worst English-language site in the world. The site is built in support of bringing the 2020 Summer Olympic Games to Tokyo. Where to start. Well anywhere, really. So let's look at content. How about Vision: "Tokyo 2020 will bring together dynamic innovation and global inspiration. It will unite the power of the Games with the unique values of the Japanese people and the excitement of a city that sets global trends. It will be a unique celebration that will help reinforce and renew the Olympic…
 
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    DMM 月額アリスJAPAN ch 新着情報

  • ご主人様はあなただけ 小島みなみ

    DMM
    19 May 2013 | 12:43 am
    128分小島みなみ----アリスJAPANアリスJAPAN女子校生 単体作品 調教・奴隷…

  • 感度良し子ちゃんのいる風俗店 小島みなみ

    DMM
    19 May 2013 | 12:43 am
    148分小島みなみ○○良し子ちゃんのいる風俗店アリスJAPANアリスJAPANキャバ嬢・風俗嬢 単体作品…

  • 大イカセ乱交 水城静来

    DMM
    19 May 2013 | 12:43 am
    119分水城静来大イカセ乱交アリスJAPANアリスJAPAN拘束 乱交 単体作品…

  • デライカセ 朝日奈あかり

    DMM
    19 May 2013 | 12:43 am
    122分朝日奈あかり----アリスJAPANアリスJAPAN単体作品 拘束 電マAVの醍醐味は、女の子が本気でイキまくる姿…ということで、休みなし、誤魔化しなしのノンストップ・アクメLIVEを敢行してみました！後ろから前からハメまくり、性感帯をフル刺激して、拘束立ちアクメにポルチオ直突き、さらに巨根で激ピストンや電マ・イカセ続け…など、パワーFUCKでイッてイッてイキまくってもらいました！！いやはや、これはスゴすぎます！対応OS：Windows…

  • 巨乳が教師になるんじゃねぇ！！ 奥田咲

    DMM
    19 May 2013 | 12:43 am
    119分奥田咲----アリスJAPANアリスJAPAN学園もの 凌辱 単体作品 女教師…
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    We Are Social

  • Next Generation Media

    Dan Calladine
    16 May 2013 | 8:18 am
    Our friend Dan Calladine, Head of Media Futures at Aegis Media, has kindly agreed to share his latest Next Generation Media Quarterly with us.

  • Top Facebook Pages in the UK, April ’13

    Robin Grant
    16 May 2013 | 4:27 am
    Following on from their US report, Socialbakers have just released their top Facebook Pages in the UK April 2013 report. The report delivers the rankings of the most popular, engaging and responsive UK brand and media pages on Facebook, along with the top 3 most engaging individual posts from UK pages this month. They’ve included Global pages alongside local UK pages, ranked by their UK fan count.

  • Top Facebook Pages in the US, April ’13

    Robin Grant
    14 May 2013 | 8:22 am
    Socialbakers have just released their top Facebook Pages in the US April 2013 report. The report delivers the rankings of the most popular, engaging and responsive US brand and media pages on Facebook, along with the top 3 most engaging individual posts from US pages this month. They’ve included Global pages alongside local US pages, ranked by their US fan count.

  • We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #164

    Nick Mulligan
    13 May 2013 | 8:53 am
    Half of Facebook post reach happens in the first half hour Research by Socialbakers has revealed that 50% of the reach of a Facebook page’s posts occurs in the first half hour, and 80% in the first 3 hours. The below chart, based on a sample of 1,000 posts, displays the real-time minute-by-minute increase in reach. Time spent on Google+ far behind Facebook Google+ users spent an average of 6 minutes 47 seconds on the network during March, a far cry from the 6 hour 44 minute average on rival platform Facebook. Whilst this does represent growth from the 3.3 minutes spent in February 2012,…

  • #WeAreTheChampions

    Tom Kelk
    10 May 2013 | 6:08 am
    Apologies for the photoshopping! After finishing a respectable 3rd in their first full season, We Are Social’s new-look five-a-side football squad were primed and ready for anything that could be thrown at them. The 2013-2013 season brought many new challenges: The new territory, new players (and most importantly a new local pub) should have made life difficult but the squad took to it like a duck to water. Despite a rusty defeat in the first game of the season, the ‘Social Warriors were not deterred and they began to grind out win after win. A month went by without defeat and word spread…
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    Communicator

  • Are you M positive?

    jvbakshi
    26 Apr 2013 | 11:44 pm
    Lincoln on money power Today, I heard another pitch from an ‘entrepreneur’, and I was reminded of a similar exchange which I walked away from, some six years back. At that time, I had just put in my papers at Nokia, to start my entrepreneurial journey. And the person, with excellent skills of persuasion and pester power, had cornered me into meeting at a coffee shop. The following discussion, though unimportant, hinged around me, my personal network, and how with just a few hours of work- read display of skills admired above, I could create an income source which grows even when I…

  • There’s a library at the heart of the global village

    jvbakshi
    9 Apr 2013 | 2:06 am
    Deborah Jacobs (@djlibrarian) was quick to pick up the comment I made, at the last board meet of READ( @READglobal), celebrating seven years of operations in India. Deborah and a bunch of others are part of a small and significant movement that has been, over the last 20 years, bringing a model of learning that connects with rural communities in far flung parts of the globe. The story begins with this lady, Dr. Antonia Neubauer, a Lake Tahoe- based travel entrepreneur, who was stumped when one of the sherpas who had accompanied her through a trek in Nepal refused the customary…

  • It’s Complicated!- Media, Messaging, Sustainability and Development

    jvbakshi
    31 Jan 2013 | 9:40 pm
    #DSDS2013 This week, I spent some time attending the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. TERI’s flagship event with marquee names as sponsors and heads of states as speakers, I had expected to be overwhelmed by the quality of thought leadership and statesmanship on display. I am disappointed. Not merely because I was hoping the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to go beyond hyphenating Global Development with Global Sustainability, a quote which was RT-ed all over, including by yours truly. I am disappointed, because Minister Jean- Francoise Lisee, of Quebec is. According to…

  • Social Media and Censorship- When Private becomes Public

    jvbakshi
    27 Aug 2012 | 6:34 am
    I interrupt the series on Millennial Marketing to share the debate and raise a few questions on the unfolding drama of Social Media censorship. For those interested, you can check out the post on Marketing to Millennials here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Time_youcover01.jpg- Time Magazine Cover, Dec 25, 2006 Time magazine put a mirror cover and made YOU, the person of the year and in charge of the Information Age on Dec 25, 2006. Ever since, governments, traditional media, ISP’s have been grappling with the challenges of regulating content. Till recently, governments controlled…

  • The Flip Side of Social Media

    jvbakshi
    9 Jul 2012 | 11:44 pm
    Courtesy- Fashion Magazine: http://www.fashionmagazine.com/blogs/society/2011/11/14/snps-word-of-the-day-millennial/ It’s time to end the silence. And what’s prompting me this time around is the flip side of social media. Having spent almost a year of talking, lecturing, Debating the worth and RoI of social media, and social networks as the BIG, big thing of today, not tomorrow, or 3 years later, but right now, I thought I’d put in perspective the one thought that seems to come up with increasing frequency. Human- centred business, and community-powered social change also has a flip…
 
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    tcapushnpull.com

  • The Art of Hosting a Pinterest Contest

    Ali Maruca, Social Media Coordinator
    17 May 2013 | 10:53 am
    We not-so-long-ago blogged about how Pinterest is a smart social media asset for certain brands. While Pinterest isn’t the new kid on the social media block anymore, it’s still an emerging platform and one of the the latest trends is to host a contest on the virtual pinboard. But how do you go about engaging your followers and connecting with them via virtual bulletin boards? While these campaigns are still relatively new, here are some key fundamentals you need to include when planning a Pinterest campaign: Strategy.The objective for the campaign should absolutely fit smoothly into your…

  • Franchises: Should you Have Local Social Media Accounts?

    Sarah Irish
    10 May 2013 | 1:13 pm
    When we’re sitting down to brainstorm a social media campaign for a client, one of the first things that comes to mind is “how can we make sure this campaign is completely integrated into the existing marketing strategy?” One of the biggest challenges we face in this process is when working with franchises. From a strategic standpoint, it is essential for a franchise to be on social media, at least on the national level. However, many problems can arise when a franchise opens up social media communications to their local franchisees. We see some pros and cons to having local franchise…

  • Have we replaced face-to-face conversations with Twitter, Facebook messages and Gchats?

    Ali Maruca, Social Media Coordinator
    3 May 2013 | 7:58 am
    It’s safe to say that social media has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, right? I remember when Facebook had just started and required a university email address to create an account. Back then, it was literally just a profile picture and an “About Me” section. Fast-forward a few years and you have photo albums, a news feed, chat and private messages. Then Twitter came along and condensed our communication to just 140 characters. Pretty soon, “I’ll friend you on Facebook” or “Follow me on Twitter” infiltrated our personal introductions.  Now, with several social media…

  • Social Media in the Aftermath of Tragedy

    Sarah Irish
    26 Apr 2013 | 11:44 am
    Last week, after terrible tragedy hit Boston we saw strangers band together on social media. Hashtags like #BostonStrong and #BostonBrave were quickly created to help spread awareness and encouragement to victims and their families. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook quickly became news sources pushing out information about the situation. As someone with many close friends in Boston, I can tell you this was both a blessing and a curse. Although there were many positive aspects of social media during this attack, there were many downfalls. The Boston Bombing was the first major attack on US…

  • Metrics & Reports: A community manager’s nightmare made simple

    Ali Maruca, Social Media Coordinator
    18 Apr 2013 | 1:20 pm
    Now that social media has been around for a few years and brands are starting to accept the need to be present on a variety of platforms, social media professionals are now asked on a daily basis to show the fruits of their labor. While so much of what we do is sentiment-based, you may think that they’re asking for the impossible. But the simple answer to their question: ANALYTICS! We do a mix of quarterly, annual and semi-annual reports for a variety of our clients. These reports are customized documents that reflect and evaluate the social media ROI that we have for each client and…
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    Social Media Network - Marketing

  • Social Media BackLinks

    5 May 2013 | 9:55 am
    A very big part of managing and nurturing your Social Media Business / Brand Page is to be found on Search Engines. Other important reasons are Brand Image, Customer Care, Relationship Building etc. Search Engines like Google.com have been long enough on the net to know how to recognize good and healthy links and url. One of the ways to come up ahead on the search engine listings is to have BackLinks. Technically, BackLink is an inbound html code that points to your website. You probably are wondering why you would want a BackLink. This means that,…

  • Acquisition Ideas For Your Facebook Brand Pages - Social Media

    15 Apr 2013 | 8:30 am
    Acquisition ideas for your Brand / Business Facebook Page: This is the process of getting new people on-board. This is the phase where you bring in new Customers and Clients. In order to get people on-board you will need to make a Business decision if you want to do aggressive marketing or have a subtle chronological effort. There are a couple of ways in which you could look at Acquisition:Forums: Join the industry / category based Forums. Forums have a good format of automatic giving your links in your signature. These are really good platforms if used properly. Do not…

  • ​Your Response On Facebook Determines The Future Interaction Of Your Community - Social Media​ ​​

    10 Apr 2013 | 7:22 am
    It is critical to decide before hand on how to go about​ your Social Media Platform.When you work on the various Social Media Platforms it is important to concentrate on your Responses. Response is very critical. Apart from regular Posts you also need to actively respond to the various comments and remarks. Your response to various comments should be well administered. At the very beginning you need to decide what types of comments will be responded. Your framework is to cover both, when you should Respond and when you should not Respond. It…

  • Traps That The Corporates Fall InTo While Working On Social Media

    3 Apr 2013 | 1:26 am
    Social Media is not being talked about but is also practiced by major Business Houses. However not each and every Corporate is well tuned on what exactly is to be done. So, while they are on the Social Media Platform they are not all to-gather there as yet.There are lot of unfortunate situations and traps that the Corporate falls into. Traps that the Corporate falls into: Once the Page is created they feel that they have won half the battle. Not attending to the Page is showing clearly that you are not organised. Just…

  • What Not To Do On Facebook - Social Media

    20 Mar 2013 | 7:07 am
    While Social Media is a great platform it is a sensitive as well for your Brand and Business. Social Media is part of your Marketing. It may not show immediate returns however it is definitely an investment to reap rewards in the future. The whole area of Marketing is based on trial and improvisation. Feedback and addressing issues is the core of Marketing effort. These could be in any form and via any vehicle like advertising wherein we deal with perception, direct marketing where we personalize [we try to] and so on. In this huge sphere we have now Social Media as an…
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    Simply Zesty

  • The Real Reason Why Google Is Overtaking Apple

    Quinton O Reilly
    18 May 2013 | 7:30 am
    What a difference a year makes. Up until recently, Android phones were playing catchup with Apple. Now the tables have turned. Apple is now seen as needing to reinvigorate an OS and apps that’s been viewed by some as stale, while Google is now the brains behind some incredibly exciting technology. Glass would be the obvious example but it extends further than that. More Than Just Tech If Google I/O’s Keynote showed us anything, it’s that the company is not only a wide reaching tech company, but it’s changing the way we approach our lives. Every update had a purpose,…

  • 25 Unmissable Digital Articles To Read This Weekend – 18th May

    Claire Brown
    18 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Every week, we have a look at some of the biggest social media stories that are out there, sift through the thousands of articles on offer and bring you 25 stories that are worth your attention. These are never breaking news stories, but rather some of the deepest thinkers and smartest minds from the world of technology and social media, offering their thoughts and views regarding the biggest stories of the week. You won’t make it through them all in one sitting, but it’ll bring you up to speed with this week’s happenings. So just sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy. - As Of…

  • What a Million Views on YouTube Really Means: The Stats

    Lauren Fisher
    17 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Last week we released our iOS 7 concept video, designed by our art director Philip Joyce. After just a few days we reached a million views on YouTube. It’s certainly a nice number, but we wanted to dig a little deeper and find out what this really meant and how the story had spread over all. It can be tempting to get tied into one big metric when looking at something like this online, but the reality is there’s always a much bigger story contributing to that growth and a complex set of metrics that fuel video views. We’ve analysed traffic, tweets, Facebook Likes and a whole…

  • Control your lightbulbs via SMS, and other things.

    Lauren Fisher
    17 May 2013 | 1:45 am
    You might think that lightbulbs are doing pretty good as they are. You use a switch to turn them on or off and they ususally end up doing the job they’re intended to do. But with technology progressing at a rate of knots today, everyday objects are constantly being revamped and reinvented. The latest example of this is Hue. This lightbulb from Philips can be controlled via an iPhone app so you can control your lighting more closely. For example you can ask it to wake you up by mimicing a sunrise by setting the alarm. That sounds pretty cool already, but yesterday Hue announced it is…

  • Android Announcements: Tracking You Inside Buildings & Your Physical Activity

    Lauren Fisher
    16 May 2013 | 11:48 am
    At the Android seminar at I/O, Waleed Kadous & Jaikumar Ganesh from the Android team announced what they said were “possibly the biggest changes in location since Android was released.” We’re now dealing with a different type of mobile experience, one that relies on contextual apps, where we need our phones to do the thinking for us. The requirement for an app of this sort is different to anything that’s gone before. Specifically, they discussed the need to track location more accurately through Android without draining battery power, and making it easier for…
 
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    optimumexposure.co.uk

  • Social Media Interview with Sharon Cain

    Charlotte Britton
    22 Apr 2013 | 9:25 am
    In this interview we catch up with Sharon Cain from Quest PR. Social media can take different angles depending on the scope and outcome of the campaigns. We talk to Sharon about how blending social media with PR can increase reach and opportunities. Creating a newsworthy content is key to success…so hear how this can work for you.  

  • OnLandscape – Walking the Talk of Social Media

    Charlotte Britton
    18 Apr 2013 | 9:54 am
    Walking the talk when it comes to social media is important as it backs up your credibility  knowledge and know-how. But it’s more than that, it is a USP. Since I started Optimum Exposure four years ago, it’s become a crowded market place with low barriers to entry. There’s so many different aspects of social, whether it’s PR, lead generation, market research, community engagement, or brand awareness. There’s then the different platforms to manage, report and measure your reach and interactions. OnLandscape was set up just over 2 years ago (in those days it was…

  • Hootsuite vs Sproutsocial – which best to monitor your social campaigns?

    Charlotte Britton
    13 Feb 2013 | 10:26 am
    I’ve been using Hootsuite for about a year now, prior to that I was using Spredfast and Tweetdeck.  So what made me decide to change? Reporting in SproutSocial The level of reporting is stunning – and that’s one of the key reasons why I moved over. I run a number of campaigns for clients and reporting is important for measuring the ROI for the social campaigns. Walking the talk is important for me as well – and for one of the other businesses I run, On Landscape, I wanted to measure the reach of our campaigns more efficiently. Understanding the demographics of the…

  • Think Visibility: Building Communities on WordPress

    Charlotte Britton
    1 Sep 2012 | 5:48 am
    I presented at Think Visibility 8 talking on Building Online Communities using WordPress. 2 years ago OnLandscape which is an online community for landscape photographers.  Or should I say an online magazine? It’s been a great 2 years and a good journey, with lots of learnings on the way.  We didn’t invest in the design or technology initially as we wanted to see if the business model worked. Think Visibility 2012: Building Online Communities on WordPress from Optimum Exposure In this presentation I talked abou the learnings of setting up up an online community and how to build…

  • IzziWizziKids Interview: Using Social Media for Customer Research

    Charlotte Britton
    23 Aug 2012 | 7:33 am
    We caught up with Alison Boxall Gordon, founder of IzziWizziKids based in Wakefield, Yorkshire. In this interview we hear from Alison on how she’s used social media to grow IzziWizziKids, an online interactive play forum.  Using videos, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, the online community of parents talking and sharing know-how of kids play has been a great success. Social Proof & Online Shopping Major kids brands are now working with the online community to test drive their new products to get feedback and inout from the parents and children. Alison touches on the topic of social…
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    FutureComms

  • Everything You Need to Know About Agile Marketing

    Paul Sutton
    15 May 2013 | 1:10 am
    It’s been given many names over the last few years, but whether you call it news-jacking, brand-jacking, piggybacking or its latest nomenclature agile marketing, when done well reacting to the news agenda can be one of the most powerful weapons in a PR or social media professional’s arsenal. Social networks, and Twitter in particular, have upped the agile marketing game significantly, with the likes of Premier Inn, Paddy Power and Oreo gaining significant buzz both on and offline as a result of timely interjections published through microblogging. There are essentially two types of agile…

  • The Social Media Brand Winners (and Losers) in Fergie’s Retirement

    Paul Sutton
    9 May 2013 | 12:50 am
    Brand-jacking. Agile marketing. It’s the latest and greatest thing in social media marketing. Coral bookmakers got it spot on last summer when Robin Van Persie left Arsenal with a fast response on-the-ground stunt, and Oreo nailed it when the lights went out at the Superbowl with a now near legendary tweet. And yesterday, as the news of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as manager of Manchester United broke on Twitter, there was another fantastic opportunity for some brand magic. But while the social fleet of foot were quick to react to the news with some quick (and quick-witted) responses,…

  • Is it Time to Scale Back on Social Media?

    Paul Sutton
    4 Mar 2013 | 1:30 am
    Image Credit: Mashable Here’s a question for you: how many social networks are you a member of? Three? Five? Ten? If you’re anything like me, and if you’re honest with yourself, you probably have no idea how many networks and services you’ve signed up to in the last few years and now have profiles on. I’m guessing (and it is a guess) that I probably have profiles on at least 30, maybe closer to 40 or 50 social networks and services. Not only is that just plain ridiculous, but it’s nonsensical from an online security perspective. 40 accounts, many of which are dormant, all…

  • 3 Killer Apps That Could Define the Future of SMS

    Paul Sutton
    22 Feb 2013 | 1:05 am
    Early in the 21st century text messaging became the latest, greatest thing in the communications industry. It exploded firmly onto the scene in 2001 when the number of SMS messages went from 17 billion to 250 billion globally in the space of 12 months. By 2012 this number had climbed to nearly 10 trillion. That’s 10,000,000,000,000. Or ‘a lot’. (source: mobithinking.com) But despite these huge numbers, the humble SMS seems positively clunky in an age of tweets, Facebook messages and even BBM. (Well, maybe not the latter.) While other methods of mobile communications have developed and…

  • Overcoming the Challenges of Blogger Outreach

    Paul Sutton
    20 Feb 2013 | 12:30 am
    A couple of weeks back, blogger outreach platform InkyBee finally came out of private beta after two years in development. Having been party to the development process, I was keen to find out more about what looks like a promising UK-based start up. So I asked Co-Founder of Forth Metrics (the company behind InkyBee) Hugh Anderson all about it… ——————————————————————————————— Where did the idea for…
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    The Sociable

  • Tiny meteorite puts a huge dent in the Lunar surface

    Piers Dillon Scott
    18 May 2013 | 2:57 pm
    Did you raise a pint to Ireland’s national saint on March 17 this year? If you did, let us reassure you that if you saw flashes in the sky you weren’t seeing things. What you were seeing were dozens of meteorites bombarding the Earth and the Moon. And one of those that hit the Moon was so large, and hit with such force, that the impact was visible from Earth with the naked eye. These false-color frames extracted from the original black and white video show the explosion in progress. At its peak, the flash was as bright as a 4th magnitude star. It was also the largest recorded…

  • Google I/O gives us a sexy new Google Maps

    Piers Dillon Scott
    15 May 2013 | 1:16 pm
    Nerd Christmas (aka Google I/O) is nearly over and this year we’ve hit the jackpot. The big man has given us a new Android phone, a new integrated messenger, several improvements to Google+, and, best of all, a sexy new interface to Google Maps. Almost every single Google service (or at least the ones they’re not likely to shutter), has gotten an update this year but Google Maps stands out as the most impressive and important change.  Google has described this as “the biggest change we’ve made to Google Maps since we launched eight years ago,” and it probably is. While a…

  • YouTube and HubSpot to award the best of Ireland’s social media #sockies

    Piers Dillon Scott
    13 May 2013 | 1:47 pm
    Ireland’s social media kings and queens will be crowned on May 30th, at the country’s annual Social Media Awards. And this year the winners will have the added honour of being recognised by two of the largest names in corporate social networking, YouTube and HubSpot. The two companies have been announced as category sponsors for this year’s awards, joining the main sponsor Bord Gáis Energy.  YouTube is sponsoring the Best Video/Video Campaign (Non-Broadcast) category and HubSpot is sponsoring the Inbound Marketing/Content Marketing Campaign category. HubSport’s move to sponsor the…

  • Is YouTube’s freemium paywall a step too far for the social web?

    Ciaran Treacy
    12 May 2013 | 8:18 am
    With YouTube introducing subscriptions and Facebook ads entering your news feed, how can social networks make money without alienating users and brands? This week, YouTube announced that it will begin to create pay-per-view channels, whereby many popular subscription-based channels can now charge users to view content. Effectively, Google is creating an entirely new revenue stream for the site, standing apart from its standard advertising. But the problem Google is trying to solve here is one which has been around since the days Bebo and MySpace; how do you generate income from social without…

  • How to easily find any location’s coordinates with the Google Maps’ app

    Piers Dillon Scott
    11 May 2013 | 10:37 am
    Here’s a challenge. If I gave you two minutes and access to the Google Maps Android or iOS app could you find the precise latitude and longitude of the Eiffel Tower? I wager that you won’t be able to. Sure, you can search for the Eiffel Tower and you’ll be shown its location.  You could even be standing under the thing and, with GPS turned on, you’d still have difficulty getting its geo-coordinates. So, if you’re wondering how you can get the coordinates for any location on Earth, read on below. To find your latitude and longitude, or the coordinates for any location,…
 
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    The Marketing Nut

  • Top 10 WordPress Plugins to Increase Social Engagement and Build Community

    Pam
    17 May 2013 | 9:38 am
    So you have invested thousands of dollars on what you hoped to be a killer website and/or blog. Yet something is still missing.  You are still lacking social engagement. You may be creating the right content but you are making it too difficult for people to share it with their friends and community. Visitors to your site may want to engage with you on other social networks and become part of your community. The problem is they can’t do such if they are not invited. You can’t be too shy in inviting them to join your other platforms. You don’t have to tweet noise at them all…

  • Facebook Case Study: How Not to Manage Your Social Media – Amy’s Baking Company

    Pam
    14 May 2013 | 1:14 pm
    Those who frequent our blog platforms know we do our best to only share positive, helpful information.  However, once in awhile a case study pops up out of no where that we can’t help but share. We can all learn from these situations. I am not going to do some big ol’ synopsis of the drama that is behind and in front of this scenario. I don’t want to be involved, don’t want the drama in my day, life or business.  I will keep it simple and simply share with you the screen capture of their Facebook page. The page and their comments speak for themselves. I don’t…

  • 12 Ways to Delight Your Social Media Community & Audiences

    Pam
    14 May 2013 | 2:30 am
    What do you think of when you think of the word “delight?” Some may think of a huge ice cream cone. My 9 yr old son may think of a $50 gift card to his favorite online game or a super size Slurpee from 7-11. Delight is in the heart of the receiver. What delights me, won’t necessarily delight you the same way. According to Dictionary.com, the word delight is defined as “to please someone greatly.” Notice the key word of “greatly.” Delight does not equal status quo. It does not mean doing, writing, posting, tweeting, pinning, +1-ing the same exact thing…

  • 5 Ways to Grow Your Business with Facebook

    Aaron Lee
    13 May 2013 | 10:27 am
    When Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in his Harvard dorm room back in 2004, his vision was to connect people and get to know one another at Harvard. Since then it has expanded to other colleges and today it has connected over a billion people from around the world. What he didn’t anticipate was how quickly it would pass over the one billion users mark and that it would be used by many businesses as a platform of growth. Today most businesses already have a business page on Facebook and you can hardly find an advertisement without a mention on how to find them there. Last month, Dan Levy,…

  • Social Media for Business: You Must Know Your Audience

    Pam
    10 May 2013 | 6:23 am
    “Why can’t we just skip the social media strategy stuff and create some buzz for this amazing offer we have?” I can’t count the number of times I have been asked this question by clients, students of our social media workshops, attendees at events where I speak, loyal blog readers & even neighbors! Even though I know you want to hear me answer “yes,” to this question, I can’t. When I hear you ask this question, what I really hear is “we don’t want to invest in a real strategy or bother with executing a plan that will bring results. We…
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  • 5 Web Design Mistakes Novices Make

    Lucy Harper
    9 May 2013 | 4:25 am
    As a web designer or business owner, you’ve probably seen it all when it comes to novice web design creations. On the one hand, it’s understandable that small-business owners need to stay within budget while getting their online business up and running. What they don’t understand is that sometimes the shortcuts that save money in the short-run end up costing a lot more down the line. These five web design mistakes are ones you can present to potential customers when trying to help them understand why it’s worth their while to pay for your services. In the end, having a The post 5 Web…

  • Friday Photography Inspiration #89

    Natalie Turner
    26 Apr 2013 | 12:39 pm
    This post is a part of our weekly photography inspiration series. Each Friday we feature some of the most professional and amazing photographs captured by talented photographers from all around the world. Here are latest photographs for your inspiration. If you like this post feel free to share it on Twitter and Facebook. Photography Quote of the Week: “While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see.” – Dorothea The post…

  • Would You Turn Down a High Five From Tom Selleck? No – and You Shouldn’t Turn Down Outbound Links Either

    Thomas McMahon
    24 Apr 2013 | 6:44 pm
    A nasty rumor has been going around the web and it has caused a lot of problems for bloggers, webmasters, SEOs, link builders, and even site visitors and readers. In an effort to hold on to Google’s ever important PageRank, some people are unwilling to link out to other websites and only link internally within their own site. The thought being that linking out to websites will make their PageRank flow right out the door and they’ll lose everything they’ve been striving for. But this is a backwards way to approach the web and it creates a poor web experience The post Would You Turn Down…

  • Friday Photography Inspiration #88

    Natalie Turner
    5 Apr 2013 | 9:30 am
    This post is a part of our weekly photography inspiration series. Each Friday we feature some of the most professional and amazing photographs captured by talented photographers from all around the world. Here are latest photographs for your inspiration. If you like this post feel free to share it on Twitter and Facebook. Photography Quote of the Week: “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” – Ansel Adams &nbspThe post Friday Photography Inspiration #88 appeared first on MachoArts | Design, Social Media, Blogging tips.

  • 7 Useful tools you should use to make web development more efficient

    sandramiller
    1 Mar 2013 | 6:34 am
    Web development is rocket science for most people because it’s demanding and detailed. The development process requires a site map, a design, the code, styling and many small elements to make its entirety. Without using the proper management tools, your web development process risks suffering from inefficiencies, which cost money. This article gives you some of the most effective tools to use in order to have an efficient web development process. Plagiarism checker The technology age is moving so fast and web developers need to move with it. With the number of competitors springing up…