Well, it's been an eventful day here on Planet Earth - at least in the social/digital/tech world. You've doubtless heard of the news about a potential marriage between Facebook and Waze, but there's so much more to read up on, from Google's upgraded Hangouts On Air, helpful new tips & tricks to master YouTube, and SoundTracking (which I recommend) getting even better. Here's your Social 6:
Welcome back, me! It's been my longest break from releasing a Social 6 ever, but for good reason, between prepping to go away and then going away to Munich for the International Health Forum. I'm back in the swing of things, and today seemed like a great day to start back up, with a terrific post from Patrick over at Contactually, Klout's plans to become a more robust platform, and a pretty strong debut from Atlas, the new smartphone-oriented calendar/scheduler. Here's your Social 6:
Plenty of good links out there all over the web today. Come to think of it, most days I find great content with your help. My only wish is that I had more hours in the day to read. Speaking of reading, let's get started, shall we? Here's your Social 6:
Happy April, folks! Since it's the first day of April, I think we can all assume that one of the below stories is a joke, and I'll leave it up to you to figure out which it is. Either way, the leak of Facebook Home blew away everything else as the top story of the day. That being said, there's plenty more must-reads below. Here's your Social 6:
It's funny: there are slow weeks, and then there are weeks -- days, actually -- like yesterday. Pretty much everything that makes up the Social 6 from the last 24 hours is a must-read if you want to keep on top of mobile, digital, and social happenings. Between the Goodreads move, Klout's added focus on Instagram, Facebook's new cover photo rules, and everything else, I'd advise you to get some popcorn and strap in. Here's your Social 6:
Happy March, everyone! Yesterday ended February on a high note, with enough in the way of interesting news & views that some stellar stories didn't even hit the top six. There's plenty below worth a few minutes of your time, from which mobile devices are safer for your business computing, CRM tools of all sorts that you can use to propel your business forward, and the changes to Pandora that might affect your music streaming habits. Here's your Social 6:
A pretty busy day around the social web, with plenty of great examples of social media best practices from the likes of Likeable (pun intended), Alicia Keys, and Arlington Highlands' Instagram campaign. Here's your Social 6:
Man, did you miss a lot over the last 24 hours. You didn't see Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster's iPad Mini predictions, Facebook potentially making a major move into mobile, and Klout's new moves towards taking Perks more mainstream. Without further ado, here's your Social 6:
Is it much of a surprise that Apple news and analysis surrounds their big September 15th unveil of their new products? Not for this fella. That being said, the Planned Parenthood case study and Flipboard news were heavily clicked by my social audience, and I thought Flipboard's foray into commerce could potentially be a move that resonates for a long time to come. Here's what you missed this weekend:
"Is there really a reason for Google and Apple to be scared of the on-going success of Amazon? Apple has been in the mobile business for a while. Google, on the other hand, is a well known software company. And what of Amazon?"
"Crutch words are those expressions we pepper throughout our language as verbal pauses, and sometimes as written ones, to give us time to think...quite often, they do little to add meaning, though. Sometimes we even use them incorrectly. Almost always, we don't need them at all, which doesn't mean we won't persist in using them. Here's our list of frequently used crutches, and what your crutch of choice has to reveal about you."
"When Planned Parenthood first learned that Susan G. Komen was going to cut its funds, there were many pleas made to regain the commitment of nearly $700,000 in funding for 19 affiliates. What exploded when the news went public is a valuable lesson for any nonprofit harnessing social media and traditional media."
"Pandora shares took a pounding on Friday as Apple is reportedly in negotiations with record labels to license content for a Pandora-esque music-streaming service. That's more bad news for a company that already had a lot of it. Its advertising-supported model isn't yet profitable, and its prospects aren't great given the competition...Apple's latest move is just another reminder to Fool analyst Anand Chokkavelu that he recommends Pandora's service but not its stock."
"Flipboard, known for its beautiful “social magazine” on tablets and phones, has just announced the launch of its first in-magazine store on both iOS and Android, in partnership with Levis. This is Flipboard’s first step into ecommerce, and given the popularity of the service, adding a shopping layer could leave a massive impact on the company’s future. Flipboard calls this move a “social catalog,” and it’s especially telling given how monotonous online shopping has become, where long pages of visually-uninteresting grids are standard."
English: The "Made for iPhone" emblem appearing on Apple-approved iPhone accesories. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
"Wed., Sept. 12 -- the long-awaited day Apple fans are expecting to finally see the debut of the sixth-generation iPhone, unofficially dubbed the "iPhone 5" -- is now less than five days away. The highly-anticipated event, scheduled to take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, is also expected to introduce a new "iPad Mini" to Apple's tablet lineup...here are 15 features and tech specs we're expecting to see in the new iPhone at its unveiling this week."
Mike Michalowicz branded himself “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur” back in 2008, yet now he's trying to rebrand himself -- and social media is pushing back! Very interesting story detailing #1 how to brand yourself, and #2 how to think about social media may play a part in making it difficult to rebrand if you're successful at #1.
Another NY Times blog piece that resonated with many of you. Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, offers up some tips for social entrepreneurs looking to turn to crowdfunding.
Haven't heard about Progressive's recent social media crisis? The insurance giant had to deal with a social media firestorm in the past week after a consumer, Matt Fisher, used Tumblr to voice complaints about how Progressive treated his family poorly when the family tried to collect on his deceased sister’s Progressive policy.
It's always fun trying to figure out when the latest Apple releases are hitting stores, and with the iPhone 5 it's no exception. Read this piece to get a sense of when you'll be able to purchase your iPhone 5 at Verizon.
YouTube will at long last be actually offering up mobile ads, giving Google another revenue stream, and helping to lead the way in monetizing mobile. This is going to be huge. Mark my words.
