Apple, Amazon, and more Apple: today's Social 6 News Roundup
Busy day and I'm waaaaay behind schedule. Here's your Social 6 news roundup:
Another Social Bookmarking Start-Up? Wince. Wait, These Two Are Actually Interesting
"As a longtime squinter at Delicious clones, I was surprised this week to see a couple of social bookmarking-type tools that actually seemed quite well-built and distinctive. Will making a product snazzier make it mainstream? Not necessarily. But Clipboard and Mural.ly both caught my jaded eye."
The Dawn Of Visual Social Media
"It’s become clear that social media sites like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram have ushered in visual marketing as a new breakout trend for 2012...if you want real results, you have to show it...it really looks like that today 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'"
The iPhone 5 might single-handedly boost the US' GDP
"Gadget lovers are eagerly awaiting news from Apple's media event in San Francisco on Wednesday, when the company is widely expected to introduce the iPhone 5 after months of rumors. Wall Street analysts — and economists too — will be paying close attention. That's because a new iPhone could provide a huge revenue windfall for the world's most valuable company. It could also lift business for related firms such as wireless carriers, suppliers and accessories sellers."
Amazon holds an event today where it'll launch its new Kindle e-readers & Kindle Fire tablet
"Today is Amazon's turn. The Seattle-based company is holding an event today in Santa Monica, California, where it is expected to launch its new Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablet. An ad, which aired last night, showed the new Kindle e-reader and new Fire."
Restaurants put Social Media on the Menu
"Social media is here to stay but Connolly sees Facebook and Twitter as less relevant for the next generation in terms of restaurants. People will adapt those sites for the long-term, 'like keeping in touch with family, grandkids,' they won’t be searching on them, he predicts.Young people will create their own next-generation social media technology. Whatever form it takes, it will remain a digital form of word-of-mouth, which essentially is what social media really is."
The Choreography of an Apple event
"...when perhaps the most secretive company in tech holds an event, everyone thinks they know what's going to happen -- but no one knows exactly what's going to happen...'It's like the Super Bowl and the Oscars of technology all rolled into one,' Ritchie [editor-in-chief of iMore, an Apple-centric blog] said.
The Social 6: News Roundup, 9/5/12
MistoBox aims to boost your morning Cup of Joe w/the “@birchbox of Coffee”
"A new monthly delivery service, MistoBox, describes itself as “the BirchBox of the micro roasted coffee industry”...the company, which was founded by Connor Riley and Samantha Meis while in an entrepreneurship program at the University of Arizona, launched in June after just passing its Kickstarter goal of $9,000 in funding."
How Pinterest and Instagram are changing your brand strategy
"In 2008, Steve Jobs took the stage at the Macworld Expo and shared what seemed like a startling statistic: “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year…People don’t read anymore.” Many are saying this statement could be seen as a foreshadowing of the explosive growth in visual content. But that wouldn’t really be accurate. Direct marketers have long known this; creating compelling visual content has been at the center of their world for years."
Android dominates Southeast Asia’s smartphone market: Report
"In a study of the major countries in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, 31 percent of smartphones were found to be running Android. Apple’s iOS has about 19 percent of the market with Blackberry, Symbian, and Windows Phone rounding out the remaining shares."
Social Media's Issue: Does It Drive Sales?
"“The next 12 months are the make or break time for social media, but I do think the investments have been there. People have sizable communities and want to make them ROI [return on investment] positive. We will really see if the metrics prove one way or another,” said Maureen Mullen, New York University think tank Luxury Lab, or L2, director of research ."
Wolfram Alpha's new "Facebook Report" lets you be a rockstar at mining your FB data
"Nearly 50% of my Facebook friends are married, which adds up to 123 people total. Meanwhile, 20.1% or 51 of my friends are in a relationship, and 13 are engaged. All this information I now know thanks to a new “Facebook Report” by Wolfram Alpha, which will gift you with more knowledge than you could possibly ever want to know about yourself and your Facebook profile."
Marissa Mayer is now reviewing *every* single serious candidate for employment at Yahoo
"Back in early August, there were reports that new CEO Marissa Mayer intended to do what Google's cofounders have always done: review every single new hire the company makes. Now, according to a Yahoo executive involved in hiring, Mayer is actually doing it....Yahoo has about 15,000 employees and it is hiring all the time, so this is no small task."
The Social 6: News You Missed Yesterday, 8/22/12 Edition
Fifteen-Year Olds Create Reserverr, Hoping To Replace Your Calendar
Talk about starting off young: two fifteen year-olds have founded Reserverr, a site that helps users automatically books reservations free of charge. Billy Gallagher reports for TechCrunch on why this deceptively simple app could make waves.
Gannett buys social media ad company Blinq Media
Traditional media player Gannett, which counts USA Today among its properties, announced that it had acquired Blinq Media, an up and coming firm which develops social media ad campaigns. This is just part of the ongoing trend of traditional media firms buying up rising tech companies so they can broaden their digital expertise, especially on social and mobile channels. I'd rate this as a smart move; the traditional media companies that continue to modernize themselves will win, and the ones that don't will eventually go away. Period.
Predictors of In-App Purchases? Not Having Paid Apps And Playing Lots of Games, Apsalar Finds
In-app purchases are turning into the primary way that many mobile developers make their living. In fact, the majority of the top 25 highest-grossing iOS apps are free to start playing! Analytics company Apsalar conducted a deep dive into mobile apps and spending, as Kim-Mai Cutler of TechCrunch reports.
Dave Kerpen & Likeable Media in Inc. Magazine
Very happy for my friends Dave and Carrie Kerpen, who are featured in this month's Inc. Magazine. The Inc. story features how Dave and Carrie built Likeable Media, the social media and word of mouth marketing agency. Pick up the magazine to read their story, as well as some of the fastest-growing small businesses around. In case you can't tell, I *love* the magazine.
Social Media Fan Advocacy & Loyalty Software roundup, courtesy of @JasonFalls
Social media thought leader (I don't throw that around too often) Jason Falls offers up some great analysis on fan advocacy and loyalty platforms, including 500 Friends, Brandsforce, Zuberance, and more. If you want to understand how to build advocacy and loyalty, and how they're related but different, this is a must-read.
‘Leaked’ iPhone 5 Video Reveals Radical New Design
Gee, there's serious interest in the iPhone 5 launch. Are you honestly surprised? This quick Mashable clip links to the "leaked" video for the iPhone 5 teaser, which indicates a relatively substantial deviation from the iPhone 4 and 4S.