Tuesday, November 8, 2011

PayPal Wallet's Take on Payments- Click here http://bit.ly/rXt6xm for full article

Paypal_google

PayPal Wallet's Take on Payments- Click here http://bit.ly/rXt6xm for full article

The idea of a world where consumers are free from carrying multiple debit and credit cards with them has picked up a head of steam over the last year. The biggest push for this concept may have come from Google Wallet, the company’s NFC-based payment solution. Google’s dream of a future where everyone uses Google Wallet won’t come to fruition if PayPal has any say, though.

PayPal
recently unveiled its new PayPal Wallet interface. Like Google Wallet, the service lets consumers spend anywhere that PayPal Wallet is accepted using a unified account. All a person needs to do is select what account they want to spend from, and either key in a PIN or use a PayPal credit card. The rest is handled by PayPal, without the buyer needing to carry around a card for each of their spending accounts.

The biggest differentiator for PayPal Wallet from Google Wallet is that PayPal’s new service isn’t based on NFC. While Google Wallet requires its users to have an NFC-enabled phone – something that is still a rarity in the world of smartphones – PayPal doesn’t require NFC. It will have support for NFC in the future, it won’t be required. Instead, users can use the aforementioned PayPal credit card or PIN method to verify purchases.

It’s a great idea, and one that PayPal is hoping will allow it to be a leader not just in online payments, but also in offline. When compared to Google Wallet, its largest competitor, the only major advantage that Google Wallet has is that it lets the user choose what payment method they want to use prior to the purchase. PayPal Wallet, meanwhile, uses a default payment method that can’t be conveniently changed prior to each purchase.

To make up for this shortcoming, PayPal Wallet lets its users change their payment method after the purchase has been made. For example, if a person sets their debit card to be their default payment method, then that’s what will be used in all PayPal Wallet purchases. Once that person gets home, though, they can log on to their PayPal account, single out the transaction and switch the funding source for it.

PayPal Wallet promises to be an innovative new service that will allow consumers to spend more while fumbling through different cards less. Because of this, business owners can benefit from implementing PayPal Wallet functionality. It takes away the roadblocks associated with traditional spending, and that means more sales for businesses. And, of course, more business for PayPal.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Release of Siri: What You Need To Know-Click here http://bit.ly/nF4i6q for full article

Siri
The Release of Siri: What You Need To Know-Click here http://bit.ly/nF4i6q for full article

Of all the many upgrades and new features included in the latest iPhone 4S, the most highly anticipated has got to be Siri. In a nutshell, Siri is a digital personal assistant program that's included in iOS 5, the latest and greatest version of Apple's much-lauded mobile operating system. Relying on natural language recognition and artificial intelligence to respond to queries from the user, Siri can do everything you would do yourself automatically without having to push a single button. While there are many similar programs on the market, few attain the level of polish and sophistication that Siri achieves.

Main Features and Benefits
Siri is like having a digital personal assistant within your phone. Using natural language recognition melded with cloud database storage, Siri responds to a user's commands and questions and learns as it goes. In order to launch Siri on a new iPhone 4S, simply hold down the home button. Once activated, you can ask Siri nearly anything you can think of and it'll answer you to the best of your ability. Simply ask Siri “What can you do?" if you're unsure where to start. It'll give you a rundown of the available options and capabilities built in to the service.

Siri's voice-activated web search is impressive enough by itself. But the truly astounding thing is the way in which it organizes and streamlines communication online or on the phone. Due to its tight integration with your contacts, E-mail, and messaging accounts, you can easily fire off calls and SMS messages by voice command alone. If you want to update your Twitter stream or see what other people are saying, Siri's got you covered. It can tell you if you need to grab an umbrella before you leave the office, and even book a hotel room for you if you so desire.

How Siri Will Change The Digital Landscape
It's not an understatement to say that Siri will be a major boon to small and medium-sized businesses that rely heavily on the iPhone to make their work force more productive. Siri's personal assistant technology makes having a secretary for lower-level executives almost redundant. For the rank and file, Siri makes keeping track of appointments and staying on top of deadlines less of a headache. Overall, Siri makes everyone a more effective worker. As Apple's flagship voice recognition software catches on with more and more users, expect to see competition in this sector heat up as Android jumps on the bandwagon and releases a digital assistant application of its own.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Wall Street Protests- Click here http://bit.ly/ptkPFs for full article

Wall_street_protests
Wall Street Protests- Click here http://bit.ly/ptkPFs for full article

Back in August, the self-proclaimed ‘culture jamming’ Canadian magazine Adbusters launched a call to action to all disenfranchised Americans. It was time for the USA to have its ‘Tahrir moment’ they said, and they began a movement to ‘Occupy Wall Street’ with at least 20,000 people.

On September 17, the date finally arrived, and fewer than 1,000 people showed. Only a small shadow of what the original call was. Come next morning hundreds had left, and by Monday the 19th, only two days into the Wall Street protest, a mere 150 committed people remained.

Those who followed the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement expected it to fade out into the background and disappear, obscured by a mainstream media blackout. Now, 20 days in and contrary to early forecasts, the movement has not only grown, but snowballed nationwide beyond the already high expectations of the original organizers.

‘Occupation’ actions are being held and organized in over 200 US cities, including Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and the District of Columbia. It has also grown internationally, with ‘Occupations’ taking place in Spain, Canada, France, Brazil and Greece to name a few.

The occupation movement was originally met with derision and condescension by the media, due in great part by the lack of a cohesive and unifying message. But it may perhaps be this lack of a clear demand what is the most telling about the Wall Street Protests.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama addressed the protests, stating he believes “it expresses the frustrations that the American people feel” and that “the protestors are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works.” It may very well be this generalized message of frustration towards inequality that has made the movement resonate with so many Americans – and draw support from so many varied and eclectic sources.

Increasingly, these grassroots demonstrations against perceived injustice and corporate greed are drawing the attention and support of heavy hitters across the sociopolitical spectrum, like labor unions, Nobel laureates, anarchistic organizations like Anonymous, celebrities, active-duty and veteran US military, politicians and even groups of Tea Party members.

Ironically enough, the NYPD presence which was deployed to contain and disperse the Wall Street protests has only succeeded in helping galvanize public support for ‘Occupy Wall Street’. In fact, on September 23rd the occupation movement was still only a couple hundred strong, but the now infamous video of Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna pepper-spraying female protestors on September 24th played a key role in creating public support for the Occupation movement; catapulting it to the nation-wide pressure group it has become.

With such a broad range of issues ‘Occupy Wall Street’ wants to tackle, as well as the growing number of groups, parties and unions attempting to co-opt the movement into their own agenda, it is extremely hard to tell what the future of this grassroots campaign holds. However, one thing is certain: It has been 20 days and everything indicates it will only get bigger.

Friday, October 7, 2011

The Loss of a Visionary, the Death of Steve Jobs- Click here http://bit.ly/r3QA8F for full article

Steve_jobs
The Loss of a Visionary, the Death of Steve Jobs- Click here http://bit.ly/r3QA8F for full article

Hailed as both a visionary and creative genius, Steve Jobs passed away Wednesday night after a long and mostly secret battle with cancer. In addition to his friends and family, Steve Jobs leaves one the most successful technology companies and a host of innovations that will forever change the world. His family issued a short statement Wednesday, informing the public that he had left peacefully. Although many knew him as a creative genius, the release noted that he cherished his family. They requested privacy as they mourn his loss and committed to setting up a website dedicated to honoring his memory.

In response to the tragedy, many have begun to take a second look at Jobs fantastic life. Some have begun to assemble at Apple retail stores as they remember Jobs and his profound effect on the world. This effect was most recently realizied in the development of some of the most celebrated technological devices, the iPod, iPad and iPhone. The personal device revolution they have inspired is not dissimilar from the success Apple first experienced in the realm of personal computers.

Without Steve Jobs, in cooperation with Steve Wozniak, the computer revolution may have never happened, or at least been significantly delayed. Apple led the industry in personal computing until the 1990’s when the company lost a great deal of its popularity and market share. This coincided with Job’s absence from the company, beginning in 1986 when the creative genius and ended after Jobs returned in 1996 and led the company to release the first iPod in 2001.

Jobs brought more than just technology to the world. The visionary was responsible for number of contributions to society and worked with other corporate leaders like Bill Gates to encourage positive growth in society. He also gave joy and laughter to millions through a number of films produced by his animation company, Pixar. Steve Jobs bought the company in 1986 and after leading it for a number of years, accepted a buy-out agreement in 2006 and became the largest share holder in Disney. He continued to serve as a director until his death.

Apple issued a statement declaring the visionary a mentor to those he knew and an amazing human being to all. Until a website is released, they officially designated rememberingsteve@apple.com as the place to send condolences and appreciate for the man who changed so many lives.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Take Your Best Shot!- Click here http://bit.ly/nEgedy for full article

Dslr_carmra
Take Your Best Shot!- Click here http://bit.ly/nEgedy for full article

It used to be that anyone who wanted to take good display-quality photos would need to invest a lot of money in serious photo equipment. Most people who took photos did so with instamatic-type cameras and were happy to just have personal records to keep for memories’ sake and not to necessarily display.

With the advancement in today’s technology, though, it is now easy and relatively inexpensive for anyone to explore their creative talents with photography. Today, a digital camera comes with almost every cellphone made. For example, the latest iPhone comes with a 5 megapixel camera and an L.E.D. flash. You will find cellphone cameras in use by many teenagers today. They love to send pictures to each other via the Internet and to post them to social networking sites. You will even find many of them sporting iPhones. Whether it be an iPhone or another type of cellphone camera, no child today feels complete without their digital camera.

For a minor investment, a budding photographer can more deeply enter into the world of photography by buying what used to be thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment in one affordable digital camera (typically known as a prosumer camera); a camera that allows the user to go from total novice settings to fully manual. Prosumer cameras typically come with zoom lenses of various focal lengths, some have a very impressive range of zoom—from wide-angle to super-telephoto.

For those who want even more, a modern DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera is the way to go. The DSLR is the camera of choice for those serious about photography, especially for those who make their living taking photographs, such as photojournalists. The DSLR allows the photographer to add myriad accessories such as different lenses to multiple flash units in order to get the shot

In a fast-paced working environment such as photojournalism, DSLRs are the cameras of choice. Photojournalism has become simpler with their use. The photographer no longer needs to wait to get back to the lab to get the film developed. She can now transfer the images directly from the location over the Internet to her editor for review. In some ways, digital cameras could be said to have revolutionized the world of photojournalism.

Digital cameras truly have opened up a new world for many today. There’s never been a better time to enjoy the fun of picture taking.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Why Facebook Needs a Hit- Click here http://bit.ly/pOVBwc for full article

Why Facebook Needs a Hit- Click here http://bit.ly/pOVBwc for full article

Facebook-logo
While Facebook still reigns over the social media kingdom, boasting over 750 million subscribers and $4 billion in sales so far in 2011, the site seems to have hit a snag. Essentially, Facebook hasn't come up with anything innovative in recent years, and is unfortunately falling victim to the curse that so many businesses have fallen victim to; getting too big for your own good. Facebook, it seems, has begun to stray away from their core audience; people that want to interact with their friends. Instead, the site has tried to incorporate a litany of options to do so, leaving many people to wonder just what Facebook is anymore.

In the beginning, the concept was simple. You signed up, filled out some info about yourself, uploaded a picture, started adding people, and before you knew it, you were stalking your friends. Most people enjoyed the fact that it was simple, as the "less is more" approach is a key element to survival on the web. Google has proven this time and time again by remaining minimalist in almost all of its offerings. However, as Facebook has grown in popularity, the site's developers seem to want to cram anything and everything into the site and it seems that no one has told them that the vast majority of users really don't care about this stuff.

For instance, Facebook began offering facebook.com email addresses. What no one stopped to think about was the fact that people already have so many personal email accounts, social network accounts, work email accounts, school email accounts...no one wants another email account! It doesn't matter what the domain name is, it's just that people are overloaded as it is. Facebook has also toyed with pushing its Places feature, but users already had other sites for that. As well, they tested a daily deals type of offering, similar to Groupon. Once again, however, there are already sites for that! Facebook has failed to realize that people want to use Facebook to Facebook, not to do other things.

With all of that said, Facebook has come up with innovative features in the past, and the site in and of itself is innovative, but in order to keep that momentum going, they are going to need to find a simple, useful offering that people will actually care about. Every company is going to have duds from time to time, but the way Facebook's current track record is looking, they may need to wait until next season to have another crack at this year's championship.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Google Plus Open To Everyone!- Click here http://bit.ly/rgxKVq for full article

Google-plus
Google Plus Open To Everyone!- Click here http://bit.ly/rgxKVq for full article

Google has opened the doors on its new Google+ platform allowing anyone join. Over the summer, they had been beta testing this platform to compete with Facebook, and users could only get in by invitation only.

This shift to being open to everyone coincides with recent changes that have frustrated Facebook users. Some of those unhappy Facebook users are seeking an alternative, and Google has opted to be available to those seekers.

Google+

Google+ is a social media platform designed to compete with Facebook. Google's version offers many features that Facebook does not yet offer, or did not offer until very recently. Google+ distinguishes itself with circles, hang-outs, and search capabilities far beyond other social networks.

Circles

On Facebook, you either "friend" a person or "like" a fan page. On Twitter, you follow a user. Both of these platforms offer list functions you can use to sort your connections, but adding people to lists after connections have become unmanageable challenges many social network users.

On Google+, you add people to your "circles." You name each circle, they can overlap (a writer who is also a cousin might appear in both a "writers" and a "family" circle), and no one can see in which circle you have placed him. By forcing users to assign connections to circles at the beginning of the relationship, Google+ helps users manage their lists right from the beginning.

With each post you make on Google+, you are asked which circles you want to share the post with or whether you would prefer it be open to everyone. This helps users consider the level of sharing they will choose for each item.

Hang-outs

Hang-outs are video chats that allow you to have a video conference with up to nine other people. Others can watch your hang-outs, and you can record them for later review.

Facebook does not yet have a video chat option, so Google+ has the competitive edge here.

Search

Of course, Google owns online search at this time, so it is no surprise that they would have search capabilities that others will rush to imitate. The Google+ search function includes posts you are permitted to see via circle connections along with public news and views.

Facebook Stumbles as Google+ Grows

Facebook's recent changes demonstrate they are feeling the pressure to catch up with Google+'s improvements to social networking. Now that Google+ is open to everyone, we can all take a peek and see whether we think Google can compete with Facebook.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

California New Cell Phone Laws-Click here http://bit.ly/p8WyjM for full article

Texting_law
California New Cell Phone Laws-Click here http://bit.ly/p8WyjM for full article

In California, as well as in many areas of the Western world, law enforcement agencies are having to adjust to changes as a result of new media sources like cell phones, mobile media devices, and laptops. In the past, California authorities were able to obtain evidence without a warrant from mobile media devices taken from anyone arrested for a crime that carried such a device, but as a result of recent legal developments, that approach may soon change.

California Sen. Mark Leno has sponsored a bill in the California legislature that would make it illegal to obtain data off of mobile devices such as cellphones without a warrant in the event of an arrest. Previously, due to a January ruling by the California Supreme Court, authorities could conduct warrantless searches of these devices in the event of an arrest, even if the device and the data it contained had nothing to do with the case, and even if no criminal charges were ever filed. The bill has already been unanimously passed and is awaiting the signature of Governor Brown.

The ramifications this change would make are massive. If signed into law, essentially, law enforcement would need to have probable cause to even seek a search warrant to obtain data from mobile devices, even if the information on the device pertained directly to an arrest. Opponents of the bill claim that it would hinder the ability of law enforcement to do its job, leaving police officers and other authorities to waste precious time seeking a warrant, which could be denied.

However, proponents of the bill state that mobile devices do not pose an imminent threat to police, and the current practice of confiscating such devices while in custody eliminates the ability for the suspect to destroy evidence. The real issue, they claim, is that the ability of the police to search a suspect's mobile device without a warrant is a violation of the 4th Amendment, and that if authorities believe they have probable cause, then there should be no issue in getting a legal warrant.

Whether the bill passes or not, what remains to be seen is if there will be further legal challenges to the issue. Just as this bill would over rule the original January Supreme Court decision, it is almost certain that the issue won't end there. Because of the language of the bill, the argument may then become what types of mobile media devices are covered, and what information can be obtained from them. More than likely, the issue will end up back in the Supreme Court in one way or another, but until then, California's legal system is holding its breath.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Facebook Changes- Click here http://bit.ly/pz0iNU for full article

Facebook-logo
Facebook Changes- Click here http://bit.ly/pz0iNU for full article

Along with the September 2011 changes made to Facebook came many angry users. While Facebook has had complaints about changes it has made in the past, the latest round of changes has drawn criticism from even the most supportive Facebook fans, and many users have even vowed to leave the social networking giant for good as a result. The reason for this is because Facebook essentially changed the way the site operates, leaving many users in the dark as to how to even navigate the new system, let alone enjoy its new features.

For many regular Facebook users, the draw to the site was its simplicity. Users posted status updates and could read their friends' status updates in a real time, chronological order via a news feed. This meant that site members could keep up with their friends, family, and coworkers in an easy to read list, all without having to search for information. If someone did not want to have a post or a particular person's posts in their news feed, they could simply choose to hide the post or hide all posts by a particular person. As well, Facebook tailored each ad to the specific post being read at the moment, allowing for more targeted ads relating to what the user found relevant.

Unfortunately, Facebook's ideas for the future of the site have left most users quite unhappy. Most users have a "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" mentality when it comes to internet sites, and unfortunately for Facebook, the site's developers did not share the same view. The new version of Facebook now sorts status updates and posts based on what they think you will want to see. As well, the site now forces users to classify their friends into different categories, such as close friends, schoolmates, etc., meaning users no longer see a list of all updates, and instead only see updates from the people Facebook thinks they should see. Facebook claims that this was done based on user feedback, and that the new layout allows people to see top news stories instead of just updates. While users are still able to see updates from everyone on their friend's list, they now have to sift through updates and fiddle with settings in order to make it a reality, and even then, the system still inundates a user with updates.

The ultimate problem that this will cause is for advertising on the site. Facebook has long been an advertiser's dream, as they could target specific ads to specific users based on specific posts. Now, because users are left sifting through various updates in various places, the targeted advertising methods that made the site so popular among the marketing community may be a thing of the past, leaving advertisers to seek the next big thing in social media. As to whether Facebook will hear the message or not is anyone's guess at this point, but unless they want to become the next MySpace, they may want to turning up their hearing aid.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Is Facebook the Next Big Thing in Music?- Click here http://bit.ly/qPJDnK for full article

Facebook_spotify
Is Facebook the Next Big Thing in Music?- Click here http://bit.ly/qPJDnK for full article

Facebook saw a bevy a new features and changes recently, and while they have been met with mixed reactions, it looks as though they may be just the start of something even bigger. As Facebook gets even closer to a billion users, more changes are coming and this time they have to do with how users share their music. Will these changes make Facebook the go-to site for music?

While illegal file-sharing is certainly not a part of their plans, reports state that Facebook is reaching out with many legal music services to deliver a new sharing experience for its users. For instance, they are partnering with Spotify, which allows users to listen to streaming music for free. In addition to the ad-supported free version, Spotify also offers a paid-for subscription that is completely ad-free. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek spoke at the 2011 Facebook F8 conference to announce that Facebook would be partnering with Spotify. He detailed a plan to have users connect with not only words, but by sharing music as well. Facebook's nearly one billion users will be able to play music shared by their friends over Spotify right from their browser without leaving Facebook at all. He also stated that Facebook's Spotify users are also more likely to purchase music.

These changes to Facebook are sure to please music lovers, but many of the other recent changes didn't sit so well with all of their users. Recent changes to the site include larger photos, a newly designed News Feed complete with live ticker, and a subscription service for users to stay on top of what certain friends are doing. Some are happy with the changes, but others have complained that the changes are simply trying to compete with other sites like Twitter and Google Plus.

Since Facebook is close to a billion users, it is more important than ever for businesses to develop some social networking integration into their business plans. When Facebook users have the option to immediately purchase songs they've just heard thanks to Facebook's partnering with Spotify, the music industry may see untold benefits. These same benefits could come to businesses of all types, but the first step is to integrate aspects of these businesses with social networking sites like Facebook. Facebook holds close to a billion potential customers, and that is something that every business would be remiss to pass up.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

5 Ways To Manage Online Feedback- Click for http://bit.ly/qXKT6v full article

5 Ways To Manage Online Feedback- Click for http://bit.ly/qXKT6v full article

Feedback
Business owners spend much of their time focusing on their marketing campaign and production costs. However, there is one aspect about their business that is really important: Feedback.

If you have been in business for a while, there will eventually come a time when you will receive a negative feedback comment. There is no possible way to satisfy every customer. However, there are some great ways you can manage your online feedback and turn those negative comments into something positive. Here are five ways to manage your online feedback.

1. Embrace the negative feedback

According to some research studies, most negative feedback comments are constructive, approximately 80 percent of them. Instead of allowing negative comments to discourage you, embrace them. Allow your customer's comment to help you develop ways to solve new problems.

2. Discover the real reason behind the negative feedback

No business is perfect, so there will always be dissatisfied customers. However, most negativity stems from the customer's true disappointment, not necessarily at your business, products or establishment. There are typically four different types of negative comments:

.Construtive criticism
.Clear and concise problems
.Justified attacks
.Trolls and spam

Constructive criticism is typically easy to address. The customer has a suggestion, and you should listen to what he or she has to say to decide if it is something that may benefit your business.

Clear and concise problems are negative comments with direct issues. The customer knows why he is dissatisfied and wants you to fix it.

Justified attacks may be customers who are angry, but can not really express their issue to you. You need to do your best to listen to these customers and handle the situation with care.

Trolls and spammers should never be addressed. Do not feed their desire to stir controversy around your company; it may reflect badly on your reputation.

Moreover, never let a disgruntled customer upset you. Always keep a clear head.

3. Respond at the right time

You don't have to respond to every negative comment; however, you should know what types of comments you should address. There are some negative comments that can benefit your business if you address them appropriately.

4. Learn different response techniques

Because every customer is different, you need to address each customer according to his or her personality. With enough experience, you will learn how to address your customers. Moreover, always stay genuine with your responses to negative feedback.

5. Encourage positive reviews

With enough positive reviews, any negative review will have little effect on your company's reputation. You should always encourage happy customers to leave positive responses.

Keep these tips in mind when handling your own online feedback.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

6 Ways To Increase Blog Traffic - Ckick for http://bit.ly/qcZ2g8 full article

Blog_traffic
6 Ways To Increase Blog Traffic - Ckick for http://bit.ly/qcZ2g8 full article

With several million blogs out there on just about every topic imaginable, it can seem impossible to drive plenty of high-quality traffic to your own. A bit of ingenuity and a thorough understanding of how the web works, however, can go a long way towards increasing blog traffic. Here are six tips to make yours stand out:

1. Utilize social media.
Social media sites can help increase your blog's traffic exponentially, if they are used correctly. It can be a simple matter of adding share buttons to each post for the major sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, but you should also consider using these sites more extensively. Social bookmarking sites such as Digg should be used sparingly, as posting links from the same site over and over will be considered spam and can get you blacklisted.

2. Publish fresh content regularly.
The key to quality traffic is to publish quality content on a regular basis. Your posts should be relevant to the blog's purpose, informative, and well-written. New content keeps visitors coming back regularly and keeps search engine spiders crawling your blog.

3. Put effort into getting quality backlinks.
Well-placed backlinks are like votes that tell search engines your site is reputable. Getting quality backlinks is an essential component of any SEO strategy. Social media sites can be used to garner backlinks, in addition to article directories and forums.

4. Comment!
Become an active member of the community by commenting on others' blogs and replying to comments posted on your own. This will encourage others to check out your site and will show visitors that you are a human with genuine interest.

5. Use guest blogs.
Using guest bloggers or guest blogging yourself can be an excellent way to drive traffic to your site. Submitting guest blogs helps create backlinks, and guest bloggers bring their own followers to your site.

6. Understand the ins and out of paid advertising.
If you use forms of paid advertising, such as Google Adwords or other pay per click services, make sure you understand what you are and aren't getting from the service, as well as whether or not it is costing you more money than it brings in. Small business owners with limited advertising budgets may want to focus on free methods of increasing blog traffic before utilizing these programs.

6 Ways To Increase Blog Traffic - Ckick for http://bit.ly/qcZ2g8 full article

6 Ways To Increase Blog Traffic - Ckick for http://bit.ly/qcZ2g8 full article

With several million blogs out there on just about every topic imaginable, it can seem impossible to drive plenty of high-quality traffic to your own. A bit of ingenuity and a thorough understanding of how the web works, however, can go a long way towards increasing blog traffic. Here are six tips to make yours stand out:

1. Utilize social media.
Social media sites can help increase your blog's traffic exponentially, if they are used correctly. It can be a simple matter of adding share buttons to each post for the major sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, but you should also consider using these sites more extensively. Social bookmarking sites such as Digg should be used sparingly, as posting links from the same site over and over will be considered spam and can get you blacklisted.

2. Publish fresh content regularly.
The key to quality traffic is to publish quality content on a regular basis. Your posts should be relevant to the blog's purpose, informative, and well-written. New content keeps visitors coming back regularly and keeps search engine spiders crawling your blog.

3. Put effort into getting quality backlinks.
Well-placed backlinks are like votes that tell search engines your site is reputable. Getting quality backlinks is an essential component of any SEO strategy. Social media sites can be used to garner backlinks, in addition to article directories and forums.

4. Comment!
Become an active member of the community by commenting on others' blogs and replying to comments posted on your own. This will encourage others to check out your site and will show visitors that you are a human with genuine interest.

5. Use guest blogs.
Using guest bloggers or guest blogging yourself can be an excellent way to drive traffic to your site. Submitting guest blogs helps create backlinks, and guest bloggers bring their own followers to your site.

6. Understand the ins and out of paid advertising.
If you use forms of paid advertising, such as Google Adwords or other pay per click services, make sure you understand what you are and aren't getting from the service, as well as whether or not it is costing you more money than it brings in. Small business owners with limited advertising budgets may want to focus on free methods of increasing blog traffic before utilizing these programs.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Flickr Tightens Photo Sharing Privacy Controls- Click here http://bit.ly/rtpm1p for full article

Flickr_geofence
Flickr Tightens Photo Sharing Privacy Controls- Click here http://bit.ly/rtpm1p for full article

Photo sharing and social networking site Flickr has recently rolled out a series of privacy setting options that might redefine the way pictures are shared online. With the release of "geofences", Flickr is aiming to contain the backlash over privacy concerns unleashed by certain geolocation features found in social media platforms.

With geofences, Flickr users can specify a geographic area on a map for which photo privacy controls can be specified. A geofence can be thought of as a radius that circles the geographical location of photos and albums. Once a geofence has been drawn, a Flickr member can choose who gets to see geotagged photos and videos located inside the geofence. For example, a Flickr member may only want to share pictures taken around their children's school with family members. A geofence drawn around the school can effectively limit the number of people who can look at photos taken near the school.

Each Flickr member can set up to 10 geofences which can protect the privacy of photos already uploaded to the site. Future uploads will be automatically protected by the geofences. Creating a geofence is a simple and straightforward process: a Flickr member can search for a location on a map, pick a name for the geofence, specify the radius of the area to protect, and finally choose who gets to see the location info. Before geofences, Flickr members worried about privacy had to pick individual photos and manually remove the latitude and longitude data.

The privacy of information shared on social media has become a hot button issue. The proliferation of location-aware features on new mobile devices such as smartphones has led to vexation over the metadata captured by a device's camera. The advent of mobile photo sharing makes it easy for someone to accidentally reveal their location and street address.

The powerful social networking features of Flickr often encourages members to tag their photos geographically for a variety of reasons. Wondering about where a Flickr photo was taken can be seen as a natural cognitive function, though geotagging may also lead to malicious intent. In the five years that Flickr has supported geotagging, a number of unconfirmed reports and urban legends about privacy breaches have floated around the blogosphere. Geofences may be the strongest response to photo sharing concerns by Flickr thus far; a positive change for a company that has previously been criticized for its slow reaction to such issues.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Music On Facebook!- Click here http://bit.ly/olEowa for full article

Music On Facebook!- Click here http://bit.ly/olEowa for full article

Facebook_music
Adding a music feature to a social networking platform can generally be conceived as a great idea. Music has always been considered to be one of the most powerful social lubricants. For Facebook, the world's largest online social network, what could the unveiling of a powerful music feature mean?

According to recent news reports, Facebook could soon release a new feature that would enable its members to enjoy unlimited free music. Facebook Music, the rumored name for the feature, is expected to be powered by three already-established Internet music giants: MOG, Rdio and Spotify. The formal announcement of the venture is expected to be made on September 22, at the upcoming Facebook conference for developers. Prior to the latest rumors, Facebook may have accidentally leaked information about its musical intentions with the launch of its video chat service. Programmers who read between the lines of code of the video chat application found possible references to a future music service.

To many social media observers, music is the "missing ingredient" in Facebook's quest for absolute domination of the online social networking landscape. The alluring power of free music on the Internet has already been historically proven. Napster and iTunes are just two of the names that have had a profound impact on the way we listen to music. Should Facebook opt to offer free music to be shared and "liked" by its more than 750 members, it may become the most significant source for online music.

Other social media observers, however, are skeptical that music would be an instant rainmaker for Facebook. The doubtful point to the demise of MySpace, one the earliest online social networks to attempt musical integration. Others claim that unless music explicitly becomes a core focus of Facebook, it may not work out as planned. Status updates are at the heart of Facebook. Should the social networking giant be able to effectively integrate music with status updates; it may just become the go-to platform for online music.

What could possibly prevent music from becoming the most significant feature added to Facebook? According to some experts, record companies and music labels may play hardball when it comes to sharing music they could instead be selling to millions of listeners. It is important to note how music has affected other online social networks other than MySpace. For social video-sharing site YouTube, music videos and user-created playlists have attracted scores of music fans and the ire of many record companies.

Monday, September 12, 2011

LinkedIn Makes It Easy To Showcase Volunteering Efforts-click here http://bit.ly/mRSoQo for full article

2011-09-12_250
LinkedIn Makes It Easy To Showcase Volunteering Efforts-click here http://bit.ly/mRSoQo for full article

Business and academic professionals who volunteer their time and skills to their community or for charity are more likely to land a job, according to research conducted by LinkedIn. Based on information gathered from a survey of two thousand professionals, the social networking giant determined that unpaid work experience can have a positive connotation when it comes to hiring.

Many of the professionals surveyed by LinkedIn were hiring managers. Twenty percent of them indicated that volunteer work could be a deciding factor in hiring a job applicant.

Not surprisingly, a majority of the polled professionals reported having volunteered in the past. Community service requirements are growing in colleges and universities. Many professionals also find great freedom in honing their skills by volunteering their expertise or performing unpaid work. And in this current period of extended unemployment, unpaid internships are an alternative for professionals who prefer not to stagnate until a suitable job offer becomes available.

What is surprisingly revealed by the LinkedIn survey is the low number of professionals who actually list their volunteer and charitable experience on their resumes. More than half of the LinkedIn members pointed out that they do not regularly include such information on their resumes.

Ever the proactive social network, LinkedIn has reacted to the survey results by adding a new field to member profiles. LinkedIn members will now see a "Volunteer Experience & Causes" section which they can use to demonstrate their charitable attributes. The social network believes that showcasing volunteer experience is a powerful way for professionals to nurture meaningful connections; not to mention the fact that it can help someone's resume stand out among a sea of others.

When it comes to disclosing volunteer experience during a job search, there are a couple of common misconceptions professionals may fall into. For some people, charitable endeavors are very personal. They may feel that informing their potential employers of their past benevolent efforts may be tantamount to plain braggadocio. Yet other professionals fear that some employers may see them as "easy prey" who will accept low-paying or even unpaid assignments.

LinkedIn members can now search for other individuals who share similar volunteering interests. For charitable organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Make A Wish Foundation, LinkedIn's latest move can help to bolster their volunteer ranks by boosting awareness among LinkedIn members.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

4 Tools For Improving Your Twitter Experience- Click here http://bit.ly/numcTv for full article

Twitter_tools
4 Tools For Improving Your Twitter Experience- Click here http://bit.ly/numcTv for full article

Twitter is a great way to promote your business, build your brand, and increase consumer awareness of your product or service. Most business accounts offer some form of minor customer support or feature deals in an effort to garner more followers. Building your businesses' awareness by using Twitter to spread information about updates and services is extremely effective, but maximizing the time you spend using your business Twitter account can be difficult. Here are five tools to help you get the most from your Twitter experience.

1. TweetWhen

TweetWhen is an invaluable tool that will analyze your past 1,000 tweets and give you a breakdown of the best times per day to tweet and the best day of the week to tweet for your specific term in order to get the maximum amount of consumer response and organic retweets. TweetWhen gives you an idea of when your consumer base is most active, so you can schedule tweets to them based on past performance.

2. Buffer

With the statistics you've gathered from TweetWhen, you probably want to take advantage of your window of opportunity to get tweets to your fanbase. However, you can't be around at the same time every day, especially if you've discovered that your consumers are most active during a time period when you're at work, or you're asleep. This is where Buffer comes in. Buffer allows you to schedule tweets to be spread out through the day, at any time in the day. That way you're tweeting what you what, when you want for maximum effectiveness. The best part is Buffer is available for multiple browsers and even your mobile device, so you never have to go without the service.

3. InboxQ

Becoming an authority in your niche is a great way to gain organic followers who are interested in your updates. InboxQ is a great app that lets you search for user defined filters on Twitter so you can begin assisting people with their questions. By helping people with their problems, your account gains more credibility and you are more likely to be followed and retweeted.

4. TwentyFeet

The final measure of success after you have employed all of these apps in order to boost your Twitter presence is whether or not you're gaining followers, having your tweets retweeted, and whether or not people are talking about your brand or service. TweentyFeet will tell you all of this and more. Consider the service like Google Analytics for tweets, as you can gather information about your retweets, your followers, and your impact overall on the Twitter community.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Business Tips From Facebook

Facebook_logo_250
Social media websites have made it easier for small businesses to market themselves online. Today, it is easy to get the word out about your products and services for free or at a low cost. The major cost you are likely to incur is time. Facebook is the largest social media website and is a great avenue for small businesses to reach their prospects.

The following tips will help you get the most out of your marketing efforts on Facebook.

1) Get found on the web
Ensure customers can easily find your business location online. Use tools such as Google Places and Facebook Places to claim the location of your business. Take advantage of free business listings at Angies List, SuperPages, Google Local Business Center, MerchantCircle, YellowPages.com and Yahoo! Local. Some of these sites allow users to leave reviews about your company or products and this can help you gain trust among new prospects.

At the listings, indicate your business name, URL, hours of business, location and other vital information that your prospects are likely to be looking for.

Read More 2) Become an expert
Marketing is not always about advertising your products. Prospects are in need of valuable content and will reward you by buying and being loyal to your brand if you offer them valuable content. You can create instructional videos, write how-to articles, post pictures and tweet about your business or service. Know your product well and help your prospects and customers know how to use it.

3) Create fan pages
Create a Facebook fan page for your business and interact with your customers or prospects on a regular basis. Use the page to make important announcements about your company, post tips on using your products, answer questions or queries from customers, initiate competitions to build your brand loyalty, among others. Do not talk to yourself; listen to what your customers are saying.

4) Use social media ads
If you want to steadily increase your fan page followers, go for ad funded options. Facebook allows users to initiate paid marketing campaigns. These can be effective when a business has a clearance sale, is looking for new leads, has introduced a new product or has a promotion. Facebook ads can be targeted to be displayed to prospects that meet a set criterion.

The above are some tips that can help any small business that is looking to get into social media marketing on Facebook.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Protect Your Business’s Trademark On Twitter- Click here http://bit.ly/rgRWts for full article

Twitter_bird
Protect Your Business’s Trademark On Twitter- Click here http://bit.ly/rgRWts for full article

Whether you are just starting your business or you are an established company, becoming a presence in social media can be an important step in the promotion of your endeavors. Understanding your options is important, as is interacting with your customers and protecting your trademark. Making the most of your Twitter account is essential in reaping the benefits of social media.

Twitter does not yet have any options for business owners to verify their accounts. This means that there is no official way for customers to know your Twitter is authentic for your business. However, by making your account has high visibility, you can ensure that customers know the account is linked to your company. Placing links from your website to your Twitter account assures that your customers will be directed to the correct account. These links can also be made from your associated Facebook, Foursquare, Google+, or your blog.

When building your Twitter profile, it is vital that you place your brand throughout. Within the profile, note that the account is the official account of your business. Use your company logo, colors, and slogan to help your customers identify the account easier. Customizing your Twitter profile can help to protect your trademark.

While Twitter does not allow you to reserve a Twitter name, there are some options if you have a more common business name. If a Twitter account has a similar name to your trademarked business and they are seemly trying to confuse your customers into following their account, a request can be made directly to Twitter.

If the account is found to be intentionally misleading your customers, Twitter may suspend the account and in turn give you access to the name. Understand that if the Twitter powers-that-be find the account is simply confusing but not misleading, they may give the account user time to rectify the situation and maintain the account. If someone has an account under the trademarked name of your business, Twitter has no commitment to transfer the ownership to you.

Using your Twitter account can benefit your business greatly. Being able to interact with your customers, promote your products and ideas, and provide assistance. Maintaining the trademark of your business is important, allowing your customers to find you easily and network you to their friends and family. By using the appropriate means of trademark security, your business Twitter account can achieve its maximum benefit.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

5 Apps To Manage Business Finance- Click here http://bit.ly/o3Er5w for full article

Finance_apps_smartphones_andriod_iphone
5 Apps To Manage Business Finance- Click here http://bit.ly/o3Er5w for full article

Managing business finances can often be a difficult and time-consuming task. This is true for both small and large businesses. Luckily, there are a growing number of apps that are available that will help business owners save time and be more productive.


Pageonce

A lot of banks offer online banking and mobile apps as well. Depending on the specific bank, these will vary as to their usability and access. Pageonce is an app where the user can review many different accounts all at once. There are also options to set up various alerts and a handy report section where one can see how various accounts are broken down.


Financial Calculator

The able to calculate things such as bond valuation and rate of return can easily be done on the fly with the Financial Calculator. This app is powerful but very simple to use. Calculations are done quite quickly with this program.


TripLog/ 1040

When traveling, it is important to keep track of mileage. TripLog is able to manage several different vehicles and to keep all of this information well-organized. Once the trip is completed, all the information can be easily e-mailed to the office for reimbursement.


Receipts

In addition to vehicle mileage, expenses for purchases and meals need to be appropriately organized for accounting and reimbursement purposes. On the road, it is all too easy to end up with a pocket full of crumpled receipts. With this app, one can easily scan in receipts and organize all expenses.


Bloomberg

While on the go, keeping track of financial portfolios is necessary. With Bloomberg, one can check these as well as other investment news and keep on top of the latest news.


Business does not always take place in an office building. Keeping track of finances must be done while on the road and away from the office. With these five apps, any business owner or executive can keep track of expenses, log receipts and mileage and stay abreast of the latest stock trends and business news. For the savvy business person who must stay connected and connected, he needs these apps.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Social Media At Work- Click here http://bit.ly/o8UaEF for full article

Tlfacebook_logos
Social Media At Work- Click here http://bit.ly/o8UaEF for full article

Hours in a work day: 8. Time spent social networking: 7. The other hour was lunch.

Other than being the butt end of a lot of productivity jokes, social networking has changed the playing field. Like it or not, many people are tuning into sites like linkedin, facebook and twitter for their daily dose of what's going on. Why fight it when you can use that power? You can make social networking a part of every employees daily responsibilities, just enough to satisfy their need to log on.

Facebook became a huge networking tool because it's easy to share information with hundreds of people. You can keep people apprised of new happenings at the company with a simple post to the wall. Have one of your workers in charge of that. How exciting would it be to be the person announcing the new big thing for the company?

Twitter is a great example of where someone's social networking skills can come into play. People love to read tweets. Why? Because they want some juicy gossip about this and that without having to read a huge post. Twitter does that in just a few short words and phrases. Get one of the workers to add a twitter post about something new and exciting happening at your company. You are missing a huge opportunity for your company by telling your workers not to use twitter.

Linkedin does exactly as it's name suggest: it keeps people "linked in". Business contacts are created every day using this tool. Why deprive yourself of that help?

Social networking provides a platform for someone to easily gather information. You know those people that post their homework problems they can't solve on facebook? Why can't your company use that same idea? You can also have a common platform for all of the employees by creating a page and having everyone follow on facebook or twitter to stay informed.

There are of course, things to be noted. It can be very easy to transition from using social networking for work, to just surfing your friends posts. If you assign workers to be in charge of your social networking page, make sure you choose responsible workers. What about everyone else? Vacations allow people an opportunity to recharge their batteries. Think of letting your workers check that celebrities tweet as a mini-vacation. They'll come back recharged. By harnessing the power of social networking, you can keep the workers happy and benefit yourself as well.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Buddy Media Soared $54 Million- Click here http://bit.ly/nwQodP for full article

Buddy_media_logo
Buddy Media Soared $54 Million- Click here http://bit.ly/nwQodP for full article

Buddy Media has recently folded dozens of new high-end companies into its customer base in the first half of 2011, ending up with $54 million Series D funding led by GGV Capital. Buddy Media has situated itself to be the single most important company in the world that is connecting companies to their customers through social media. Many business owners have begun realizing that a marketing campaign with at least one foot firmly in Facebook, Twitter, or any of the other social media sites will have immediate access to over a quarter of a billion potential customers.

Buddy Media set out with a simple goal, to provide companies an easy-to-use platform from which to launch a Facebook campaign. This company has recently evolved into something so much more in recent years. Their software was originally used to make eye-catching Facebook pages with some basic information to offer to business owners and advertising specialists. Buddy Media would instruct companies on which days to make posts, how to optimize every word being read, and how to relate social media directly into more revenue. After their purchase of a handful of smaller companies, Buddy Media is now offering almost every facet of online marketing that any company would need no matter its size.

This social media company has recently taken on some rather large clients including Ford Motor Company, ESPN, and Virgin Mobile USA. They now offer their customers everything from customized Facebook pages, to real-time analytics of their Twitter feeds and Facebook pages. Another key feature that has made this company invaluable to so many is their experience. No other company can compete with the experience of Buddy Media as they have turned the power of social media sites into a blend of art, business, efficiency.

This company lands somewhere between market analyses, graphic design, customer relations, and brand recognition. It was not just ten years ago that this style of market was practically non-existent, and it is now a multi-billion dollar industry that has been streamlined from the bottom up. For the business owner or management, this can revolutionize the way that their company finds and maintains a loyal customer base. There is no easier program to use that will direct countless customers towards a company and drive revenue up than what Buddy Media has established.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

5 Ways To Use Facebook For Your Business- Click here http://bit.ly/obcDAo for full article

Facebook_logo_250
5 Ways To Use Facebook For Your Business- Click here http://bit.ly/obcDAo for full article 

Social networking has become one of the biggest trends for helping consumers and businesses connect. It’s become so important that Facebook recently launched a “Facebook for Business” manual that helps businesses to fully utilize the site’s social networking features. Here are five ways to make the most out of your business’s Facebook page.

Network with Your Customers

TWhile the average person uses Facebook to catch up with friends, businesses network with customers in a different way. A Facebook page allows a business to engage customers by asking them for tips on how to improve, and compliments on what they’re doing right. Businesses can even take this a step further by allowing customer service representatives to handle problems right from the page, with no long-winded e-mails or phone calls required.

Advertising

Facebook’s business pages are convenient in that they allow users to “like” a business. This allows you to have an almost captive audience for your advertising. Customers that “like” your page will see advertisements from your business in their news feed. Not only does this give you more exposure, it allows you to advertise to customers you know are already familiar with and fond of your business.

Website Integration

One of the best features of Facebook for businesses is that it allows you to integrate Facebook’s networking features directly on your business’s web site. This could mean anything from allowing Facebook users to comment on site news, or even allow customers to “like” and share products on your site with others on Facebook. This allows buzz to instantly be generated and transferred from your site to other potential customers.

Using Facebook as a Shopfront

Similarly to integrating Facebook features on your own website, certain parts of your website can be integrated into your business’s Facebook page. Since Facebook allows businesses to customize the tabs on their own page, the possibilities for shopping directly from your Facebook page are endless. Users can add items to a virtual shopping cart without ever leaving Facebook itself.

Special Offers

Lastly, Facebook is a great opportunity for allowing businesses to offer exclusive discounts to users. For instance, a user that “likes” your business’s page could be offered a special coupon. This incentivizes users for helping to promote your business through social networking, all while nurturing a relationship with current customers.

Having a social networking presence is becoming increasingly more important to businesses. Following these tips is a great start to building such a presence for your business.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Facebook Apps Allow Businesses To Use Social Media To Sell- Click here http://bit.ly/nZAkRA for full article

Facebook Apps Allow Businesses To Use Social Media To Sell- Click here http://bit.ly/nZAkRA for full article

The prevalence and ubiquity of Facebook has already made it one of the most attractive platforms for advertising and marketing. The potential for e-commerce on Facebook seems enormous, but thus far the social media giant has not exploded with online shops like eBay and Amazon. Some social networking purists argue that there is no place for online stores on Facebook or Twitter, but economic activity is a significant aspect of the social experience.

One of the reasons why Facebook isn't being overrun with online shops has to do with the site's aesthetics. History has shown that allowing anyone to arbitrarily set up shop on a site is not guaranteed to work. Anyone who is old enough to remember MySpace can remember the uninviting and visually chaotic stores that materialized once e-commerce arrived. Facebook's commitment to maintaining a clean and tasteful interface will never allow garish shops to invade their beloved social network.

Keep in mind that, according to the company, there are more than 750 million active members on Facebook. Half of them log in to the network at least once a day. Facebook's global reach is not only massive, it is also waiting for the right shops to come along.

Leveraging the shopping potential of Facebook is as easy as choosing the right apps. When the company introduced iFrame to developers, it practically left its doors wide open for online stores. Several outfits now offer e-commerce solutions for Facebook, complete with product catalogs, shopping carts, and instant checkout solutions such as PayPal Pro (also known as Website Payments Pro).

TabJuice is one of the leading solutions for online shops on Facebook. The focus of TabJuice is to empower retailers by allowing them to create great-looking and highly functional online storefronts from scratch. Although a high degree of customization in terms of display and layout is possible with TabJuice, the app's built in checks and balances ensure that no retailer ends up with a MySpace-looking storefront.

The integration of PayPal Pro is a major component of the TabJuice experience. PayPal Pro is a payment processing solution that empowers retailers by allowing them to easily conduct credit and debit card transactions. An important feature behind PayPal Pro is that its unique integration allows shoppers to stay in their chosen Facebook store while completing a purchase. As far as pricing goes, PayPal Pro is 14% lower on average when compared to rival merchant processors.

Facebook Apps Allow Businesses To Use Social Media To Sell- Click here http://bit.ly/nZAkRA for full article

Shop_facebook
Facebook Apps Allow Businesses To Use Social Media To Sell- Click here http://bit.ly/nZAkRA for full article

The prevalence and ubiquity of Facebook has already made it one of the most attractive platforms for advertising and marketing. The potential for e-commerce on Facebook seems enormous, but thus far the social media giant has not exploded with online shops like eBay and Amazon. Some social networking purists argue that there is no place for online stores on Facebook or Twitter, but economic activity is a significant aspect of the social experience.

One of the reasons why Facebook isn't being overrun with online shops has to do with the site's aesthetics. History has shown that allowing anyone to arbitrarily set up shop on a site is not guaranteed to work. Anyone who is old enough to remember MySpace can remember the uninviting and visually chaotic stores that materialized once e-commerce arrived. Facebook's commitment to maintaining a clean and tasteful interface will never allow garish shops to invade their beloved social network.

Keep in mind that, according to the company, there are more than 750 million active members on Facebook. Half of them log in to the network at least once a day. Facebook's global reach is not only massive, it is also waiting for the right shops to come along.

Leveraging the shopping potential of Facebook is as easy as choosing the right apps. When the company introduced iFrame to developers, it practically left its doors wide open for online stores. Several outfits now offer e-commerce solutions for Facebook, complete with product catalogs, shopping carts, and instant checkout solutions such as PayPal Pro (also known as Website Payments Pro).

TabJuice is one of the leading solutions for online shops on Facebook. The focus of TabJuice is to empower retailers by allowing them to create great-looking and highly functional online storefronts from scratch. Although a high degree of customization in terms of display and layout is possible with TabJuice, the app's built in checks and balances ensure that no retailer ends up with a MySpace-looking storefront.

The integration of PayPal Pro is a major component of the TabJuice experience. PayPal Pro is a payment processing solution that empowers retailers by allowing them to easily conduct credit and debit card transactions. An important feature behind PayPal Pro is that its unique integration allows shoppers to stay in their chosen Facebook store while completing a purchase. As far as pricing goes, PayPal Pro is 14% lower on average when compared to rival merchant processors.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

8 Tips For Business Homepage Design- Click here http://bit.ly/rux53f for full article

Newmediaplus
8 Tips For Business Homepage Design- Click here http://bit.ly/rux53f for full article

Just like walking into a restaurant or store, your website’s homepage design gives visitors an impression of your business, and helps them decide whether to become customers. Here are 8 tips for business homepage design that will help show your business at its best.

1.) Maintain Your Brand’s Image
Your business’s homepage look and feel should tie in with your other marketing. Use your logo, color scheme and style to reinforce what your business is about. You want your customers to instantly associate the website to your business.

2.) Focus on Your Message
Let your design focus on the message you’d like to deliver to your customers. Too much information can distract viewers, and they may leave without the message you hoped they would take away.

3.) Ensure Your Homepage is Readable
Use fonts and colors that are readable, even for people with less-than-perfect vision. Keep in mind that more people are visiting websites using smart phones and tablets, which makes it even more important to keep things easy to read.

4.) Reduce Scrolling
Keep the most important information within the display size of the typical browser window. Your viewers will appreciate not having to scroll for essential information. Viewers tend to expect scrolling on other pages, so of the 8 tips for business homepage design, use this just for the homepage.

5.) Show Your Business’s Personality
Use your website to stand out from similar businesses by featuring what makes your business unique and fun. Most people prefer to do business with a company that makes it enjoyable.

6.) Keep Customers Up-to-date
When your business is active on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, embed feeds from these status updates to keep your homepage content fresh. One caveat, if you can’t commit to keeping up with social media, don’t use this tip. It will leave a poor impression if your status updates are weeks old.

7.) Use a Featured Image
When your homepage has a featured image, it will show next to the link code when someone shares your homepage on Facebook or Google+. A good featured image entices viewers to click the link to your site.

8.) Remember SEO
If you hope to rank well with the search engines, you’ll have to consider search engine optimization. Your homepage might be light on text, but check your keywords and use them judiciously. Of course, you’ll use behind-the-scenes code to add a page title, description and alternate text on your images. This one of the 8 tips for business homepage design applies to all your pages.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Yes AOL Is Still Around, AOL Advertising- Click here http://bit.ly/mRzrVF for full article

Aol_advertising_logo
Yes AOL Is Still Around, AOL Advertising- Click here http://bit.ly/mRzrVF for full article

American Online has been a cornerstone of the internet since it went online in the very first home. This company has enjoyed high peaks of service as well as multi-year slumps. After Google and other advertisement gurus begun to pick up speed in 2007, it looked like America Online was nearing the end of its lifespan. This was all until AOL took an aggressive turn for the better and began showing impressive profits in the first quarter of 2011. This had made AOL advertising the perfect option for businesses and business owners that are looking for an effective online component to their overall marketing strategy.

One of the changing points for American Online within the past few months is an increased network of advertising mediums including their news operation Patch and the acquisition of Huffington Post. These two news services have recently undergone aggressive expansion into new towns and providers across the country, allowing AOL new platforms from which to launch their AOL advertising tools.

Within the realm of online advertising and publishers, American Online is boasting some impressive numbers as of the beginning of 2011. They are currently in partnership with 91 of AdAge's Top 100 advertisers and 74 of comScore's Top 100 publishers are in their network as well. For businesses looking to expand their reach, this means that AOL advertising has more websites, dynamic ads, and the ability to reach more people with clearer information.

Another key point when determining to advertise with AOL is their rights to a substantial amount of information. America Online's dominance in the internet for so many years has resulted in their vast resources and mediums. From their instant messaging system to an email with tens of millions of users, they have the ability reach countless customers over multiple platforms. They also utilize a team of 50 researchers and developers to create a dynamic system of offering the correct ad to the best customer at the right time.

Whether a business is looking to expand their advertising campaign or become worldwide ad publishers, AOL has become an outstanding tool. Their teams has streamlined the process of signing up, developing ads, and reaching the correct demographics at a great price.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Your Phone Number on Facebook- Click here http://bit.ly/mVhySd for full article

Facebook_contacts
Your Phone Number on Facebook- Click here http://bit.ly/mVhySd for full article

Every time Facebook updates their site with a new information-sharing setting, many people misinterpret the update and send out blasts warning all their friends of the new "privacy invasion." These rumors cause mass hysteria like that unleashed most recently when Facebook launched a new feature called "Contacts," previously known as "Phonebook." According to the rumors, Facebook collects all the phone numbers from your mobile phone and makes them available to all of your friends.

This rumor is completely false. When you download Facebook's app for your mobile phone, your contact list is synced with your friends list, allowing you to get to all the phone numbers in your phone from the Facebook mobile app. The misunderstanding most likely occured because users could see the phone numbers of friends who did not make their phone numbers visible. This made it look like Facebook shared his or her number when in actuality, it was in your phone when you synced it to Facebook.

If you would like to see how the Facebook Contacts feature works, simply log into your profile, click "Accounts" and select "Edit Friends." On the left is a column. Choose "Contacts," and a list of all your Facebook friends and their contact information is displayed. Facebook also uses the numbers in your phone to find friend suggestions which is another feature that has many members of the site nervous.

Even though this feature is not the widespread privacy invasion so many users believed it was, many people are still upset. They feel that Facebook users should not be automatically included in "Contacts", but instead have to actively choose to opt into the feature.

If you are one of the users who do not want your cell phone contacts synced with Facebook, you can remove your imported contacts. It is important that you monitor your privacy settings to ensure that sensitive information you would rather keep private or viewable by only a few different people is protected. For example, posting a phone number accessible by everyone can make that number vulnerable to spamming and telemarketing tactics. Familiarity with privacy settings can keep this under control.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Create Customer Growth with 12 Marketing Strategies for Businesses- Click here http://bit.ly/rqfp0d for full article

Business_strategies
Create Customer Growth with 12 Marketing Strategies for Businesses- Click here http://bit.ly/rqfp0d for full article

Successful business relationships can be accomplished through effective marketing strategies. After all, customers are responsible for a successful business. The following are 12 marketing strategies for businesses that will create customer growth.

1. Banners are great ways to attract attention from passerbys. An employee can stand outside holding up a sign that advertises a bargain or discount on your product.

2. Flyers can be placed in the door hinges of homes. This method is effective because it is non-invasive, customers will see it, and serves as a friendly reminder of your services.

3. Door to door advertising companies can make coupon books to be sold directly to the customer at their home. This service is free to you and canvasers talk to 80-100 people per day about your business.

4. Telemarketers can set appointments and advertise your services in a curteous and polite manner.

5. Radio advertisements are effective because they use catchy tunes that resonate with each listener.

6. A business ad can be placed on online blogs that are viewed by millions of subscribers. These ads might accompany blogs that give how to advice.

7. Television commercials might be a little more expensive and time-consuming, but is the most effective of the 12 marketing strategies for business in terms of reaching a wide, diverse audience at one time.

8. Advertising on blimps that float through the sky make very powerful statements. Companies such as Goodyear thrive on this marketing technique.

9. Booths at summer fairs catch customers when they are relaxed and care free. Use drawings that award winning prizes and inform them of your business in the process.

10. Magnets are great little memorabilia to pass out to customers that they can place on their refrigerator. These are ideal for pizza chains and auto shops because of their convenience.

11. There are many t-shirt design companies and artists that offer great rates to businesses that want to print their logo on fabric. Let other people advertise for you!

12. Billboards are effective because of their large size and customers view them on their way to work, shopping, or other errands.

The afforementioned 12 marketing strategies for businesses are tips for generating more customers. In the long run, reaching a wide and diverse target market is essential to better business.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Disney And Facebook- Two Powerhouses In The Entertainment Industry- Click here http://bit.ly/ok5zok for full article

Disney
Disney And Facebook- Two Powerhouses In The Entertainment Industry- Click here http://bit.ly/ok5zok for full article

Disney is one of the biggest employers in the world. The Disney Crporation owns many theme parks all over the world and the ABC TV network. Like most other businesses, Disney has joined the world of social media through one of the most popular social media networks, Facebook. The Disney Crporation has its own Facebook page as well as having Facebook pages for Disneyland and Disneyworld. There is a separate page for Disney movies, Pixar, which Disney owns, and the Walt Disney Animation Studios. With such a presence on Facebook, Disney has millions of fans following each of their pages.

The Disney Facebook page features pictures of Disney characters as well as interesting facts and statistics about the company. They get thousands of comments on each status update they put on their various pages. Their Facebook page advertises new movies that Disney is releasing as well as classic Disney movies. Disney's Facebook pages also include links to their pages on other social media sites. The various Facebook pages also give out the address and contact information for Disney's offices and theme parks, in addition to offering quizzes about Disney characters and movies.

The Disney Pixar Facebook page contains screenshots from their movies and gives their fans access to trailers for upcoming Disney Pixar movies, as well as including behind the scenes exclusives from some of their movies. Ticket give-aways also appear on the Disney Pixar Facebook page, giving fans a chance to win tickets to the newest Disney Pixar release and information about release parties for movies opening soon.

Each Disney movie gets its own Facebook page to help advertise the movie and get fans excited about upcoming releases from the company. Fans can find out when their favorite Disney movies will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Disney has had unprecedented success due to the advent of social media. Fans can interact with other fans and with the company, in ways that were unheard of in the early days of Disney. Facebook has made it easy for fans to share their favorite Disney movies and characters with people all over the world.