Erik Qualman's Blog, page 509

Drones don’t have Fitbits

When Walmart Fires Back

 

If you thought Amazon was the only one to test flying robots a.k.a drones, well think again. Walmart recently applied to the U.S. regulators for permission to test the flying objects for you guessed it; home delivery, plus curbside pickup, and checking warehouse inventories. The permission request from Walmart goes as follows to “research drone use in deliveries to consumer homes.” And since they’ve been testing the drones indoors for several months, they figured it’s time for outdoor exploration. This is perfect timing since there’s wind the FAA will soon be establishing regulations for “widespread commercial use.”

Their game plan is to make Walmart more efficient,  and as you know it’s a big deal when Walmart gets involved so it’s a safe bet we’ll be seeing more FO’S (flying objects) in the skies soon. (Source MSN)

DON’T LOSE YOUR FITBIT

Hello folks, so we bring you some seamlessly tied news today (literally). MasterCard is taking  a whole new approach when it comes to online payments. Their initiative is to create a better, more fluid payment system. They have paired with some big names like GM, Ringly, and Nymi to produce gadgets that will act as credit cards.

 

Gadgets like key fobs, smart rings, and smart wristbands, and eventually wearable clothing because well, the future is now. MasterCard wants people to be able to rely on more than just their smartphones to purchase items, and make payments. Currently this is only available with the partnership of Capital One, and will be available next year in the U.S. with expansion globally following soon after. Let’s all hope there’s some serious security measures built in. (Source MSN)

Interesting Facts

It’s safe to say we’ve all heard about the Internet of Things. But have you heard these latest facts regarding it? — if not that’s why we’re here (we know you love us) #1 The IoT will connect 1.1 billion devices in smart cities this year,  with an exponential reach of 9.7 billion by the year 2020.

#2 Internet connected devices surpassed the number of humans in 2012. 12.5 billion to 7 billion. By 2020 the number of devices is projected to reach 26 to 50 billion globally. That’s a whole lot of wifi usage going on. (Source Zee News)

We hope you enjoyed today’s SKINNY DIP & have a tremendous Tuesday.

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Why Should You Use Infographics in Your Marketing Campaign?

Infographics are truly awesome for the modern marketer. They can be used in order to increase branding and spread awareness in a way that takes advantage of the fact that most internet visitors do not actually want to spend a lot of time reading large blocks of text. Smart marketers have been incorporating infographics in their campaigns for a long time now while beginners do not understand why that happens. If you do not know much about why infographics are so great in the modern marketing world, keep reading!

Benefits Associated With the Use Of Infographics

Figures And Data Presented With Ease

Data and statistics are important for people but they do not actually want to get exposed to such information in a bullet point list. Infographics solve the problem by making data appealing to the way. Everything is presented in an attractive way that is quite pleasant for most readers.

Really Easy To Share

When you create the infographic, you submit it to various sites and you publish it on your own. When someone sees it, the sharing process is incredibly simple. All that has to be done is to offer the code and to ask the readers to share. That offers backlinks that basically come for free, which is huge for SEO and for awareness.

Really Easy To Scan

So much information is available on the internet about the way in which the online user acts. It has been proven that most of the people simply scan content present on pages. You have to realize this as soon as possible. The infographic will allow the visitor to quickly scan the entire content that is offered.

Easy To Go Viral

Because of the fact that an infographic is really easy to be shared, an infographic has a much higher possibility of ending up viral. Make sure that the content offered is of a high quality, properly researched and unique.

Professional Infographics

This is something that has to be understood at all costs. You need to always use infographics that are professional and that are designed properly. Not all infographics are going to be effective. Make sure that every single infographic used in a marketing campaign is:

Simple – no matter how much information can be offered and how high the value of the content is, the infographic needs to be simple and really easy to follow. Using proper colors and an appropriate font are a necessity.
100% Original – regurgitated content is really boring for the readers. In order to gain attention, it is important that everything is original and properly researched.
The appropriate Length – always limit the infographic to 8,000 pixels. You do not need to offer more since that would simply be too long.

Conclusions

On the whole, it is quite obvious that using infographics is a really good idea for any marketing campaign that can use them. The benefits that were mentioned above are quite obvious. Marketers need to find ways to stand out and infographics can help a lot.

 

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CDN and VPN: Protecting Your Site and Protecting Yourself

In my studies of social psychology, there are two behaviors that pop up frequently. This would be especially true as it relates to a discussion about security. These are the two extreme behaviors. Also, it should be noted that these behaviors do not present themselves as frequently when dealing with professionals who deal with security issues on a daily basis. In other words, these are two extreme behaviors that occur with “security newbies.”

A Brief Look at Some Personality Types

It may seem silly to talk psychology, but it does relate to how people respond to information that they receive. It also relates to how people may avoid receiving needed information that will help keep them safe.

The Ignore-It-Until-Later Personality

For the Ignore-It-Until-Later Personality, the first response is to ignore it. The people who ignore the topic of security are the ones who are likely to say, “Oh, what article? No. I didn’t see it.” They may also go so far as to say they don’t need security for their site. They have it covered because they are using XYZ WordPress plugin. Or, they have it covered because they have someone “on it,” whether that is a person they have hired, their spouse, or the company where they host the site. These individuals may not even realize that they are ignoring the topic of security or putting it off for a later time. It is simply a part of their personality and approach to life.

Before we fault them, we have to realize that we all do it, to some extent. Those things that are not our forte fall a little lower on the list. For example, when was the last time you got an oil change for your car? How about exercise – how is that going? And, the list could go on and on for any of us, eh?

The-Sky-Is-Falling Personality

The other personality type is the one who sees a conspiracy around every corner and is sure that it is coming their way. There may be some truth to what they are thinking, but the balance may be a bit off and maybe that conspiracy is after their neighbor and not them (just kidding). These types of people recognize the concern for security, and they may even be implementing steps to ensure that they are secure, but sometimes the fear factor gets the better of them, and they are either missing the appropriate steps or “over-doing it.”

The Balanced View (the Goal)

This balanced view is the result that we seek. We need to be informed (to ensure our personal and professional security), but we also need to find an approach that is calm and strategic. Now, let’s look at information that we need to reach that goal. To give you a hint, we will be talking about adding a virtual private network and content delivery network to your personal and professional strategy for efficiency, performance, and security.

VPN: Start with Your Home or Office

A virtual private network (a.k.a. VPN) is like an encapsulated network just for you, or just for your company. Ok, honestly, the word “private” is much easier to understand than a work like “encapsulated.”

Let’s take a step back and look at the World Wide Web, otherwise known as the Internet. It is a global network where people are connected from everywhere or anywhere. The idea of a VPN is to create a smaller version of that that also connects back to the World Wide Web as a sort of grouping (network).

Sometimes it is easier to understand what a VPN is by looking at the purpose(s) of the VPN. The two key purposes are security and privacy. Let’s look at these in more depth.

Security

By having a virtual security wall, a firewall, you can protect your identify, profile information, location identification, and IP address. One way that this protection is accomplished is by securing your Wi-Fi. Since many of us use a Wi-Fi set-up at home, this is essential. More and more offices are also using Wi-Fi in a corporate environment. If it isn’t the main method of local area network (and a World Wide Web connection), it is many times the backup solution in those work environments. A VPN provides the opportunity to secure that connection and protect it (and your identity) from the outside world.

Another security aspect that affects Wi-Fi is accessibility to Hackers. If you are using a free Wi-Fi, your system is vulnerable to the online identity thieves, as they grab the info through the insecure method of your connection to the Internet. This is another area where the properly selected and configured VPN can protect you.

Privacy

In the same way that the VPN provides the security, it also uses the same technology to protect your privacy. This protection is important if you would prefer that hackers not have access to what you are doing and where you are doing it. For those who wish to keep their location private, the VPN is a part of the solution to ensure that their location is known only to them.

Some performance concerns that may come to mind might include speed and ease of use. If you have reached the point of deciding that your security and privacy matter enough that you need a VPN, your next questions may include those performance and functionality questions. That is where you will want to come up with a list of what is important to you and check out the VPN services to see if they address your additional issues. For example, in the case of hide.me (inspiration for the list of suggested features for a virtual private network provider), they suggest that their service is easy-to-use (or easier-to-use) and also grants you the speed that you want. These are examples of two items that should be on your list when making that decision. You can visit their site to see other items that extend the VPN service beyond the coverage of security and privacy (like Global TV benefits that are made possible through the use of the VPN).

CND: Secure Your Site

We all want security. Right? We just covered our personal security, and now we are moving on to the security of our website. These days, most businesses (and even private individuals) have websites.

What is a Content Delivery Network?

A content delivery network (a.k.a. Content Distribution Network; CDN) serves many purposes and addresses/solves many issues. One such concern that is often overlooked by those who are new to the concept of CDNs is “hack proofing” the site. In other words, protecting your site against hacking. Gail Gardner, a small business strategist, has written an excellent article on the topic, “Your Site IS Under Attack! Use a CDN to Keep Out Hackers, Scrapers, and Bots.” If you are new to the topic, you will want to visit that article and read up on the concern(s), as well as the solution. Don’t forget to share it with your friends.

The Basic Functionality of Properly Configured CDNs

First, let’s talk about caching. The CDN caches a copy of your site. Have you ever visited a site and found that even when the electricity goes off, you are still able to see the site in your browser? This happens for two reasons. One reason would be that the site was already in your browser tab when the electricity went out, and you never closed it or reloaded/refreshed. The other reason is that the browser cached the web page, and it is now stored on your computer. Another term for this case (in Microsoft terms) is “temporary internet files.” In the same way, a CDN stores versions of your web pages and website on their server.

Some of what CDNs help you accomplish covers the area of performance. For example, CDNs help to reduce the size of the images, and reduce the number of connections (especially dormant connections) to your server (leaving more resources for additional connections). The properly configured CNS also caches the site and is able to determine what type of application (i.e. static; dynamic) is needed so as to cache the content in the most efficient manner.

Protecting Your Site Against the Intrusion

After signing up for your CDN, one of the first steps is configuring your site with that new CDN. When your site is properly configured, this is what happens in the context of the visitors’ experience: the visitors visit the site, and the site triggers the CDN to serve up the cached pages. This alleviates the load (bandwidth) on your main hosting server.

Why is that? Without a CDN, each page is retrieved from the host server as if it is a fresh request. Technically it is a fresh request. The host provider’s server doesn’t know the difference. It sees each request as a full, new request and takes the time to load up the page and serve it to the visitor.

Let’s say that the page dynamically loads your name, your address, and your pet’s name and color. Each time that someone visits your site, that page makes a call to the database (assuming a blog or dynamically loading page) and asks it what the name, address, and pet’s name is. After the database responds with that information, the dynamic page displays it.

What if that same visitor shuts down his computer and goes out for coffee. When he returns, he remembers that he wanted to know more about you and your site and re-visits that page. As soon as he hits the page, that same call is made to the database, requesting the information about you, your address, and your pet.

Does that make sense? Well, it does. Yes, and no. What makes the most sense is for the page to remember that it has been accessed and that it has provided that information. Let’s say that retrieving the information takes two minutes. Let’s say displaying information that it already has takes 10 seconds. Your visitor accessed the “information page” (i.e. about us) twice, for a total of four minutes. Even if the access of that information were the first time, for the first visit, it would only be two minutes 10 seconds if there were a properly configured CDN in place.

That is because the CDN stores that information and rather than involving the database, simply serves up the requested information. A savings of almost 50%, in the example provided.

That CDN path involves the visitor visiting the site > the site accessing the CDN > the CDN accessing the host server (as necessary) > the host server communicating with the CDN (as necessary) > the CDN delivering the page to the visitor. In cases where the host server is not needed (repeat visits to a particular page), the path is even more simplified: visitor > the site accessing the CDN > the CDN responding back to the site > the page delivered to the viewer.

Now that we have the path figured out in our heads you can see how the CDN has the opportunity to deliver data and pages more efficiently. This path also allows the CDN to protect you from bots and hackers. Similar to a VPN or a firewall, the CDN can be configured to watch for those bots and watch for “bad traffic” and block it from receiving the content that is requested.

Remember that path, above, and bypassing the host server when the pages are cached? In the same way, if you do not want bots to access the site, you can configure it in your CDN settings. In that case, the bot accesses the site, which connects to the CDN. The CDN recognizes that it is a bot and responds with a block against the bot’s access to data or content.

When it comes to site attacks, many people only think about the concerns that happen AFTER that attack (i.e. a DDOS attack). However, the best way to protect and secure your site is through a preventative strategy, which includes a CDN. This allows you to track what is happening on your site and discover ways to facilitate better usage and more efficient measures, as well as the security that is needed for your site (i.e. blocking bots, hackers, and DDOS which occurs through the use of bots).

Infographic designed and provided by Incapsula. More at https://www.incapsula.com/cdn-content-delivery-network/.

In Summary

We are looking at solutions for privacy for ourselves, personally. We are also looking at ways to lock down our sites, prevent bots that can cause DDOS, and blocking hackers. We discussed how security could be accomplished through the use of a VPN. The VPN acts as a layer of protection between yourself and the rest of the world.

Note: Keep in mind that there is no such thing as 100% protection. The only way that that is attained is to resist the urge to use the Internet, ever. What we are recommending here are ways to reduce the likelihood of having security issues.

Once you have secured your home or office, the next level of concern is your site. This is especially true in cases of blocking hackers and DDOS (through bot attacks). It is important that your site is protected from hackers and bots. Since your site is hosted on a separate server (not in your home), there needs to be a separate solution. Fortunately, a properly selected and configured CDN alleviates your concerns and protects your site.

Through the use of a properly selected and configured VPN and CDN, you are a long ways down the road of protecting yourself (and your site). You have been able to approach it in a balanced manner and still address the issues adequately. What are you waiting for now?

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Apple’s In Trouble

Apple’s In Trouble

Apple tried to help people out with one of their new features, Wi-Fi Assist. Apple hoped that Wi-Fi Assist would provide users with an easy and consistent experience by automatically switching to data when Wi-Fi is spotty. Well it turns out people don’t like chewing up their data that much. The problem with Wi-Fi Assist is that users can rack up large phone bills because of data usage. Cue unhappy face. One couple was so angry they decided to file a lawsuit. The couple said Apple should be responsible for their bill, and bills of people in the same situation to the tune, or iTunes, of, $5 million of damages. Want to turn Wi-Fi assist off? Here’s the 1-2-3 Skinny: 1] Go to “Settings” 2] Select “Cellular” 3] Toggle the “Wi-Fi Assist” Button to Off. There, we just saved you a cool $5 million. (Source CNET)

What To Say When The Underdog Wins The Championship Game…

Where did you come from? This is what we can all now say to Bing. Microsoft’s search engine has been trying time and time again to be better than Google but hasn’t been successful. Well, Bing is now making a profit…like a $1 billion profit. For the last four years, Bing had been unprofitable. Microsoft didn’t want to give up on Bing and it looks like their bet is paying off. Bing isn’t people’s go-to search engine but it is pushed to – Microsoft phones, computers, and other products. Google is still dominating the search market at 63.9% but Bing is trailing at 20% and Yahoo is a distant third at 8.1%. For now Microsoft will put a Bing cherry on its search sundae. (Source CNN Money)

Quote of the Day: “The future of television is apps.”

That’s what Apple thinks. Last month, Apple announced the remake of Apple TV and the new improved streaming box. Good news Apple fanatics, you can now preorder Apple TV. The 32G will set you back $149 and the 62G will set you back $199. Apple CEO Tim Cook says that, “it’s the golden age of television.” We’ll see if people actually think so. (Source The Verge)

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Easy PPC Tips for Small Business Owners

Small business owners often find themselves trying to advertise on a small budget.  And whilst SEO is often portrayed as the best form of marketing in the long term, PPC can drastically help to improve a brand’s presence in a very short space of time.  If you are a small business owner working to a small budget, keep reading for some easy PPC tips that should help you to achieve an increase in conversions.

Photo by Stuart Miles at freedigitalphotos.net

Use Different Networks Based on Your Campaign

When managing a PPC campaign for the first time, you would be forgiven for believing that advertising on all of Google’s networks is the best plan – after all, that’s what Google wants you to think.  However, whilst this will give your advert a large number of impressions, most of the people who see your ad won’t be interested in what you are selling.  A better idea is to use separate campaigns to advertise separately on each of Google’s networks.  You can then find out which network works best for you and change your campaign accordingly.

Utilize Negative Keywords

In order to save money on your PPC campaigns you want to avoid advertising to people who are uninterested in your product.  One way to do this is to utilize negative keywords.  For example, let’s say that you run an e-commerce store selling computer game downloads.  If you purely sell games, you won’t want people arriving on your site looking for free downloads.  So you can use negative keywords to stop people searching for free games from landing on your website and costing you in clicks.

Don’t Advertise Outside of Your Delivery Zone

If you work as an electrician in the Chicago area, you’ll be wasting money by running a PPC campaign that targets the entire United States.  Likewise, if you run an e-commerce store and only sell goods to people in your country, you won’t want to run a worldwide campaign.  Google AdWords enables you to target specific locations with your campaigns, so make sure that you do this if you don’t want to waste money attracting visitors that you can’t convert into paying customers.

Ask for Help if You Need It

PPC can be an incredibly confusing form of advertising, and unless you know what you are doing, you may end up losing money unintentionally.  Remember that there are PPC firms that can help you to create great campaigns, and Google and Microsoft can also be called by phone if you need help troubleshooting a problem.  Getting individual, personalized help from someone who understands the ins and outs of the program you are dealing with can save you a lot of time, stress, and money in the long term.

By following the tips above, you should not only save money, but also see your conversion rate increase.  Remember, it’s not all about how many impressions your ad receives, it’s more important to showcase your ads to the people who are most likely to convert into paying customers.

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Women Can Benefit Health-wise From Being More Social

Maybe looking on the Internet and social media for every symptom, ailment and health question you have isn’t the best idea – it can be terrifying.

But using it to answer some general health questions about when to make certain lifestyle changes for your health isn’t such a bad idea.

The Internet and social media can offer smart, current information about many health-related topics. You just have to be careful where to look.

Growing Old Gracefully

As people age, there is something said to be said for growing old gracefully and there is something to be said for maintaining a youthful appearance.

For many women it includes things like coloring their hair, keeping their skin looking young, staying on a good exercise program and dressing appropriately.

Social media can be a good tool for help in these areas.

Some Things to Know

Chatting with your social media friends about certain issues can bring in lots of information and opinions, and then it’s up to you to sift through them.

Whether you ask your Facebook friends or post Twitter questions or peruse relevant blogs you can find answers to most any question regarding staying healthy and aging well.

For instance, when looking at the article and the question of “What Age Do I Need to Start Taking Collagen Supplements?” consider:

•           How Do I Deal With Fine Lines and Wrinkles?

•           Should I Take Vitamins?

•           What is a Good Workout Plan for Me to Help Me Look Young?

Clearly, you can pose pretty much anything, and your answers will roll in. That’s why you need to search smartly. Think about what applies to you, your lifestyle and your current health.

Are you looking to lose weight, boost your skincare regimen, and eat healthier?

You may come across some things that just don’t apply to you – that’s okay. Move on and find what does.

Blogs Can be Goldmines

Often when we think social media, Facebook and Twitter come to mind. but there is also much more than that. You can find great health advice in other places, like Pinterest and blogs.

In fact, you can find a lot of good blogs on Pinterest. Once you find ones you like and a writer you can relate to, subscribe.

Not only can the blog itself offer great advice on staying healthy, but you can also learn about from the comment feed.

You can engage here and get more advice from those who have followed the advice, for better or worse.

Blogs offer a great social community with loads of relevant information.

This day and age not only offers great tools for maintaining youth, like personal trainers, hair color and collagen, but it also offers great advice via social media.

Use them all wisely and no one will ever guess your age.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

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Looking Back at Why Google Glass Failed

As we approach the end of 2015, it’s time to begin reviewing what happened this year and look forward to what will take place in the future. And when 2015 is finally in the books, there will be no denying that Google Glass was the single biggest failure of the year.

Sure, Glass could still become a transformational technology down the road, but at this point it’s very unlikely. Most experts outside of Google have already pronounced it dead.

Let’s attempt to unpack where things went wrong.

Google Glass Flops

For the better part of two years, the internet, media, and American public obsessed over Google Glass – hailing it as a technology that would forever change the world. However, here we are at the end of 2015 – the year that Glass was supposed to finally breakout and dominate the consumer marketplace – and most people have never actually seen one of these devices.

If you visit the Glass home page, all you get is a screen that reads, “Thanks for exploring with us. The journey doesn’t end here.” But what if it does? What if the journey does end here? While those inside Google may remain optimistic, most technologists and business experts outside the company aren’t so sure.

5 Reasons Glass Failed

The question remains: How could a sleek device that had so much promise – and was backed by Google – fail before ever getting off the ground? Let’s check out a few of the primary reasons:

1. High Price Tag

For starters, Glass was too expensive. The original price tag was $1,500 for a device that simply ran applications and offered enhanced GPS navigation. While that price point likely would have gone down in the future, it clearly indicated that Google was positioning Glass as a luxury item.

According to Techninsights, who tore apart one of the devices and took inventory, the components inside a single device cost a mere $79.78. And while you have to calculate for labor, marketing, advertising, and profit margins, it’s a bit unrealistic to jump from $79.78 to $1,500. If Google would have priced Glass around $300 – $500, market perception may have been much different.

2. Safety Concerns

From a practical perspective, many consumers were worried about the possible safety concerns related to Glass – especially when it came to driving and operating large machinery. Despite the fact that only a handful of people owned one of the Google Glass devices during beta testing, there was at least one legal case in which a California driver received a citation for “using a monitor” while operating a vehicle. The citation was ultimately dismissed, but it certainly wouldn’t have been the last discussion about safety.

3. Poor Battery Life

If there’s one thing tech consumers hate, it’s poor battery life. Google advertised that Glass would be able to withstand a full day of typical use without needing to be recharged. Unfortunately, few users found this to be true. Many complained that they could only get three to five hours of use from their devices before the low battery sign appeared.

4. Privacy Concerns

As the popularity of wearable devices grows, many are weary of the lack of privacy that comes with these technologies. The problem with Glass was that many people found it creepy. If you saw someone wearing the device, it was only natural to have questions. ‘Are they recording me?’ ‘What is he watching?’ ‘Is she taking pictures?’ The problem with Glass wasn’t that users could record video – any mobile device can do that – but that others didn’t know when you were recording.

5. Lack of Fashion

Finally, you have to consider the lack of fashion. While designed to look sleek, it simply looked strange. Google tried to enhance the visual appearance of the device by offering designer frames, but it did little to help the overall perception.

Glass Has a Long Way to Go

We’re talking about Glass in the past tense – something Google wouldn’t appreciate – but the fact is the technology has a long way to go if it ever wants to be relevant. In addition to dozens of other factors, Google will have to directly address each of the issues mentioned in this article.

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John Brennan – Target of Email Hack

What To Say When Your Friend Hacks Your Facebook Page…

Ugh. Yet another email hack occurred on Wednesday and Thursday this past week. This time the target was CIA director, John Brennan. Wikileaks took it as their responsibility to publish Brennan’s emails which included some documents about the future of intelligence, a memo on Iran, a list of email contacts, and a partially completed security clearance. So who did this? Well what we know is the hackers go by “CWA”, which is short for “Crackas with Attitude”. The members of CWA are all Americans under the age of 22. In an interview, one hacker said, “I view myself as a guy who likes computers, and I don’t like the government either. I’m not a terrorist. I’m a white boy. I smoke pot. And I live in America.” Well then. (Source Daily News)

Quote of the Day: “Technology bulls in the stock market are about to get paid.”

As we all know, technology is taking over the world. Earning reports are now showing that shares of Microsoft Corp., Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are looking to add up to $100 billion in market value. Since the selloff that happened in August, Internet and software companies have been big contributors. Go tech, taking over the world! Maybe you should look into some stock purchases. (Source Bloomberg)

Trouble in Search Paradise?

Facebook has been on a roll recently. They keep announcing and introducing new ideas proving Facebook isn’t going to fade out. Their most recent feature is a search function. This poses a challenge for Google’s search and Twitter’s News feature. Whatever you want to search, Facebook gives searchers a bunch of public posts on that topic. Will people trust their social media site as a search engine? Still TBD but as of now Google doesn’t seemed to be threatened. (Source CNBC)

 

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Tired of Losing Data with Facebook Insights? Here’s Some Different Options

Any admin of a Facebook page is aware of the basic metrics which Facebook allows individuals to see regarding visits, likes, rank, and other page performance data. But compared to more powerful tools, Facebook Insights falls pretty short in terms of giving useful data trends. That’s not to say that Facebook Insights isn’t without perks! For one, it’s free, and for novice users who don’t need detailed data, it can accomplish the job just fine. It also provides raw data, which can be imported into other programs.

Via pixabay.com

The cons? Facebook Insights doesn’t do anything to generate actual reports, and for those who want to be able to segment data into reports on progress, it can be a headache. It also provides limited analysis of data, and has a very poor support system. Help articles are vague and poorly written, and many common terms are often misinterpreted. Facebook Insights, unlike many other programs, also can’t compare progress of pages, apps, or other resources which use Open Graph data side by side. And there’s absolutely no way to compare to competitor data.

Agorapulse

Agorapulse is one of the top social media analytics programs, and managers, and allows users to integrate all their social media accounts… not just Facebook. Its complex algorithms help to provide metrics not just on the pages themselves, but also the users and visitors to them. This helps firms identify active visitors, potential social influencers, and allows multiple users in a firm to access different aspects of management and data. But specifically for Facebook, you get both page and timeline analytics overviews, and can easily compare the data and performance of one page against several others. It’s not free, unfortunately; at the lowest level, one can expect to pay about $30 per month. At higher levels, though, and for major firms, this tool will set you back far more, often making it a choice between paying a big lump sum and doing all the work… or hire a Social Media Management firm.

BlitzMetrics

A strong runner up to Agorapulse, BlitzMetrics operates in much the same manner: it allows individuals to integrate all their social media accounts, even Youtube and Instagram (two social media outlets which many aggregators don’t service) and its data analysis blows Facebook Insights out of the water. It provides detailed reports and summaries for any time period a user selects, and has a half-dozen different graph presets to change the display of information for easy use. Best of all, it provides demographic reports about those who interact with pages.. and those who talk about the brand by age, gender, interests, and other categories. Prices range from $30 a month to thousands.

Komfo

Komfo is another full social marketing suite, which provides a host of apps just for Facebook, and partners with more than a hundred of the leading social media networks. So, no matter what social network you’re on, you can integrate it with Komfo. Komfo allows its users to see performance data not just on pages and groups, but also for Facebook posts, and provides a metric by which you can rate the quality of posts provided. It also has a steller ROI calculation, an influencer leaderboard, and gives summaries of fan activity so that you can see in real-time what your brand’s followers are interested in. Komfo has a proprietary system by which it also shows and rates competitor data, allowing you to see how well you rank in your industry.

PostAcumen

PostAcumen doesn’t provide the great suite of features found in some of the social media data aggregators found above, but they do corner an interesting and essential part of the market. They have a real-time Facebook activity viewer, and have a proprietary popularity rating mechanism for photos. They also provide deeply detailed competition analysis pages, which can provide vital clues on content types, times, and other metrics for social media marketers to capitalize on. Unfortunately, PostAcumen is expensive, costing $120 a month for the lowest tier of service.

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Marty McFly wants his own Flying Car

 

When Your Car has a Mind of its Own..

 

Tesla is not so happy right now and for good reason. Their stock has dropped substantially this week, and here at the Skinny Dip we believe a major reason is because of some video footage recently uploaded to YouTube.

 

Tesla’s new Autosteer feature is intended for highway use only. However that has not stopped drivers from misusing the feature. Videos that have gone viral contain footage of the cars steering the drivers into some seriously dangerous situations. Musk has quoted that the new self-driving capabilities are “beta” features and not fully autonomous. Surprise, surprise this has not stopped people from abusing the features then running to social media to boast. Approval for the Autopilot feature will be coming soon in Europe and Asia & we can expect to see more self destructive videos soon. Be careful what you post & remember don’t selfie and drive. (Source The Verge)

 

May the Force be with You….

 

The galaxy and Twitter are both pretty huge right now, especially after last nights Giants-Eagles game. The out of this world Star Wars trailer premiered during the halftime show, and fans everywhere went nuts for it. The trailer generated a lot of buzz – think 17,000 tweets per minute type of hype. The teams at Twitter and Star Wars are also debuting a new emoji leading to the premiere of the film. Can you say gamechanger. The X-wing emoji which is already in use has been automatically added to fans tweets when paired with specific hashtags. This emoji addition has not been loved by everyone, but others (Mark Hamill) are using the emoji for real power, check out what Luke Skywalker tweeted here. Star Wars Lesson 101 “Your focus determines your reality.” – Qui-Gon Jinn  (Source Adweek)

In Case You Missed It.

 

Yesterday was October 21st 2015,  no big deal right? Well for all you movie lovers out there we’ve been waiting for it since 1989. Yesterday was the day Marty McFly travelled to the future in the groundbreaking cinematic classic Back to the Future part II. Remember the sick Nike’s, flying boards, and oh yeah flying cars. Well we don’t yet have the flying cars or boards, but we’re getting there. Oh, and have you seen USA Today’s front page?  There’s a picture of Marty McFly junior getting arrested, check it out here.    (Source MSN)

Happy Skinny Dip & let’s all spread the word.

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