Erik Qualman's Blog, page 537

Facebook Faces Privacy Lawsuit From Belgian Watchdog

TechCrunch –  Facebook is being taken to court in Belgium by the national data protection watchdog over the tracking of non-users via social plugins. Last month the Belgian data protection authority (DPA) issued a recommendation on this point. It’s now stepped up action by filing a civil suit, due to get an initial hearing this Thursday, according to DeMorgen.

The action follows a detailed and highly critical report, commissioned by the Belgian DPA earlier this year, which slammed Facebook for a lack of transparency around its data collection practices and for, in the authors’ view, a raft of privacy violations of European law — including failure to secure valid consent from users for processing their data and building online profiles, and for “problematic” opt-outs for behavioral marketing, among other issues.

Since then the Belgian DPA has focused its follow up on issues raised in the eighth chapter of the report — which focuses on the tracking of users and non-Facebook users via cookies and social plug-ins distributed around the Internet on other websites and apps.

The DPA says months of discussions with Facebook have failed to yield the answers it has sought. This in part appears to be down to Facebook refusing to recognize the jurisdiction of the Belgian DPA to act on these matters. It’s arguing that it’s the role of the Irish DPA to rule on data protection issues pertaining to its business, given that’s where Facebook’s European headquarters is located.

Bringing a judicial case against Facebook in Belgium is the DPA’s attempt to get clarity on this jurisdiction point — as well as seek answers to its questions on Facebook’s tracking of non-users. DeMorgen notes it is the first time a European DPA has taken Facebook to court for failing to respect privacy laws, although a European class action privacy lawsuit against Facebook, led by privacy campaigner Max Schrems, is ongoing in Austria.

“First of all we want that Facebook recognizes the Belgian applicable law. That’s the first point. But we also want that the non-users of Facebook cannot be tracked anymore,” a spokeswoman for the Belgian DPA told TechCrunch.

If the Belgian courts grant jurisdiction in this case it could open Facebook up to additional lawsuits from other European data protection regulators with similar concerns.

In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a Facebook spokesman said: “We were surprised and disappointed that, after the CBPL had already agreed to meet with us on the 19th June to discuss their recommendations, they took the theatrical action of bringing Facebook Belgium to court on the day beforehand.

“Although we are confident that there is no merit to the CBPL’s case, we remain happy to work with them in an effort to resolve their concerns, through a dialogue with us at Facebook Ireland and with our regulator, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner.”

Facebook is still due to meet with the Belgian DPA on Friday for further discussions, but the DPA spokeswoman said the issue of the tracking of non-users was of such urgency it felt it had no choice but to take legal action.

“The tracking of non-users it’s so urgent that we could not wait for this so that’s why we said to Facebook ‘okay you don’t want to answer our questions about why you track non-users then we will have to take legal steps’,” she added. “They gave replies to us but not on our questions about why do you track non-Facebook users. How do you do this, why and what do you do with the collected data?”

The earlier report commissioned by the DPA includes the following explainer on how Facebook tracks users and non-users via social plugins and cookies:

Facebook places cookies whenever someone visits a webpage belonging to the facebook.com domain, even if the visitor is not a Facebook user. For non-users, one of the cookies placed by Facebook (called “datr”) contains a unique identifier and has an expiration date of two years. For users, Facebook uses a range of additional cookies which uniquely identify the user. Once these cookies have been set, Facebook will in principle receive the cookies during every subsequent visit to a website containing a Facebook social plug-in. Facebook will also receive additional information, including the URL of the webpage visited as well as information about the browser and operating system. This means that:

● Facebook tracks its users across websites even if they do not make use of social plug-ins,

and even if they are not logged in; and

● Facebook tracking is not limited to Facebook users.

Facebook’s “Like Button”, the most popular Facebook social plug-in, is currently present on more than 13 million sites, covering almost all website categories including health and government websites.

Addressing this specific concern in a previous statement, Facebook pointed out that use of cookies for ad targeting purposes is a widespread (and, as it stands, legal) practice across “virtually all websites” — noting also that it complies with opt-out requests via the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance.

“Cookies have been an industry standard for more than 15 years. If people want to opt out of seeing advertising based on the websites they visit and apps they use, they opt out through the EDAA, whose principles and opt out we and more than 100 other companies comply with. Facebook takes this commitment one step further: when you use the EDAA opt out, we opt you out on all devices you use and you won’t see ads based on the websites and apps you use,” Facebook noted.

Article by Natasha Lomas for TechCrunch 

Thumbnail from Shutterstock

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How to Enhance Your Speaking Engagements Through Social Media

Whether you’re a professional speaker for a living or speak as a way to grow other areas of your business, social media is powerful tool when it comes to enhancing your speaking engagements. Social Media can drive attendance, create buzz, build trust and strengthen relationships with your audience even before you take the stage. In this post, you’ll learn what I do on social media before, during and after a speaking engagement. These tips have helped me optimize my experience as a speaker for the audience, the event producers and my own business.

BEFORE THE EVENT- A great way to demonstrate your value to the event producer or organization who invited you to speak is to help promote both your own session and the entire event. With social media, there are many authentic ways to do this.

Offer a promotional code: If the event you’re speaking at is a paid ticketed event, they may offer promotional codes for different groups and organizations. Ask to get a custom code to pass on to your network. This allows you to offer value to your followers when inviting them to your event. This also increases the chances that your network may share the code with their friends so the event gains publicity to new audiences.
Create buzz through a ticket giveaway contest: Ask if you can get a complimentary entry to give away. I have done this in the past for high value ticketed events and the event organizers have been more than happy to provide me with tickets when I explain the benefits of hosting a contest. You will supply a demand to those who want to attend, increase the value of your business by creating a relevant promotion and showcase benefits of attending your speaking engagement. You can host the contest on your own website or one of your social networks.
Post tips as teasers for your presentation: Choose some main points in your presentation and turn these into short “Tip of the Day” posts. You can create short videos, images, or write the tips in 140 characters or less for Twitter.  Start posting these around 2 weeks before your speaking engagement. The tips are designed to educate your audience and also serve as teasers to hook them into wanting more information at your actual presentation.
Write your own blog post about your speaking engagement: This doesn’t need to be a long post, but it’s an opportunity to direct people to your own website when posting about your speaking engagement on your social networks. Give a brief background about the event and organization. Link back to the event website where people can register to attend. If you’re offering a promotional code include this in your post. You can even host your contest here.
Use the event hashtag early and often: Find out what the official event hashtag is and start including it in all of your content. This way when people search the hashtag before the event, they’ll get directed to the content you have been posting. This also increases the chances of you showing up as a top result through hashtag searches on Twitter.

DURING THE EVENT- When you’re on stage speaking, you have some control of the content your audience will be posting. Take advantage of this unique opportunity by allowing the audience to easily engage and interact with you.

Promote your Twitter handle during your presentation: I have been to many presentations where I want to Tweet a quote or fact I just learned and cite it back to the speaker but I have no idea what the speaker’s Twitter handle is. During your introduction, let people know they can follow you on Twitter, or better yet have your Twitter handle visible during the presentation. One way to do this is by having it on all of your slides.  By providing the audience with your Twitter handle, you’re empowering them to cite you in their Tweets about your presentation which provides more credibility to those reading the Tweets and may prompt others to follow you.  Another clever opportunity to promote your Twitter handle during a presentation is to have it on the laptop you’re using for your presentation.



Create a specific hashtag for your session- You have already been promoting the actual event hashtag so people are familiar with it. Add on to the hashtag so it’s specific to your session. For example, when attending SXSW, the main hashtag is #SXSW. However, individual sessions have their own hashtags such as #SXSWSports, #SXSWBranding, etc. Promote your specific hashtag during the event along with your Twitter handle. This allows you to track buzz, tone and sentiment during your talk.  If you’re speaking at a large conference with many other speakers, this also allows the updates from your specific session to stand out to people following the general conference hashtag and it’s a lot easier for you search for the Tweets related to your talk to reply back directly.
Encourage the audience to Tweet questions: Now that you have a specific hashtag for your session, encourage users to Tweet questions with the hashtag during your presentation. This allows your audience to ask questions as they come to mind. Q & A is sometimes reserved at the end of presentations. Many times, people have questions but forget to ask by the time Q & A comes up. By allowing them to Tweet questions through your talk, you understand patterns of interest and areas where your audiences would like more explanation. Some conferences have people monitoring Twitter questions and then use them for the Q & A. Whether this is done for your speaking engagement or not, I encourage you to take some time after your presentation to review and reply to the Tweets directed to you.

AFTER THE EVENT- A proper follow up to event attendees is a great way to grow your network and business.

Offer incentives to connect on social media: Provide incentives for people to join you on social media. Perhaps they can continue getting more tips through your Facebook page or ask you additional questions on Twitter to continue the conversation. Be genuine when letting people know how they can connect with you. Only ask people to Tweet you if you intend to reply. Only ask people to join you on Facebook if you plan to post relevant content.
Make your presentation available for download online: I personally make my slides available online through SlideShare. Some people disagree with giving away your content, but your slides are a guideline of what you discussed during the talk, they don’t give away all of your secrets. SlideShare allows people to easily share your presentation on social media or download it and use it for their own reference.
Collect social media testimonials: Review the online conversations that occurred during your presentation (which can be easily tracked by your hashtag) and take screen shots of posts that can serve as positive testimonials. This includes people thanking you, quoting you and praising your work. They can even be short and sweet. Testimonials are a great tool to help you get hired for future speaking engagements.

Have you tried any of the tips listed as a speaker? Do you recommend any other social media tips speakers can use? Comment and tell us below.

 

 

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BlackBerry is reportedly planning a switch to Android

Mashable - BlackBerry may release an Android smartphone this fall.

BlackBerry is considering a new smartphone that will run Google’s Android operating system in a bid to win back customers it ceded to the iPhone and Android smartphones, Reuters reports. BlackBerry’s existing devices currently run its own BlackBerry 10 operating system.

The Android-powered smartphone, which will reportedly launch this fall, will sport a slider form factor with a QWERTY keyboard hidden underneath a la BlackBerry’s previous Torch. It’s unclear if the device is the same slider device the company teased at Mobile World Conference earlier this year.

Switching over to Android would give BlackBerry users access to Google’s massive ecosystem of apps; BlackBerry 10′s weakness has always been its lack of apps. Recent BlackBerrys like the Passport and Classic support the Amazon App store’s Android apps, but the selection there still pales in comparison to what Google has in its Play Store.

“Android is part of BlackBerry’s strategy to pivot to focus on software and device management,” the report states. Releasing an Android device is a vote of confidence in the company’s BES12 device management system used by enterprises and government to manage devices on a many different operating systems including Android, iOS and Windows.

With less than 1% of the smartphone market share, trying something new might not be a bad idea for BlackBerry.

Article by Raymond Wong for Mashable

 

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Social Media Financing More Information on Annuities

You may hear about annuities and wonder if that is something you should be investing in, but you’re not really sure what annuities actually are. You’re not alone.

But where do you start in your search for annuity information?

One great source often overlooked is social media.

Social media can be a great tool for research in almost anything, including annuities.

Take a look for at these tips using social media to find information regarding annuities.

As the following article looks at, before long, you may be an annuity expert yourself.

Social Media and Annuities

Among the tips to remember:

• Use your own social media to find an annuities expert. Ask your Facebook friends or do a LinkedIn search.

• Take a look on Twitter and hashtag annuity basics or annuity information or annuity experts. Follow some of the experts’ Twitter feeds, and you can get some thorough information here.

• Check out some LinkedIn profiles for annuity experts. You can look at the people your friends recommend or find your own through social media. Search through until you find an expert that suits your needs.

• Read blogs. Blogs are one of the best sources of information out there. You will find all sides and all opinions, so it’s a great way to sift information and see where you stand, what questions you have and where you want to go with this.

Annuity Quick Facts

• The most common/basic types of annuities consist of deferred and immediate annuities.

• Many people buy annuities to supplement their retirement pensions and savings.

• People in many different situations invest in and buy annuities, from grandparents looking to provide for their grandchildren to small business owners who have sold their businesses.

• Annuities are actually an insurance product as much as an investment.

• Annuities have some drawbacks that should be considered as well as the positives for buying them.

At the end of the day, annuities can seem confusing. They have their pros as well as cons, so it’s worth it to do that research before buying/investing in them.

While they are not right for everyone, they could be just the thing you’re looking for to help out financially with the years to come.

The best thing to do is use the Internet to help your research (including social media) and find a knowledgeable, honest expert to speak with.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Why Not to Leave Your Social Media Reputation on Auto Pilot

Before the internet, all of us enjoyed a comfortable buffer of hypocrisy. We found it easier to appear to be whoever we wanted. Our private lives were exactly that: private. It was a lot easier to pick and choose what portions of your life were the knowledge of whom. But the internet changed things, as countless politicians’ scandals and embarrassing Facebook moments have proved to us. At this point, we’ve all just got to face it: if we do it, chances are someone online will know about it. That is why a new breed of online reputation managers, like Repumatic.com, have surfaced in recent years.

Image via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It might not seem like you need someone managing your reputation online. And that’s fine, if you have the luxury of not caring a single bit what anybody thinks about you. But for the rest of us who live in the real world, it’s probably that we’ll need some help scrubbing up our web presence if we want to get anywhere in life. Here are some examples of why that’s the case…for more of us than you might think.

1)    You Can’t Tell the Future. This is a big one. You don’t know how you are going to want to be perceived many years from now. You may not care right now about those party photos from last Saturday that popped up on Brooke’s feed yesterday. Because you are young and invulnerable, with a Devil-may-care attitude. But you, the 36-year-old mother of two may care a lot. You, the politician running for state senate in 22 years, may care quite a bit. You, the guy dating a new girl that you like very very much, may care about having those images forever visible online. Not only do you not know what you’ll be involved in years from now, you also cannot anticipate future technologies. It’s possible that today’s mistakes may be more visible in the future than they are today, and it’s important that you get the jump of these things before you really need to.

2)    Your Reputation Builds Your Future. You can’t predict your future, but you can help create it. And your online reputation is going to do the heavy lifting for you. Our economy and our jobs are just going online, more and more. Chances are, the person you are going to be, the career you are going to enjoy in years to come, is going to be dependent on having a very digital version of yourself front and center for all the world to see. In order to create the future-you brand, you’ve got to be very conscious about the kind of words and phrases are spoken about you, associated with you, online. Keywords, phrases, and branding sites all determine how visible you are online, and in what way. Decide now the concepts that you wish to be associated with your brand, and build those words into the way your online reputation operates.

As you can see, there’s no way to predict how you’ll be perceived online, today or in the future. But it’s possible to have a hand in dictating how your personal brand evolves, future-proof and ready for whatever comes. Start now, and you’ll have the online reputation that you need. And hire the professionals when you need them. They know how to do all of this better than you do yourself.

As you can see, there’s no way to predict how you’ll be perceived online, today or in the future. But it’s possible to have a hand in dictating how your personal brand evolves, future-proof and ready for whatever comes. Start now, and you’ll have the online reputation that you need. And hire the professionals when you need them. They know how to do all of this better than you do yourself.

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Social Media Making for Healthier Senior Citizens

As you age, it’s important to take care of your health and find people who can assist you in your day-to-day living needs.

Each year, roughly one-third of Americans over the age of 65 will fall, according to the National Council on Aging.

In addition to falls, elderly individuals are more likely to get sick, they may suffer from diabetes or heart conditions, they may be overweight and more.

Social media can help play a positive role in maintaining your health as you age.

How to Put Social Media in Play

Social media can help you stay informed.

The biggest benefit of social media on your health is it can help you stay informed and up to date on ways to stay healthy.

For example, the flu shot is recommended to everyone, but especially to infants and the elderly who are both more likely to get the flu and suffer more serious symptoms. By following your favorite healthcare websites, you’ll be reminded of when to get your flu shot.

You’ll also be alerted of any illnesses that are spreading across the country and be given necessary precautions you should take to minimize your chances of contracting the illness.

Don’t Neglect Your Health

There are many things in addition to social media that the elderly can do to stay healthy.

For starters, visit the doctor regularly.

Have your vision checked (for safe driving), your weight monitored and your overall health evaluated. By visiting the doctor frequently, you increase your chances of catching an illness or disease early on and will have a better chance at successfully treating it.

Visiting the doctor is important for people of all ages, but especially for senior citizens who are more at risk of health problems.

Other ways to stay healthy include:

Stay active – Both physically and socially, it’s important to keep your body moving and your mind focused. Get together with friends, start a book club, go for a daily walk, take the grandkids to the park and more. Humans are social beings, so stay in contact with friends both in real life and on social media. Social media can connect you to groups in your area so you can participate in fun social events.
Eat healthy and take vitamins – Eating healthy is vital to feeling your best. Choose fruits, veggies, lean meats and foods rich in vitamins and minerals. While it’s OK to treat yourself, try not to make a habit of eating unhealthy foods. The article “The elderly and Noni products” mentions the benefits of the noni fruit, including easing arthritis pain, fighting germs and looking younger.
Rest when needed – Sometimes, you’re going to need to take a break and rest. Social media can help your mind stay active by keeping you connected to family and friends without having to physically be in their presence. Perhaps you have family that lives out of state and have a hard time traveling. Social media allows you to be a part of their life without having to travel thousands of miles to see them. Resting is crucial to maintaining a healthy body, mind and immunity.

It’s only natural that as we age, we are going to need to take better care of our bodies.

By staying fit, eating healthy and maintaining a social life, the elderly are more likely to remain healthy and happy than those that choose not to take care of themselves.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Shutterstock

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SpaceX founder files with government to provide Internet service from space

The Washington Post – Elon Musk’s space company has asked the federal government for permission to begin testing on an ambitious project to beam Internet service from space, a significant step forward for an initiative that could create another major competitor to Comcast, AT&T and other telecom companies.

The plan calls for launching a constellation of 4,000 small and cheap satellites that would beam high-speed Internet signals to all parts of the globe, including its most remote regions. Musk has said the effort “would be like rebuilding the Internet in space.”

If successful, the attempt could transform SpaceX, based in Hawthorne, Calif., from a pure rocket company into a massive high-speed-Internet provider that would take on major companies in the developed world but also make first-time customers out of the billions of people who are currently not online.

The idea of saturating Earth with Internet signals from space has long been the dream of prominent business tycoons, including Bill Gates in the 1990s. But many of these ventures have run into obstacles that Musk is working to avoid. Musk has his own rocket, and he has said his swarm of satellites will be more efficient and inexpensive than relying on a handful of big devices that are difficult to replace.

Dish Network and DirecTV, for instance, have for years relied on a few older satellites that are cast much farther into space and can serve only specific regions such as the United States. SpaceX’s web of satellites would wrap around Earth in low orbit, handing off Internet signals to one another to make connections more reliable and to reach more areas.

The filing, made with the Federal Communications Commission late last month, is the first public glimpse into how Musk will move ahead with the project.

Musk isn’t the only billionaire entrepreneur who is pursuing such an idea. Virgin’s Richard Branson has partnered with a company with similar ambitions. Both ventures would have to succeed where many have failed.

Facebook recently abandoned its plan to build a $500 million satellite that would provide Internet service across the globe, according to the Information, a tech site.

And a previous effort by a firm called LightSquared to use satellites to provide wireless service fell apart three years ago, despite initial backing from the FCC. Military officials complained at the time that the technology interfered with the radar used by planes — a problem that shouldn’t hinder Musk’s effort, industry officials said.

Musk’s FCC filing proposes tests starting next year. If all goes well, the service could be up and running in about five years.

The satellites would be deployed from one of SpaceX’s rockets, the Falcon 9. Once in orbit, the satellites would connect to ground stations at three West Coast facilities. The purpose of the tests is to see whether the antenna technology used on the satellites will be able to deliver high-speed Internet to the ground without hiccups.

Despite a history of failed satellite ventures, wealthy individuals and companies are pouring fresh funds into exploring satellite-based communications. Google and Fidelity recently invested $1 billion into SpaceX, in part to support the satellite broadband Internet project.

A company called OneWeb, backed by Virgin’s Branson and founded by Greg Wyler, has similar ambitions: “OneWeb’s mission is to bring the entire world online to improve quality of life and spur economic and national development where it’s needed most,” Wyler has said.

Wyler was also involved in launching O3b Networks, which already has 12 satellites in space, providing Internet to 40 customers, including Royal Caribbean International, the Republic of Congo and the Papua New Guinea University of Technology, an O3b spokeswoman said.

Some analysts say that while the technology appears promising, the basic logistics are difficult to overcome. In the mid-1990s, Teledesic, a company funded by Gates, legendary wireless executive Craig McCaw and a Saudi prince, tried to employ a similar plan to use low-Earth-orbiting satellites to provide Internet access. But costs ballooned to more than $9 billion, and the venture ultimately collapsed.

The new space entrepreneurs are proposing technology that is smaller, built in-house and therefore cheaper to operate, industry officials say.

“Some people might say the idea of satellite broadband has come and gone. But the cost structure of the business is so much better than when Bill Gates tried it,” said Paul Gallant, analyst at Guggenheim Partners, an investment firm. “I think Musk’s track record of disruptive innovation would make this a really attractive business for the . . . FCC to support.”

SpaceX declined to comment for this article beyond the public document of its plans. The FCC declined to comment, saying the application is under review.

In January, at a private event to recruit engineers to work at a new satellite design and manufacturing plant in Redmond, Wash., Musk predicted that SpaceX’s system would reach remote regions and handle up to 10 percent of Internet traffic in urban and suburban regions, “where people are stuck with TimeWarner or Comcast.” His remarks were videotaped by someone in the audience and posted on YouTube.

It would also be a “real enabler for people in poorer regions of the world,” Musk said, though he later conceded that SpaceX would need permission from countries to operate the service, a process that could be difficult, if not impossible.

In recent years, SpaceX has moved from a spunky start-up with a seemingly outlandish goal of colonizing Mars to disruptive competitor that has remade the rocket launch business. It became the first commercial space company to fly supplies to the International Space Station. Last year, it won a separate contract to fly astronauts there by 2017. And the Pentagon recently qualified the company to compete for lucrative missions to launch national security satellites into orbit.

SpaceX’s main goal remains flying people to Mars, because in order to survive, Musk thinks, humans must become a “multi-planetary species.”

“Mars is going to need a global communications system, too,” he said in his January remarks. “A lot of what we do developing Earth-based communications can be leveraged for Mars, as well, as crazy as that may sound.”

Article by Cecilia Kang and Christian Davenport for The Washington Post

 

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Energize Your Social Media Efforts

Social media has more uses these days than one can imagine.

You can plan a trip, find a restaurant, or hire a dog sitter. You can also use social media to save energy at home.

According to Opower, their social energy app at social.opower.com is enabling people to take action and become more energy-efficient. Leveraging the Facebook platform, the app allows people to quickly and easily start benchmarking their home’s energy usage against similar homes, compare energy use with friends, enter energy-saving competitions, and share tips on how to become more energy efficient.

By urging consumers to be involved in a proactive sense, there is lots of money and energy to be saved.

In conjunction with Facebook, this app is a great tool.

By networking together, wherever you do it, people are more inclined to think about and do something about energy savings.

Get Social with Energy Reviews

Another way to use social media for savings is with an energy review.

As the following article looks at, once your home is reviewed, you can figure out how to turn energy reviews into savings themselves.

An energy review is basically an energy audit – it’s an assessment of the efficiency of your energy.

You can do this on your own, or hire someone, and social media is a great place to find information, or even find an auditor.

If you are trying to decide whether to pay someone or do it yourself, ask around on social media.

Hashtag energyauditor or #energysavingsideas on Twitter, ask your Facebook friends and take a look on your energy company’s social media.

The basic difference is that yes, you’ll be paying a professional, but they are more experienced and thorough than you probably are. If you do it yourself, do that research.

Once you’ve got your home audited, implement the savings ideas, and you could potentially save in the neighborhood of 5-30% of your energy bill per year.

Locate Energy Savings

The biggest areas where you can find savings are in insulation, air leaks, heating and air, lighting and in appliances and electronics.

Some of these can be quick fixes while others will be more of an investment. Again, reach out to social media to find ideas on how to save in these areas.

For instance, if you’re considering replacing old appliances with energy efficient new ones, look on social media for reviews and savings numbers. You can also find rebates and other tax incentives on some appliances or work you have done.

Social media is also a great place to find a home energy auditor as well as fix-it and savings tips.

Another option that is somewhere in between doing an audit yourself and hiring someone is an online energy audit.

It’s at least a good place to start and can give you a good base of information.

Your savings may not be earth-shattering even after you’ve done the review and the changes, but some is better than none.

Also, you’re making the environment a little greener by making your home more energy efficient.

So check out social media to get started on your review, and then check again for great ways to fix your challenges.

Please share any great tips you find!

Photo credit: Image courtesy of sritangphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Spotify tops 20 million subscribers

USA TODAY – Two days after Apple formally entered the streaming music market, key player Spotify announced it doubled the number of paid users of its service over the past year.

In a statement released Wednesday, Spotify says it now hosts 20 million subscribers, up from 10 million in May 2014. The company also nearly doubled its number of active users — from 40 million last year to 75 million.

Meanwhile, a report from The Wall Street Journal says Spotify closed a round of funding worth $526 million, which would value the streaming service at $8.5 billion.

Spotify’s fast growth comes as a major competitor enters the fray: Apple. On Monday, the company unveiled its Apple Music service, which launches June 30. It will be available for $9.99 a month, or via family plan featuring up to six accounts for $14.99.

Last month, Spotify announced it would incorporate streaming video and podcasts.

Article by Brett Molina for USA Today

Thumbnail from Shutterstock

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Make Use Of The Effective Insights Of Twitter Marketing To Buzz Your Business

Social media marketing is that the best ways in which to achieve individuals on the net. It would be additionally a good thing to promote on-line registration, service or online product reviews or else, website you’ve got for your business. It is often exciting to move with new and previous customers on social media sites. Here are some sensible ways in which you’ll be able to utilize social media marketing ways. Whether you’re writing a web log post title, getting ready a tweet, or thinking of a Facebook business account page post, produce titles that are fascinating, and build readers unable to resist clicking to your web site or web log. With titles and headlines that stand out, can be powerful like twitter as marketing tool that attract individuals and build them need to understand Who you’re and eventually will lead them to your web site.

Image via pixabay

When launching your marketing campaign on social media, invite all of your friends, relatives and contacts to your website. As long as they are within your network, your business is going to be publicized on their network. So, you’ll receive views by merely having them around. Until you develop your own distinctive vogue within the social media world, mimic the fashion of these that you simply admire. Resolve however, your competition uses social media for his or her marketing functions, and acquire ideas from them till you’ve got an inspiration of what is going to work best for your customers and your business. Find top Twitter followers reviews and their social profiles, the kind of specials they need, and also the messages that they post. Things move in no time during a sensible Facebook marketing strategy, and your company ought to adapt quickly to the changes as they are available.

Just, a couple of years again, pill computers and sensible phones didn’t exist during a factory-made and in public accessible kind. Keep an eye fixed on the new technology in order that you’re higher ready for the changes to your marketing. Have a goal for your social media marketing campaign. You would like to line a goal of why you’re getting in the social media market. Use twitter as a marketing tool like Tweepi and Twellow. These tools can assist you notice users in your target market, and establish those users who are most powerful. Build a strategic list of those you wish to undertake and follow to induce them to take the updates you provide furthermore. You should produce a YouTube channel to post reviews of your product and alternative videos relevant to your business.

You’ll be able to start your account in order that your videos are announced quickly on sure social networks. This can prevent time and forestall you from forgetting to update a web site. Add relevant tags to your YouTube videos. They’ll be a lot of probably to return up in searches connected to your product. You may use keyword tools to seek out out that keywords are fashionable among your target market. Keep in mind that your audience is going to be a lot of probably to share one thing if they notice it relevant to what they were longing for. Devumi is one amongst the biggest and very beneficial social media marketing provider that would help to promote the values of business in fast means. Thus, by making use of cost effective and beneficial auto engagements and social media marketing provider like Devumi, you could be able to get proffered with automatic outreach with increase in active followers at the instance. Initially, the users of business should make use of the kickstarters, then should get auto engagements and finally should make use of the sponsors to influence twitter account. This makes use of several effective auto engagements like automatic retweets and favorites for the tweets. Using twitter marketing to promote your business isn’t terribly exhausting or will last longer. This sort of marketing permits you to move along with your client directly and in an enriching manner. By using the social marketing tips you’ve got simply learned to sensible use, you’re bound to relish varied success through your advertising. 

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