Marketing

Sucking Less Socially Will Pay More At Google

by Ron Callari

A lot has been written about Google's lack-luster attempts at social media. From Google Buzz reduced to a whisper to Wave waving good-bye, it's been a hard fought uphill battle trying to compete with the LIKES (pun intended) of Facebook - only to come up empty each time.

Mark Zuckerberg Mad After Justin Bieber To Boost User Numbers

by Ron Callari

Has the CEO of the number-one social network in the land got Bieber-Fever? Does Facebook want to increase their user base by riding the coat-tails of the pop-star du jour? Highly unlikely. But what does tie Zuckerberg to Justin Bieber is a 59-year old legacy magazine struggling to keep its circulation numbers afloat.

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NewTube - YouTube Goes Live

by Jamie Reygle

YouTube is going live, and the broadcast world will never be the same again.

Not Again, RIM: The BlackBerry Orlando Leak

by Gadgetry Inc

I don't know what's up with all these BlackBerry leaks lately but here's another one for you that's just in: the BlackBerry Orlando. Unlike the previous leaks, there aren't too many detailed photos or specifications but a leak is a leak until the phone's been announced by Research In Motion (RIM) and as of this moment, they still haven't done so yet.

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Will Facebook See The Light Of Day In The Shadow OF China's Firewall?

by Ron Callari

This month tweets and rumors have been mounting leading to the probability that Mark Zuckerberg might have struck a deal with the Chinese. (Looks his trip to China last December was more for business, than pleasure). If so, conjecture has it that a Facebook-lite iteration might open in the nation known for some of the strictest Internet censorship regulations known on the planet.

China Would Really Rather Have a Buick

by China.new

Buick, the oldest active American car brand, is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance in of all places China. One wonders what old David Dunbar Buick would think if he heard that more than twice as many of his namesake vehicles are sold each year in China than in the USA. Here are 8 Chinese Buicks you won't find on the menu back home.

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What's In A Name? Real Names vs NickNames On Social Networks

by Ron Callari

Remember when the Internet first emerged in the late 90s and "email" was the new shiny thing? So new and so shiny that while we gravitated toward it's light, likes moths to a flame, we were leery of revealing our true identities. So what did we do? We invented nicknames to protect our anonymity. And while we soon realized that real names were not a threat, many of us followed suit when social networks surfaced a few years later.

Paraben's Porn Detection Stick Will Sniff Out Any XXX Images You May Be Hiding

by Gadgetry Inc

So here we have the Porn Detection Stick. The name more or less tells you what the software contained on this USB drive can do. It searches through all of the images on the hard drive on any computer and sniffs out anything pornographic that may be hiding in any cleverly renamed and disguised folders on the hard drive.

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Put Down Your Tasers Because The StunRay Can Do A Better Job

by Gadgetry Inc

Tasers definitely have their uses but they can also cause a lot of pain. Then there are the laser dazzlers, another phaser which disarms individuals by way of temporary blindness which causes disorientation. So it was definitely pleasant to hear about the StunRay which functions more like a huge, extra-bright flashlight to stun you senseless.

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China's Social Media Microbloggers Wake Up To Weibo

by China.new

What's in a name? China's nearly half-billion netizens are about to find out. Sina Corp., owner of the country's largest Internet portal, is seeking to put its own stamp on China's social media landscape by rebranding Sina Weibo with the new domain name "weibo.com"

Chicken Littles Decry "Facebook Down" - World Coming To An End!

by Ron Callari

More crucial than the U.S. government shutting down, Twitterville is cyberventilating over Facebook suddenly becoming unavailable this morning. Proclaiming "Facbook Down," Chicken Littles are taking to the tweets sounding alarms that the ominous event could be an apocalyptic ending to the world as we know it.

Journalists On Facebook Scale As News Becomes More Social & Semantic

by Ron Callari

On April 5, Facebook launched "Journalists on Facebook" Page in an attempt to capitalize on the growing trend of news becoming more and more social.In Facebook's words, "The JOF Page is to serve as an ongoing resource for the growing number of reporters using FB to find sources, interact with readers and advance stories."

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Facebook's Event Check-Ins Attracting Spammy Hosts & Guests

Facebook's Event Check-Ins Attracting Spammy Guests!

by Ron Callari

Big news this week was Facebook's push for Places, it's geo-location answer to Foursquare, and its launch of "event check-ins" on mobile phones. Unfortunately. like an updated version of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," it's attracting the wrong crowd of people - namely, spammers! Now, I ask you, is that any way to run a location-based social network?

Foursquare & Twitter Rip "Pages" Out Of Facebook Playbook

Foursquare & Twitter Rips "Pages" Out Of Facebook Playbook!

by Ron Callari

Cross-pollination amongst social networks has been a trend ever since Facebook tried to replicate Twitter's tweets into its status updates and Foursquare's geo-location components into its Facebook Places. This week, it appears the shoe is on the other foot, as both Twitter and Foursquare are dipping their toes into "brand pages" that comes very close to Facebook's fan pages.

U.S. Govt Acts As VC Arming Social Activists With "Panic Button" App

by Ron Callari

"To the Middle East, with Love," might be the new ad slogan for an app under development by the U.S. for pro-democracy protesters living in various hot spots of unrest around the world. Yes, in a sense the government is competing with Apple, Google and Facebook to develop its own app for Androids and Nokia phones.

Social Media Platform For Hotels Offers Web Site Visitors Incentives

by Ron Callari

Based on the premise that travelers can become a brand's strongest advocates, Flip.to, the social media service for hotels, airlines and restaurants launched its 'confirmation' component to beta customers this past year. Over 50 hotels on five continents have integrated with Flip.to to allow guests who book online to receive incentives for communicating with their followers on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This month, the social media platform expands to include incentives for Web site visitors as well.

Social Media Copy Cat Renren Could Beat Facebook To IPO

by Ron Callari

One of the world's least known social networks could go public prior to Facebook, or even LinkedIn or Twitter - and in the most unlikely country of China. Six year-old Renren - often referred to as the Chinese Facebook due its the many similarities is one of the major default social networks in its country of origin - as Facebook has been blocked by the "Great Fire Wall" since 2009.

Royal Wedding PEZ Dispensers: The King's Sweets

by China.new

PEZ makes around 80 million dispensers annually, most of those in China, but the special set of William and Kate PEZ dispensers available to eBay bidders from April 7 through 17 are priceless... literally.

Google's Quest For Social Media Holy Grail Redux

by Ron Callari

A lot has been written about Google and its unshakable pursuit of a means to integrate with social media. The blogosphere is especially cyberventilating this week due a FTC penalty ruling - ironically due to privacy infractions from Google's Buzz debacle last year - and its launch of a "+1 button" that operates uncannily like. . . well, a LIKE button a la Facebook.

Doggies Do The Chew - Dog Food Promotion Goes Viral

by Jamie Reygle

You can now use your smartphone to feed your pet.

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