We live in a #hashtag world. There is no denying it. A single hashtag opens the door to hundreds of thousands of posts on the same subject. An Instagram caption is not complete without a few hashtags thrown into the mix. People in the wedding industry even make a profit off of helping couples create their perfect wedding hashtag. Brands use specific hashtags to attract more customers and clients. It might come as a shock, however, to learn that not all hashtags are allowed. A recent list of banned Instagram hashtags comes with consequences for users who include them in their posts. Continue reading
Microsoft Teams Achieves Every Element of User Experience
Keeping agility and organization in mind, Microsoft Teams achieves a collaborative, digital environment
among today’s communication workplace. Moving forward, Teams is the latest and most innovative core communication platform for Microsoft Office 365. It intends to replace Skype for Business as the tool for all video calls, conferences and meetings for its users. Making the digital environment more open and integrated, this platform allows for a flow of accessible information to everyone involved. Continue reading
Pinterest joins Corporate America
Pinterest has always been a social media tool for entertainment, but now Pinterest is joining corporate America through a new tool on Target’s app and website. Today, Target announced that the company would be adding a new feature to their app and website. Customers can take a photograph of any products and find similar products at Target. In the past, Pinterest has been used by individuals to become inspired. For a long time, one of the most appealing aspects of the site was that it was not tied to the advertising and consumerism that has taken over other social media platforms. While some users might find this new point and click to buy option alluring, it may be a turn-off for many others who have valued Pinterest for its emphasis on inspiration and do it yourself.
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Pinterest’s Partnership With Target Creates New Shopping Experience
To many, it may seem that Pinterest is becoming less and less relevant in the social media world. On Monday, however, Pinterest announced its partnership with Target that will bring new capabilities to users and shoppers alike. Pinterest’s partnership with Target will change the way shoppers use social media to find products they like.
Snapchat Struggles with Female Influencers while Instagram Dominates
Since the initial lunch of Snapchat in 2011, the social media platform has seen unbelievable growth and success. Snapchats main user base extends from kids aged 12 to adults age 24 with the most active users falling into the 18-24 range. While they have managed to please most millennials, Snapchat struggles with Female Influencers.
The photo sharing platform platform has proved to be a success, but Snapchat struggles with female influencers most among target market.
New Grocery Delivery Service is Setting Walmart Apart From Competitors
Currently, Walmart is testing out their brand new grocery delivery service. This service entails a delivery person physically going inside the customer’s houses and putting away groceries into their fridge. While some customers may not feel comfortable having a stranger walking into their home, Walmart wants to make sure that they give willing customers the opportunity to try the service and decide whether it is a valuable way to simplify lives and save time. Continue reading
iOS 11 Update Creating Mixed Reviews
Earlier this week, Apple finally released their iOS 11 update. This update is compatible with phones 5S or later, iPad mini 2 or later, or the 6th generation iPod touch or later. As usual, the new update involves a lot of new features as well as the remodeling of old ones. Continue reading
How mobile apps are helping students find their dream college
The traditional method of choosing college usually involved meeting with your designated college counselor, buying the “Fiske Guide to Colleges” book, or visiting a campus. However, today one third of students do most of their college research on mobile phones, and two thirds of high school juniors and seniors are using a college planning website to help them find their dream school. Continue reading
Vulfpeck and Social Media
It All Starts With a Name
Vulfpeck and social media are bringing an entirely different element to digital marketing and branding. Band leader, Jack Stratton, formed the band after throwing the concept out to a friend that was “inspired by the rhythm sections from the golden age of recording,” (think The Swampers) Jack said in a June 2016 interview. Jack planned out the name Vulfpeck due to the positive result it would create for their SEO. He knew that it was a unique phrase that no one else was searching and they have capitalized on that and much more in social media. Continue reading
Sponsored Lenses and Snap Ads
Snapchat is one of today’s fastest growing social media platforms and is most popular with millennials. According to Snapchat, they reach 41% of all 18-34-year-olds in the United States. If that age group is your target market, this is why you should consider advertising on Snapchat using sponsored lenses and snap ads.
Increase Productivity with Cloud Natural Language
Smarter is simpler with new Google features using Cloud Natural Language technology. The technology can improve your productivity in the workplace. The natural language processing (NLP) technology focuses on and improves human-computer interactions. Google Cloud Platform is a cloud computing platform that offers advanced services beyond Google Search, such as G Suite tools. The new features can benefit how businesses manage responsibilities and relationships. Continue reading
Paid Social Media Marketing Is a Smart Investment for Businesses
Businesses continue to grow their marketing strategies as paid social media marketing is on the rise. Social media offers businesses insights into demographics across all platforms, allowing them to tap in to niche markets. Organizations are even allocating top budget dollars toward paid social media marketing software, and the results speak for themselves. Continue reading
What do we want? HBO. When do we want it? Now.
HBO used to be one of the most exclusive streaming sites, only allowing its users to stream online if their provider included it as a channel or they paid extra for it. Earlier this year, our prayers were finally answered, in the forms of the new HBO Go and Now options.
The New iPhone X Makes a Splash
Impressive Features of the New iPhone X Separate it From Previous Models
The introduction of the new iPhone X from Apple has changed the way we think about smartphones. Except for a design change here and there, the iPhone has progressed along a steady and predictable course, until now. The new iPhone X takes smartphone technology to another stratosphere. Apple technology exists under a critical public spotlight. Therefore, we can safely assume the development of the iPhone X was a long and carefully thought out process. Each function of the phone is narrowly tailored to immerse its user in an entirely new mobile experience.
The new iPhone X features an all glass, a full-screen design that significantly differs from previous models. With a 5.8-inch super retina screen, the smartphone not only pleases the eye but also wows with its impressive durability. However, perhaps the most exciting new feature of the iPhone X is its face identification capability. Face recognition has replaced fingerprint’s as the primary way to unlock the iPhone. With just a glance, the new iPhone X need not do more than recognizing its user’s face to take them to their home screen. Another notable feature of the new iPhone X is animojis. The smartphones true depth camera analyzes more than 50 different muscle movements to mirror your expressions in 12 animated emojis. Other attributes of the phone include impressive power efficiency, a neural engine, dual OIS, and unparalleled camera capabilities.
Many argue that anticipation for the release of the iPhone X reached higher than it has for any other smartphone’s release. The only downfall’s of this revolutionary new technology revolve around its steep price. Anyone wanting the new iPhone X must be willing to pay at least $1000. Compared to the iPhone 8, the new iPhone X can seem to many an unnecessary luxury. Only time will tell whether the new iPhone’s X’s price tag will have a negative effect on sales.
The Implications of Getting News from Facebook
Before the invention of the internet, the world received all of its news from newspapers and televised broadcasts. In this time, those medias controlled how people understood the news because only professional journalists provided the content. These news sources maintain a certain journalistic standard that people find trustworthy. Now people get their news from Facebook.
News from social media has been a growing trend since the advent but, the vast majority of users reading their news from social media, get their news from Facebook. The Pew Research Center reports that 67% of all adults use Facebook. Considering 67% of adult Facebook users report getting their news from Facebook alone, this means 44% of the general population only get their news from Facebook.
An increasing number of adults get their news from Facebook alone
This statistic causes both shock and concern. The problem with almost half of adults receiving their news from Facebook is that this ‘news’ can come from any corner of the internet. These articles people share and post do not always have the rigorous editing and verifying process that traditional news sources have. Bloggers who have no one to answer to for using false facts/statistics or inputting far too much opinion write the majority of articles that go viral on Facebook. These bloggers know this and use it to their advantage. These articles spread their personal agendas, on both sides of the aisle.
Facebook uses algorithms that show users what they are most likely to click on. This puts more and more of the news they currently read on their feed. Say one user always clicks on conservative articles, Facebook will continue to show conservative-leaning news. Same goes for liberals or independents. The real world implications of this are that these groups are reading completely separate narratives. This causes people to view the world news in a completely polarizing way. The real difference that we are seeing is that the world used to read the same stories and make opinions from there. The 44% of American adults now read opinions and decide the news from there.
The takeaway here is that people should vary how they receive their news. Social media alone will not cut it anymore. It simply does not show the full picture. To be truly informed the importance of reading all types of news. The kind you agree with and the kind you do not.
The New Snapchat Animated Bitmoji Has Users Dancing
Almost every Millennial remembers how exciting it was to create a Mii on the Wii game console. A tiny little version of you appeared on the virtual court as you played a tennis match in your living room. You might be lying if you say you never made a Sims version of yourself in the early 2000’s. Today’s version of Sims and Miis are called Bitmojis. After years of creating virtual look-alikes, the Snapchat animated Bitmoji feature finally brings them to life.
Social Media Influencers are Changing the Role of Journalists
Social media influencers are social media users who have gained credibility in certain areas, such as fashion or entertainment. These individuals typically have substantial followers and impact perceptions of various products, people, or issues. Social media influencers use numerous platforms, but one the most persuasive is blogging because readers feel a personal connection to them through the more intimate and long-term setting of a blog. In some cases, bloggers have even become, if not more, influential than traditional journalism outlets. Continue reading
The Uber Tip Feature and the Company’s 180 Days of Change
Uber has recently added a tip feature to the application. Once users download the updated version, they are then asked whether or not they would like to add a tip at the end of their trip. The new Uber tip feature is just one of the many major changes that the company has implemented since the resignation of the old CEO Travis Kalanick. Continue reading
How to Get Verified on Twitter and Why It Matters
Since 2009, wannabe actors, models, and musicians have aspired to display Twitter’s coveted blue checkmark on their profiles. That’s when you know you’ve made it, right? Not necessarily. It is becoming more and more common for accounts with comparatively small numbers of followers to earn verification. Continue reading
Will Amazon’s Whole Foods Purchase Drives Millions to Join Prime?
The news of Amazon’s Whole Foods purchase that broke this past summer proved to be an epic acquisition for the e-commerce titan. The $13.7 billion dollar deal with Whole Foods left people to wonder what Amazon’s next move would be. Was this Amazon’s attempt to expand beyond e-commerce into physical retail? Or was this a power play? Continue reading