Listen up public relations professionals! This blog contains information about social media management platforms, the latest social media trend that will streamline your communication and shave hours off your workday.
Tag Archives: Google+
Google Emerges into Mobile Payment Industry
We’re seeing quick progression in online shopping trends, so it makes sense that we’re also seeing the mobile payment industry increase. Forget carrying around your wallet or having to take your card out to make an online purchase. Google is catching up with services like Apple Pay, PayPal, and Venmo with their own service called ‘Pay with Google’. Continue reading
Why Google Plus Is Failing
Many people are familiar with the social networking platform Google Plus. 
The basics are pretty much the same as every other networking site, but why don’t you know anyone who uses it? There are many questions surrounding the enigma that is Google Plus. With the name and reputation it possesses, everyone wants to know why Google Plus is failing. Continue reading
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
Google Gives Back Privacy
Google
(Mashable)
Google gives back privacy to students.
Google claims they have stopped scanning students’ emails following a lawsuit filed by California students last year. The legal battle began this March and came to a speedy conclusion. After claiming that Google violated federal and state privacy laws, which was tied to FERPA, they have lost the battle. Google rep claims that,
“…the company scans and indexes emails from all Apps for Education users. The company uses the data for potential advertising, among other purposes.”
In addition to the FERPA argument many advocacy groups point out is, “that even if Gmail users agree to Google’s terms, that doesn’t mean that non-subscribers who email with them do.” These arguments and general fuss has resulted in Google ending their data mining. It will be interested to see if they take this to a higher court or if the civil class action lawsuit have any monetary payouts. If so Mashable claims that, “If successful, that could lead to a payment to millions of Gmail users.”
What do you think about Google’s data mining policy for those under 18? How do you feel about your email being used for data mining? Do you think that your privacy is at risk?
Read more on the initial lawsuit here
Google and Twitter Venture into Mobile App Install Advertisements
Mobile App Install Advertisements Gain Popularity
Facebook, Google, and Twitter have all allowed for companies to advertise on their websites for years, but recently mobile advertising, specifically mobile app install advertisements, have become extremely predominant. Mobile app install ads enable users to download games and other apps directly to their mobile device from the ad itself. Continue reading
Is Cord Cutting the New Trend?
As Amazon joins the game of Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast with Amazon Fire TV, communications professionals are beginning to see a pattern of people leaving behind their traditional cable TV’s and cord cutting being the new trend.
Amazon Fire TV was released Wednesday, April 2nd allowing them to compete in the market with Apple, Google and Roku. It costs $99 and will stream Netflix, Amazon Instant (of course), Hulu Plus, 
Showtime Anytime, Crackle and Vimeo, and more to be named. Apple TV is probably the primary competition, with name recognition, although Google’s Chromecast is offered for just $35 and with a dead simple operation. Roku remains a competitor, and don’t forget about game consoles: In 2013, the PlayStation 3 was the No. 1 connected television platform for Netflix streaming, with the Xbox 360 not far behind.
Spritz: The newest reading app to make you smarter
It looks like our smart phones are promising to make us smarter now. The release of the new reading app, Spritz, is delivering on those promises. Spritz allows readers to read each word individually, at speeds from 200 to 2,000 words per minute.
The new Spritz reading app
Google Fiber Plans to Expands Its Network of Super Fast Internet
What Does Google Fiber Mean For the Future?
Google Fiber is a high-speed Internet service that has the potential to change the Internet as we know it. It is nearly 100 times faster than most of the current high-speed Internet connections. This means you could download a movie or an entire album of music in only a few seconds. It also means that there is very little buffering time, which makes Netflix marathons even easier. Continue reading
Let’s Tango–Google Launches a New Project
Project Tango dances onto the scene.
Say hello to Project Tango, the newest brainchild from Google. According to The Verge, Google has created an Android smartphone prototype that “will learn the dimension of the rooms and spaces just by being moved around inside of them.” Google is reaching out to professional developers to take the technology a step further. Continue reading
Klout Just Grew, Not Only in its Score
The social media platform Klout is having a big week. It is being purchased by Lithium Technologies, a social customer service company for $100 million. If you didn’t already know, Klout is a website and mobile application that uses social media analytics to rank its users based on their social media usage. Its business focuses on a score 1-100 using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, Instagram, and Wikipedia to create the Klout Score. Over the past several years, Klout has undergone a bit of criticism regarding a tech analyst. It was understood that he had a higher Klout score than President Barack Obama. Critics have also argued that a Klout score devalues the authenticity of online communication. The founder of Klout, Joe Fernandez created the social media platform due to his inability to speak after jaw surgery. Consequently, relying on Facebook and Twitter to communicate…the irony. Continue reading
Google Glasses: Are they the future?
Wearable Technology
According to multiple sources, the new upcoming trend of 2014 is “wearable technology.”
The first piece of wearable technology that pops into my head is Google Glass.
Google the Grinch, Shoppers Beware
The holiday (and gift-giving) season is upon us. While many Americans choose to do some of their holiday shopping in physical stores, many take to the Internet to easily find and purchase items off their lists. While a simple Google search might seem like the quickest way to find your desired product, be warned: you may be getting ripped off. Continue reading
Traffic Alerts Provide New Waze to Travel for Google Maps
An act of kindness doesn’t take much; an oncoming car flashing their brights to warn drivers of a speed trap ahead, or a coworker sending an email informing the office that a road on the way out of town is closed. Helping others is fulfilling, even if the results don’t affect friends or coworkers. Google Maps has made it possible for users to warn fellow travelers of traffic delays by adding alerts provided by Waze app users.
A live Waze map of Dallas and surrounding areas from waze.com
Personalized Homepage Providers to substitute iGoogle
Google delivered in its promise to pull the plug off its customizable home page. This has left an opportunity to explore alternatives among a growing number of personalized homepage providers to replace iGoogle.
iGoogle Nostalgia? Continue reading!
Google+ Revamps the College Visit
I have been a Southern Methodist University Tour Guide for almost three years now. In my opinion, it’s a great job: good pay, flexible hours, and invaluable customer service experience. However, it has come to my attention that Google is looking to put me out of a job. Thanks, Larry Page. Continue reading
#shopthehangout
On Thursday, October 3rd, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg hosted the first #shopthehangout event with Google+.
DVF and Google+ came together to kick off the fall shopping season in a unique shopping experience using Google+ Hangouts On Air. The event was in partnership with the CFDA. Continue reading
The New Fad: Digital Autographs
Google announces that they will have Major League Soccer player Darlington Nagbe sign exclusive ” digital autographs” for his fans while he hosts a Google+ hangout this upcoming monday. Google explains that after fans ask questions, Nagbe will digitally sign a photo of himself on a tablet which will then be emailed to the recipients. Continue reading
Social behavior predictions for latest gadgets and gizmos
Signs of the digital divide are bound to continue showing in patterns of digital consumption. Here are three of many ways in which consumers choices will show the social split among “haves and have nots” for the rest of the year: iPhone 5s or 5c, Google Wallet and the Samsung Galaxy Gear.
You mean you don’t have the i-toothpick yet?
New Handwriting Feature Released for Google Translate 2.0
Yesterday, Google released Google Translate version 2.0 for iOS, an app that can translate your handwriting. Test input, voice translations and handwritten text are now all included in the updated app. The app translates your handwritten characters into your native language by checking the Google Translate display at the top of your screen.
More than 70 languages are supported by the application with 49 of the different languages being supported by the handwriting feature of the application. The handwriting can even be read aloud to you in your desired language. 7 new languages including, Bosnian, Cebuano, Lao, Marathi, Hmong, Javanese and Khmer, are also now available for translation.