Return of the… BlackBerry?

The BlackBerry Z10 was introduced earlier this week by BlackBerry (formerly Research In Motion (RIM).) Some diehard BB relics are jumping for joy, but will it last? BlackBerry is not only very late to the SmartPhone game, but it’s newest incarnation is apparently not very intuitive, especially since iPhone and Android users are already versed in using their phones a certain way. When a handful of seemingly tech-savvy Mashable interns and editors get their hands on the new tool, their first attempts at using it are less than successful, as documented in this short video.

The phone itself is purportedly powerful for organization and messaging, which had always been BB’s strength. The negatives appear to be the learning curve and new operating system as well as its lack of apps. I’m sure developers are already programming their software to work with BlackBerry, but new users will have to have patience – not something America is known for.  In Pete Pachal’s in-depth BlackBerry Z10 review, he suggests that the real battle for relevance will take place overseas where SmartPhone penetration is still relatively low.

Right now, this phone may only appeal to people who were huge BB fans or the very early adopters who just want something new. Are you planning to buy a BlackBerry Z10 or wait for the platform to mature a little first and see how it goes? Let us know in the comments below.

Social Media and the Summer Olympics

Social media is set to play a big role in the 2012 Summer Olympicsthis year, with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube leading the charge. During the last Summer Olympics in 2008, the most popular social media sites of today were just getting their feet wet, and the number of Internet users has increased from 23% to about one-third of the world’s total population, according to Mashable.

Olympic rings on display in Cardiff, Wales

A recent Mashable article made an interesting comparison of the status of each of the three top sites in 2008 to where they currently are in terms of users, functionality and growth. Some of the other top social media networks like Google + and Pinterest were not even around during the last Olympics. And while many people will surely be sharing tweets and videos throughout the summer games, some fraudsters will also be trying to get in on the action.

Phishing and ticketing scams have already been reported and social media users are urged not to click on any links in alerts that seemingly come from these sites. Instead, go directly to the site by typing the URL into your browser, and those lucky enough to score tickets to the Olympics can visit the “Ticket Checker” on the official London2012.com website to verify their authenticity.

How do you plan to use social media during the 2012 Summer Olympics? What events are you most looking forward to watching?

Image credit: rovingsheep

Mashable's Social Media Day Celebrated Worldwide

Saturday, June 30^th, is Social Media Day! What is Social Media Day, you ask? It’s a movement started by Mashableas a way of acknowledging the digital revolution in all its glory. This is the 3^rd year in a row that Social Media Day is being promoted as a worldwide Mashable Meetup. It’s also an opportunity for social media enthusiasts connect in their local communities to discuss social media and tech in person.

While some people believe that social media creates more isolation in a disconnected world, these Meetups are a way for people to deepen relationships within their communities. It also helps people form new relationships that may not have happened before sites like LinkedIn and Facebook made online networking possible. 

The Mayor of Tampa, Florida recently declared June 30^th Social Media Day, joining many other cities around the world. To find a Meetup in your area, check out http://www.meetup.com/Mashable/or watch this video for more information about Mashable Meetups. 

There are approximately 408 communities hosting Meetups for Social Media Day with 4,072 members. Will you be attending a Social Media Day Meetup on Saturday?

The Future of Social Networking

For me, reading Twitter and Facebook in the morning is equivalent to reading the morning paper in the 80’s.  I can catch up with local and global news, entertainment and even the sports section in less than 30 minutes. The first thing I saw this morning was an urgent call from a trusted source (Mashable) to change my LinkedIn password amidst claims of a major leak by a Russian hacker. And this comes after recent “reports that its iOS app potentially violates user privacy by sending detailed calendar entries to its servers…”

After changing my password, it got me thinking about the state of social media today. Although still evolving, the world of social media is often overwhelming and convoluted with all its integration, mobile capabilities and privacy issues.

Photo credit: socialmediahq

Facebook stock basically fell on its face after a much-hyped IPO and now there’s a question of whether or not Mark Zuckerberg engaged in insider trading. To add injury to insult, a new study that came out yesterday claims that engagement on Facebook has fallen with 35% of users spending less time on the site, and also that 4 out of 5 users are not influenced by ads run on the site.

And then there’s my favorite, Google, which has been putting all their eggs in the G+ basket. It’s not that I have anything against the flailing social network. It’s just that I think it came too late to the party and hasn’t differentiated itself enough. The only people I know that really use it are those in the social media industry. But if Facebook does fade out, G+ could be perfectly positioned to take over if it can hold out that long.

I think that most people do love to feel connected – not only to their friends, but to the rest of the world. Social networking is here to stay. What do you think it will look like and how will it evolve in the years to come? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Social Media and Global Power Shifts

Today Mashable published an article on social media and the global power shift that it claims has come with the advent of new technologies. With social media taking responsibility for the mass appeal and massive outpouring of support for movements like Occupy Wall Street and the Egyptian revolutions, it's hard not to agree that a power shift is afoot. Even the power of marketing has been shifted to the consumer - inbound marketing, not outbound marketing, is now at the heart of the marketing world. Consumers are now the ones who can better control what ads they see and when, and how companies can connect with them, which can heavily impact the moves that companies today make.

Do you agree with Mashable? Is there a "new power" afoot that comes with the new technologies that we have created and popularized? Or do you believe that power will still naturally be relegated to the hands of a select few at the top of the pyramid?

Irony in My Social Media?

I use Social Media....well, who doesn't? And for me, that means logging into Facebook now and then to peruse my news feed for the latest. Facebook is actually how I keep in touch with the "real" news - so, I don't mean just my friends latest status or industry updates. Because I'm a fan of Pages like Mashable, NPR, The Daily Show (yes, I said it) and other "newsy" type sites, I find it's a very convenient way to stay in touch with what is going on in the world.

The other day as I was scrolling through my newsfeed, I happened upon something I found amusingly ironic. Well, it was amusing to me, anyway. If you look closely at the image (which is a screenshot from my iPhone viewing of my newsfeed) you'll see a news story from NPR explaining how the West is making the world sick by promoting a diet full of unhealthy food - and then right below that - a post from Dunkin Donuts about their latest food offering. This latest food offering happens to be a BIG breakfast sandwich featuring two slabs of texas toast, two fried eggs, four strips of bacon and a big ole slice of cheese to top it off.

I had to chuckle. Oh, the irony. :)

Mashable Follow: The New Social Layer

Today Mashable announced the launch of their new social layer called, Mashable Follow. As it enters beta testing today, Mashable has unveiled some of its features which include:

• Ability to find and follow your favorite topics. Interested in reading about a specific topic? Simply click the ‘Follow’ button.
• Easily share stories amongst your favorite networks with the click of one button rather than several.
• Follow people who are of interest to you.
• Earn fun badges for sharing stories and connecting with other Mashable users.

Mashable is one of my top sites for social and digital media, technology and web culture news; so I’m really excited about this new feature. Why? As Mashable continues to grow and expand, so has its content. With not enough hours in the day as it is, any tool that allows you to sift through content to extract what you really need is such a valuable feature. If you want to sign up for a beta invite like I, click here.

Mashable states the ultimate aim for the Follow Project is to empower their community to choose the news of the day in this curation fashion.

Watch the video below to learn more:

LivingSocial is Differentiating Itself Away from Groupon

About one month ago, I blogged about Groupon. The 'deal of the day' and group-buying phenomenon is branching to Google, which is currently testing Google Offers. In December, Amazon invested $175 into LivingSocial, bringing it's current platform to "rapid global expansion" (Mashable). Clearly, the 'deal of the day' fad isn't just a fad. It's proving to be a social media, email marketing, and crowd-sourcing savings powerhouse. At an average open rate of 66%, that is an effective email (screenwerk.com)!

Enter LivingSocial. As LivingSocial is quite similar to Groupon, it has differentiated itself by offering LivingSocial Escapes. Back in October, LivingSocial acquired Urban Escapes, a social adventure company that provided group excursions and travel packages. This is a smart move for LivingSocial, which was more or less offering the 'deal of the day' to local restaurants, spas, sporting events at a 50-70% discount.

LivingSocial Escapes offers vacation deals, and truly original 'escapes', at a deep discount. Take an adventure to Quintana Roo, Mexico for example. I get a eye-pleasing, enticing deal straight to my inbox that is half off the original price ($1,540) for a five-night stay. If I want to bring a guest, it's only $205 more. Now that's a deal.



Buyers have one week to decide, in comparison to the daily deals that expire the next day. Have you purchased a LivingSocial Escapes vacation? If so, let us know about your experience!

Top Ten Social Media Resources from 2010

Yesterday Mashable.com released an amazing list of hundreds of social media resources from 2010. These resources include everything from YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Geo-location etc. For those of you who may not be familiar with Mashable.com, we highly recommend you check it out on a regular basis as it is a top social and digital media news source.

Below are my top ten resources from the list in no particular order (have to include a top ten list for my last blog post of the year!):

1. 4 Essential Traits for Social Media Success in Your Career
2. 3 Tips for Maximizing Engagement With Facebook “Likes” and “Shares”
3. A Field Guide to Using Facebook Places
4. How To: Add Captions To Your YouTube Videos
5. 4 Ways to Find Legal Music for Your YouTube Videos
6. How Social Media Has Changed Us
7. 10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics
8. How To: Boost Your SEO with a YouTube Channel
9. How To: Gain Twitter Influence
10. 5 Creative Uses for Crowdsourcing

Please leave a comment below with your top social media resources.

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Image credit: webtreatsetc

Tomorrow, June 30th is Social Media Day!

Tomorrow, June 30th, is Mashable's Social Media Day!

Celebrate the social media revolution by organizing or attending one of the many meetups across the country.

There is even an event here in Boca Raton, FL which is hoping to be the largest social media meetup in Palm Beach County!

Social media has changed our lives as well as the way we communicate and interact with others. Why not celebrate by meeting up with your "tweeps" and long lost Facebook pals?

Don't forget to share your pics and tweets with the world by using the hashtag (#smday) on Flickr, YouTube and Twitter!

InternetMarketingClub.org Presents The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web

Blogs, networking sites, and other examples of the social web provide businesses with a largely untapped marketing channel for products and services. But how do you take advantage of them? With The New Community Rules, you'll understand how social web technologies work, and learn the most practical and effective ways to reach people who frequent these sites.

Join Tamar Weinberg, Social Media Consultant, Author, and Community Director at Mashable, and Jay Berkowitz, CEO of TenGoldenRules.com as they cut through the hype and jargon to give you intelligent advice and strategies for positioning your business on the social web.

This free webinar will take place on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 12:30pmEST – 1:30pmEST. To register please visit: The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web

Start Off the New Year By Getting Better Acquainted with Facebook

A great resource on Facebook that surfaced this week is brought to you by Mashable.com. The Facebook Guide Book is a great resource to bookmark for anything Facebook related. Whether it is learning the basics, to learning how to use Facebook for business, this guide will help you get started.

Towards the bottom of the guide, feature Facebook posts by the Mashable team, such as popular Facebook lists and most recent Facebook news. If you want to start the new year learning about Facebook, I think this is a great place to start.

Who, When and How often do you Twitter?

I recently used a Twitter Application called TweetStats to diagnose my Twitter habits (addiction?).

This first chart shows my Twitter history, I started on Twitter in March 2007, I really started Tweeting in March 2009. I think this likely coincides with using TweetDeck, a great application for managing who you follow and easily ReTweeting great tweets by others.
















These charts show the day of the week (Wednesday) and the hour I tweet the most (11PM). I'm not sure what this tells us, except that I should probably get to bed earlier.












This final chart shows the Twitter personalities that I have 'ReTweeted' the most. Iconic88 is my favorite ReTweet, he is is an amazing, positive uplifting twitterer. I love to spread his positive messages. I even interviewed him on a recent Ten Golden Rules Internet Marketing Podcast . Some other great folks to follow include Mashable (from the leading blog), Facebook Goddess Mari Smith and Help A Reporter founder Peter Shankman's @Skydiver handle.