I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging in recent months but have still been actively following news in the social media and technology space. Below are a few of the stories that I enjoyed reading the most over the past seven days.
Archive for category Web2.0
Short Post about @oldspice
Jul 13
I haven’t been posting very often in recent weeks (sorry!) so wanted to write a quick post about what Old Spice has been up to that is starting to make a splash in the social web. They developed an interesting campaign utilizing Twitter and the “Old Spice Guy” that I think it’s brilliant.
I’m a PR girl and have a soft spot for anything the involves social media. In terms of an integrated campaign, this is a great example of taking the character developed for the brand, from television commercials, into the digital realm. The “Old Spice Guy” posts response videos to tweets of pretty high profile folks on Twitter that are clever and entertaining. I think I’ve already watched six of them and the evening is just getting started. This is by far one of the most interesting integrate approaches I’ve seen in quite some time, now it’s a matter of watching to see if this grows into something truly viral.
Originally posted on Examiner.com
Have you ever finished a long work week and want to go to happy hour but don’t want to go to the same old place? Check out SFWeekly’s Happy Hours App available on the iPhone and Android.
The application is free to download and leverages built in GPS technology on your phone to find the happy hours closest to where you are. It quickly calculates your location then creates a list of places that have happy hour going on right now and will tell you the specials (including prices), the distance and the time happy hour ends. It you find a happy hour that looks attractive to you, simply click the name of the place and you’ll open up a new page where you can rate that event if you attend, send the details to a friend, see how other people rate it and even get connected to City Wide Taxi. You can also get the phone number if you have a question to ask the staff and the address will auto load to Google Maps.
The app is simple, convenient and will help you find your next favorite spot in the city. If you’re in more of a planning mode you can also search for other days, times and locations or specific specials and cuisines. The app is truly awesome
Check out this video demo:
Originally posted on Examiner.com
Curious which restaurant on your block has the highest rating on Yelp? You could pull out your phone, open up your Yelp app, type in a restaurant name, hope you spelled it right, scroll through the results and repeat for each restaurant on the block. You could also switch the Yelp app to “Monocle” mode and point your phone at the various restaurants as you walk and have instant access to the ratings, public reviews and a quick link to the more details page of each all while seeing the visual of the restaurant through your iPhone’s camera lens.
The app, available on the iPhone, was the first augmented reality application available to the public. It uses the GPS signal from your phone to identify the businesses in your area and embeds Yelp profiles into your view, making comparing restaurants and other businesses easy and fun. The application will work anywhere in the US where you have service and can be an invaluable travel companion and helpful decision maker for the foodie in every one of us. The application is free and can be downloaded directly from the iTunes store.
For a quick video demo on how this app works, check out this video from thetrendwatch.com
originally posted on the Examiner.com
Foursquare is a free mobile application that allows you to virtually “check in” at restaurants, bars, stores and other locations in the Bay Area and beyond. As you check in, you compete with other application users for the mayor title (most check ins in a set period of time) and attempt to earn badges for over sharing, being a fashionista or other recognitions based on where, when and how often you check in. Like most social tools, it’s fun and ultimately about connecting with other people in your area. Although headquartered in New York, San Francisco has quickly become one of the cities using the application the most, leading to some serious competition amongst friends and foes alike.
The application is great for sharing your location with friends and colleagues but has also received some attention because sharing where you are also shares where you are not, leading to a handful of break-ins and questions about the security of using the application. This even resulted in a spin off site called Please Rob Me highlighting the possible risks of over sharing. Social tools like this are supposed to be fun but it’s also important to be careful. So while you’re trying to secure the a the Mayor position at your favorite late night eatery, follow a few easy tips to ensure you are being careful with the information you’re publishing.
Here are five tips for getting the most out of Foursquare without giving too much information away:
1. Make sure your Foursquare friends are actually your friends: Since you’re sharing information about your location, make sure you actually know the people you’re connecting with. This is a network you want to be a bit more mindful of than other networks when accepting random requests for friendship. Think about the information you share and if you want strangers to see it.
2. Only Sync with Twitter or Facebook if you’re comfortable with the whole world knowing where you are: Foursquare is a social network in itself and you can connect with the people you are comfortable sharing your location with but once you publish to Twitter and Facebook, your information is instantly public and search-able. You’re already sharing your information with your Foursquare friends so there is very little need to share beyond that.
3. Don’t check in at home or at your home office: Yes, you’ll be mayor but anyone can find your address and find out when you are not at home. It’s a burglars dream come true and easily avoidable by just not checking in there.
4. Change it up: Foursquare is about having fun and finding connections so go to different restaurants and stores throughout San Francisco and the bay are. When you check in, Foursquare will notify you of any specials that are available nearby. This may be a discount on a purchase or a free drink for checking in. It’s great for forcing you out of your routine and to check out new places.
5. Check out who else is checked in: It’s good to be wary of connecting with random people but this is an opportunity to meet new people with similar interests so when you check in, take a look at who else is hanging out where you are. It’s a great chance the meet someone new and strike up a conversation.
The application is available on most mobile devices so please check your mobile applications store for download instructions or visit http://foursquare.com/
Follow me on Twitter: @schlegelsteph
There is no limit to the quantity of iPhone apps out there. From apps that make silly noises to apps that calculate your tip on a dinner out, the selection is almost limitless. A new app, Zoetica, launched today offers a solution for those interested in the nonprofit world (an interest of mine). The Zoetica iPhone app aggregated nonprofit tech and social change blog posts, making sure the content is at your fingertips at all times. Continuing with the nonprofit theme, the application is free of cost in the iTunes store.
What makes Zoetica different than other news aggregators is that Beth Kanter, Social Media and Nonprofit expert, hand selects the blog feeds that are ultimately aggregated into the app, ensuring the user will receive the most relevant information in the space. The app was created through a partnership with AppMakr and is in itself an example of the possible use of such a tool for nonprofits. The service makes app development possible for groups with limited budgets and limited tech skills, something many nonprofits can use. AppMakr offers different price points that allow for almost any marketing budget to include an app in the plan.
For more information about the application as well as possible uses for nonprofits, please visit Beth Kanter’s blog
Social Media has allowed for average people to connect with other people all over the world. The majority of those connections are with friends, family, colleagues or acquaintances on Twitter, Facebook and the other popular social networks. Especially with Twitter allowing anyone to follow your stream, the random connections are unavoidable but usually based on something like a comment about a similar interest.
In comes Chatroulette! to truly randomize connections. The site has been covered in excess since it’s launch as a breeding ground for flashers but with some filters and focus it can be a great access point for connections. Although I’m too scared to actually try it out (random nudity is not my thing), the process to play the game is simple. All you need is a webcam and internet and you’re good to go. There are no filters, search terms or common interest just raw, random connection.
This concept is exciting and intriguing because it is fundamentally dangerous. That danger attracts a certain audience for at least a one time visit but to keep people interested and coming back, it will require the option of filtering. For example, today I might want to talk about Fashion and Style, I would be much more likely to jump onto the site if I knew it was likely I would connect with someone wanting to discuss the same topic. With those filters, Chatroulette could become a site with staying power rather than a passing trend.
Here is a video, no nudity included, showcasing the fun nature of the tool.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Feb 14
Just want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day! With such a high frequency of cell phone video recorders and the internet as a simple and easy distribution method, there is no shortage of celebratory videos about Love. Here’s one highlighting a few love failures from the FailBlog
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
Brizzly.com, a reader that works with Twitter and Facebook, officially launched to the public today (previously available by invitation). The site pulls in the information from each social networking account, which is relatively straight forward. Beyond simple aggregation, Brizzly adds additional features that make the site attractive to users of both social networking sites. The two streams are accessed with tabs at the top of the page and at first glance, it seems like a simple site that brings Twitter and Facebook onto one page but the additional features are what make this reader useful.
One of the additional features that stands out is the “why?” button next to the Twitter trending topics. For example, Oprah Winfrey is trending and you may be curious why. Click the “why?” button and you see this simple blurb “Oprah is ending her talk show in late 2011 when her contract expires. She will then launch her Oprah network in partnership with Discovery Networks” Brizzly allows users to get that extra trending information not available in the web based version of Twitter.
Also, the ability to save searches is included in Brizzly so you can easily track conversations that interest you without having to do a unique Twitter Search every time. Brizzly will also translate a tweet from one language to the accounts default language.
The Facebook tab does not offer much in addition to the existing streams in Facebook. The ease of quickly clicking between Facebook and Twitter is one of the features that makes Brizzly useful when accessing Facebook information. There aren’t many perks for the Facebook only user.
Brizzly did officially launch today so additional features will likely be added in the near future. The site offers a simple and clean user interface, making it an attractive option for staying on top of your social networks. There’s also an adorable bear mascot, who wouldn’t love that?
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
A book may not be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing innovation but as technology has progressed, the way we consume the information presented in books has made a steady evolution. From the audio book to the Kindle, technology has jumped in to make books easier to consume in a variety of formats creating a debatably richer experience.
New to the market is Vook. It is the latest innovation in reading that brings together books, video and the Internet. Vooks are available on the web and to download on a mobile phone. It’s an interesting idea with the goal of supplementing books with video and social content that aren’t available in the static format.
The web-based version allow for the reader to view the text of the book in a similar format to an e-Reader. Video is incorporated on the side of the screen so you can easily view complementary material without flipping between screens or from book to computer. It also includes social media capabilities by integrating with Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. The mobile format has similar features but due to the size of the screen, readers are directed to video rather than it being incorporated in the screen. Although I have yet to try it, I imagine this is incredibly useful for cookbooks and fitness materials more so than novels.
The book selection is on the smaller side and focused on fitness and cooking texts but the site is new and I expect their library to grow. I do wonder if they will attempt to turn some of the classics into Vooks, which could be very interesting to see.