Google+ Launches Tools for Businesses

After a private beta test period, Google is releasing on Wednesday a suite of business tools for Google+ users.

The tools are available for free through the end of 2013, but users will then need a paid subscription to Google’s cloud-based software for businesses, Google Apps, for continued access.

Here’s a rundown of the new features:

• Private sharing. When you create a post, you can now label it as “restricted.” This will limit its visibility to those inside your organization (plus a few external partners if you so choose), and can’t be re-shared with anyone on the outside.
• Administrative controls. Administrators can set up company-wide sharing defaults for posts and Hangouts.
• Hangout & Calendar integration. Since July, Google+ users have been able to organize Hangouts directly from Gmail, and open Google Docs documents during those meetings. Now, users can attach Hangouts to Google Calendar events, enabling attendees to join a Hangout directly from the Calendar entry or original invite (see below).

In a blog post, Google said these new features were just the beginning. In the coming months, the company is planning to introduce a mobile version of Google+ for enterprise, as well as additional administrative controls.

Social media takes on ‘church’ role in times of need

Research has recently come to light underlining the pivotal role social media played during, and after, the Christchurch earthquakes.

Ekant Veer, a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Canterbury, has discovered that social media unexpectedly became the communal meeting place during the quakes. Veer has noted that the people affected increasingly took to social networks for help, to provide information and lend support. With the city undergoing such turbulent times - many buildings became unsafe for occupation and transport links were damaged - social media took on the role traditionally held by the community halls and churches.

The lecturer, who has revealed his findings in the lead-up to the Australasian Natural Hazards Management Conference, monitored a variety of social networks after the quakes and noted his findings. Overwhelmingly, it was found that people utilised social media for ‘immediate and timely updates’. In addition to providing practical information, such as where to find fresh water and food, social media was important in supporting those who were badly affected and created a great sense of community.

Christchurch Cathedral after the quake

Some significant players during the quakes included Geonet and Civil Defence who tweeted regular and useful updates. The hashtag #eqnz also came into play, helping boost the informative element that became so significant. News channels, whilst maintaining importance in informing the public as a whole, could not keep up with the instant updates boasted by social media. Subsequently, the quakes have led to heavier use of the platforms and claimed many more users.

Positive reports

In a time when social media is continuously cropping up in negative news articles, this is something that reaffirms the importance it can play.

The Christchurch earthquakes cannot be viewed in isolation as social media has played a significant role in other natural disasters. The disasters in Japan, for example, saw a huge spike in social media usage, with users relaying their support under such hashtags as #prayforJapan and posting ways in which others could help or donate. Similarly, in Australia, a Facebook page was created when it was announced that the Cyclone Yasi would hit Queensland. The page provided key updates, information and a place for users to connect. Studies have further shown that social media usage ‘during natural disasters is comforting, empowering and can limit psychological damage’. Clearly, it helps fulfil a number of functions in these times of need.

Two sides

Although social media was cited as one of the catalysts behind the London riots, it was proved in the aftermath how the good side overcame the evil. Initially, social media helped gauge public opinion, showing how unpopular the riots were, and united people and communities in combatting the situation at hand. Facebook pages and Twitter accounts were created, along with the hashtag #riotcleanup, sparking people into action to help their cities. In turn, this gained many ‘likes’ and retweets, as well as receiving further exposure with inspirational images of communities cleaning up their cities. A similar movement occurred in Vancouver following the riots there in June 2011.

When the dust had finally settled, social media also took on an important role in discerning those who had been a part of the riots. The authorities were made aware of images portraying individuals involved and those who had utilised social networks to incite trouble. In addition, users were urged to come forward with any information they had concerning the rioters.

Despite not being a natural disaster, these riots similarly show the role social media can play as becoming the ‘church’. It is evident that it helps promote the community and allows people with no prior connections to work together for the greater good. Furthermore, social media promotes support for individuals affected by the events. The informative element must also not be forgotten as users can be instantly kept up to date with significant changes and information.

It is all too easy to criticise social media at present, but perhaps people should look back to these events to realise the important roles it has played. Were it not for these social networks the essential help, information and support may have been far less than what it was, and in no way as swift.

Facebook’s Instagram Acquisition Now Only Worth $735 Million

The agreement Facebook struck to acquire Instagram in April is starting to look like a bargain. The value of the deal, which was estimated at $1 billion at the time of its announcement, has since dropped to about $735 million.

Facebook agreed to exchange $300 million in cash and 23 million shares of common stock for the mobile photo-sharing app. At that time, Facebook’s shares were trading at around $31 per share. Those shares were trading just south of $19 Monday morning, less than half the $38 they commanded on IPO day. As a result, the value of Instagram’s sale has dropped by roughly a quarter.

As The New York Times notes, Instagram could have cut a much better deal. Had Facebook or Instagram insisted on a floating share exchange ratio — and the vast majority of acquisition deals have one — they would have both been protected from any major fluctuation (including an upward one) in share price. Instead of signing for a fixed-dollar value however, they signed for a fixed number of shares. Instagram could also have set up a clause that would have allowed the company to cancel the deal in the case of a steep stock price decline.

Perhaps Instagram thought Facebook’s stock had already bottomed at $31, and thought it was worth taking the downside risk. Or perhaps, as The Times suggests, the deal was too hastily negotiated by young executives “inexperienced in the world of mergers and acquisitions.”

But hey, hindsight’s 20/20.

It will still be some time before the deal is complete. British trade regulators approved it early last week, but Facebook still needs permission from American antitrust regulators to move forward. Should the deal fail to go through, Facebook will owe Instagram $200 million in termination fees.

The Key Reasons Every Business Needs Social Media

A business person should always have a social network on hand because it allows them to sell anything on demand. All of business owner needs to sell products or services is an Internet connection when they have built the list on the social media platforms. This is a massive plus because most business owners do not know that they can sell things through the Internet that quickly using the list that have they generated through the social media platforms. This is a massive speed advantage that most businesses do not have. This speed is a major advantage for a business owner that has taken the time to develop their expertise with the social media platforms.

Another reason that a business owner or a business person should have a social media network is that they always have the best advice available to them from their network. This is because the network is made up of people who are their peers and have experiences developing their own businesses. Therefore, they are good sources of advice for the business owner to use in their own business. There is no better way to advance of business then to stand on the shoulders of people who have already done the same thing and are willing to help the business owner achieve business success with them. Therefore, a business person should always focus on developing a network of people that they trust to help them develop their business as fast as possible.

Lastly, the best reason to use the social networking campaign is that it allows a business owner to watch the trends that are happening in their industry. The truth is that things change every day for every business industry. Therefore, it is smart to have a network of people who are watching all these trends and report them back to the business owner. This might be the best reason to use the social media network platform because of the ability of the platform deliver new news to the business owner at a high rate of speed. This high rate of speed will allow a business owner to identify a trend long before it becomes trendy. This knowledge will make the business the first on the market when an opportunity arises. Being first on the market is a big advantage because being first on the market means that any product that is released afterwards only serves to remind the target market of the first product. This means that when a competitor realizes that this trend is an opportunity for them to make money it is already too late. Being first on the market is always an advantage for any owner. Therefore, having a social media campaign that reports on the trends before the happen is a very good thing to have.

In conclusion, a well-made social media networking campaign is the best thing that a business owner can have in their arsenal to allow them to dominate the competition. A well-made social media campaign will deliver money and results into their bank account. Therefore, any business that does not have a social media presence needs to develop that presence ASAP. All it really takes is finding someone who is skilled in the social media platform to teach him or her how to use the platform to its maximum effect. Any business should not hesitate to get a social media profile going today.

Benefits Of Social Media For Business

Today, the business enterprises can never dismiss the impact of the online communities being the platform that help them gain commendable exposure and enhance their brand visibility. The online media has become a great way of reaching to the potential costumers in most efficient and cost effective manner. Online communities, especially the social networking websites thousands of registered users and the numbers are escalating each day. Facebook records more than a million of members. More than a lac of tweets appear on Twitter each day. Communities as MySpace have over a 100 million users worldwide. Thus these social media sites are now used a tool by the business house to showcase their service sans hassles. It is thus not a wrong notion to uphold that social optimization for business has been the most sensational revolution that harness their growth in most effective ways.

Social media for business has many advantages and the prime one is that it allows you to reach out to a large set of online audience base. You can get in touch with online communities and interact with a large number of potential customers. Advertising in online communities means that the online customers can now have reach you with utmost ease. Social networking gives the opportunity for you to give a quick response to your clients. The main thing that is required in SMM service is right strategy and proper planning.

In Social media for business, online interaction is simple and cost effective. Following the basic SMM services, the business houses can yield better results in terms of visibility and presence in the domain. Social marketing campaigns such as e-mail campaigning or newsletter marketing can appeal the clients. Newsletter campaigns bear the probability of turning a mere visitor into a buyer.

Online users often refer to the social communities and websites to find reviews about a particular service provider. Thus, posting reviews is another good way to attract visitors to your site. The SMM includes social media optimization services which play a vital role in product or business promotion.

Social optimization services involve an array of promotional programme which include article and press release submission, video uploads, interacting with the online audience by participating in the discussion forums and loads of other stuff. SMO service aims at creating proper brand awareness and directing maximum traffic to the client's websites.

Social marketing for business involve several applications that are intended to attract different online users. The services that are rendered by a SMM focus on online brand enhancement strategies. These companies formulate the correct social media policies and aid you with distinct approach which will aid your business carve a separate niche.

It is a fact that top rank in search engine result pages help a business gain relative exposure, but there are certain other important factors related to it. Social media optimization services have evolved to deliver tremendous outcome to the business enterprises as far as their web visibility is concerned. As a business owner, you need to be aware of the goal that you wish to achieve through SMM and through strategic approach; it is matter of time that your business will enjoy more recognition online.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6279086

Pinterest Drops Invites, Now Open to Everyone

Pinterest announced Wednesday that it began open registration, dropping its invite-only approach.

Users can now sign up for the social photo sharing website without waiting for an invitation, according to Pinterest’s official blog. Prospective pinners can register using their email addresses, or log in with their Facebook or Twitter accounts.

“We’re really excited to have the capacity to offer Pinterest to more people and if you’re a Pinner with friends who’ve been waiting on the sidelines, we hope you’ll let them know,” the blog said.

Prior to opening up, users had to click “Request an Invite” on Pinterest.com, and enter their email address.

The California-based company announced in late July the addition of new categories, including, “Quotes,” “Tattoos” and “Weddings,” which joined old standbys, “Food and Drink,” “Architecture” and “Home Decor.” Some category names were tweaked: “Pets” became “Animals,” and “Prints and Posters” is now “Illustrations and Posters.”

Pinterest also reported that it had improved old categories, so users see less miscategorized pins as they peruse boards

The site, a virtual pinboard where members organize and share photos of their favorite things, is one of the fastest-growing social networks online. Reports suggest that Pinterest is the third-largest social network in the U.S., behind only Facebook and Twitter. It is currently looking to expand into overseas markets, such as France, Germany and Japan.

In May, Pinterest raised $100 million in a round of funding that values the company at $1.5 billion.

Goodbye, Hotmail; Hello, Outlook.com

If you’ve been on the Internet for a long time, there’s a good chance Hotmail was your first email address. Launched in 1996, Hotmail was bought by Microsoft the following year, and the service has gone through myriad changes since then. Today, Microsoft is making its most radical change yet to the 16-year-old email service.

For starters, the Hotmail brand is toast. Microsoft is rebranding the service under the Outlook banner, moving the service to Outlook.com. The Hotmail site will still be there, and users won’t be forced to make the switch — yet — but the message is clear: Going forward, Microsoft email is called Outlook. You’ll still be able to keep your Hotmail address, and even use it as the one all your friends and family reply to, but your account will be an Outlook.com account.

Email Ads, the Microsoft Way

Also getting thrown out: the business model. Hotmail stood apart from other free-email services such as Gmail by building display ads into the page, forcing users to look at them. While the ads have been a (small) source of revenue for Microsoft, they’ve held back the service in many ways. Most notably: Hotmail arrived on mobile email apps late — and kicking and screaming — since once the service is integrated, display ads aren’t visible.

But now Microsoft is literally pushing those display ads aside, replacing them with Google-like keyword-based text ads that run along the right side of your message pane. Those ads will be tailored to you based on personal data, and they’ll get even more specific when you click on a message.

“Wait a second,” you say. “Isn’t this kind of ad targeting exactly what Microsoft criticized Google of doing in amusing ads like ‘Gmail Man.’” Absolutely true, but Microsoft gives itself a get-out-of-jail-free card: It will only serve you and ad within a message when it’s a newsletter or some other form of “official” communication (like from your bank). For person-to-person emails, the ads disappear in lieu of something else.

New Features

That something else being one of Hotm… er, Outlook’s most interesting new features: social integration. For whomever you’re conversing with, Outlook imports their most recent tweets and Facebook updates, along with links to profile pages. You can even Like, comment, retweet and @reply straight from the pane. Of course, it’ll only do this if you enable Outlook to scan for public content on either service, something you can disable later.

Microsoft was kind enough to give me an early look at the new Outlook and try out its new look and features. I must say, I like it. I also admire Microsoft’s moxie in throwing out both the Hotmail name and the existing business model. In a year filled with bold moves from the company, this doesn’t rank as the biggest, but both decisions feel like the right move.

The first thing you’ll notice after making the transition (by selecting “Upgrade to Outlook” in your Hotmail settings) is the new design. Hotmail, which evolved greatly over the last decade but retained the same overall look, has finally gotten an extreme makeover.

Clean Interface

Outlook’s austere blue-themed design will be recognizable to anyone who’s seen Windows Phone or Windows 8, and it makes the whole experience feel much more calm (Hotmail has always been the “noisiest” of the three major email services). And you can switch the blue color for something more to your liking at anytime.

Two great features about the new look: 1) It keeps things clean by offering you just one action item when you have nothing selected: compose a new message. And, 2) The layout is relatively tight compared to Gmail, minimizing the amount of “chrome,” navigation items and white space on the top of the page. You’re here to see email, so email is front and center, and it still retains Hotmail’s folders (as opposed to Gmail’s labels).

Once you get past the layout, though, it becomes pretty clear that the general business of sending and receiving is pretty much the same. This is still email, after all. However, while using the Outlook preview I found that messages don’t quite come in as fast as on Hotmail. This could easily be because of the nature of the preview, but Microsoft might also have some optimizing to do after the transition.

Expectedly, you can launch Windows Live Messenger to start a chat at any time, and Microsoft says Skype support will be available at launch (it wasn’t during the preview period). With Skype integrated, you can start a Skype conversation with someone straight from an email. Once Microsoft completes its acquisition of Yammer, you’ll probably see similar functionality with that service.

Leaving Hotmail Behind

Hotmail was at times an albatross and a best-kept secret about Microsoft. After a long period of neglect, it improved greatly over the last few years, imitating the best features of its competitors while retaining features (like one-click rearranging) that keep fans of traditional email clients happy. As a result, Hotmail is still the web’s largest web-based email service, with 350 million users, according to comScore.

With the transition to Outlook, those users are in for a shock, but when they see what Microsoft’s got in store, I suspect many will see it as a pleasant surprise. Microsoft’s mail service has never been this clean or usable — or looked this similar to Gmail — before. The lack of clutter is greatly appreciated, and you have to give Microsoft credit for removing things like the big “SkyDrive” icon up top (we’re here for email, thanks).

It’s in the differences, though, where Outlook shines. The social integration is an excellent idea — after all, if I’m conversing with someone on email, what that person is sharing on social networks becomes more actionable than if I’m just seeing random things in a newsfeed. Suddenly realize in mid-sentence that it’d be better to talk to the person? Just use Skype.

With features like those, Microsoft’s web email service is much improved, and I’d even say superior to Gmail in many ways. If users are to have any issues, it’ll probably be with the Outlook name. The brand generates a lot of bad blood among users, and people inherently fear sweeping changes. At least in this case, things get better on the other side.