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Google+: The Next Generation of Social Networking

What is Google+?  Simply put, it’s Google’s answer to facebook and has quickly become the hottest new social network.  In just three weeks, Google+ has accumulated more than 10 million users and over 1 billion bits of content are shared daily via this new kid on the virtual block.  While Google+ is most popular among early technology adopters and “techy” type users, regular Joe’s, marketers and businesses around the world are showing interest.

But you’ve gotta want it.  Unlike its predecessor, Facebook, Google+ is a little trickier to understand and is full of nuances that make mastering this social network much more challenging.  However, many will argue that the juice is worth the squeeze.  Along with the steeper learning curve, comes a plethora of features that make Google+ a standout in the social network space.

Google+ is a collaboration of various social products including Stream (newsfeed), Sparks (recommendations), Hangouts (for video chatting), Huddle (for group texting), Circles (for organizing friends) and Photos.  This collection of products is rumored to be just the beginning of a much larger group of applications which will include Games and much more.

But the … READ MORE

Social Media and the Restaurant Industry

Many of my clients are restaurant owners.  Restaurant owners are a unique group of professionals, many of whom are hesitant to enter the social media space.  However, along with being a restaurant owner comes a whole new set of social media challenges.  Tripadvisor.com recently reported that an estimated 87% of travelers look to the web and read reviews when planning their next trip.  Similarly, a growing number of people are using social media and other websites to decide where to dine locally. 

The point I try hardest to drive home with these owners is, word of mouth marketing isn’t enough in today’s digital age.  As with any other business, if restaurant owners want to attract new patrons, they need to penetrate the areas where these patrons are spending their time…on the web utilizing social media.

How should restaurants be using Social Media?

Most restaurant owners understand that having a website is an absolute necessity, an idea that was completely foreign to the generation of restaurant owners before them.  And so they take the leap and invest a significant amount of hard-earned capital into having a … READ MORE

4 Important Branding Trends From Mashable Connect 2011

I can scarcely remember a time in my professional life when I was as excited about an email as when I received the invitation to Mashable Connect 2011. This invitation-only event brought together 300 of some of the most influential digital leaders across a wide range of industries including marketing, consumer electronics, entertainment and more. This event allowed these thought leaders to make connections and exchange ideas about how brands, organizations and communities are connecting through innovation, social and digital tools.

The takeaways from this event are too many to quantify, but the central theme addressed by every speaker was that not only are big changes occurring in the social media space, but they’re happening at the speed of light.  Below are what I believe are 4 Important Branding Trends highlighted at this powerful event.

The Shift From Control to Collaboration
One of the most significant changes occurring in social media is the shift from control to collaboration.  The most successful marketers are giving up control and turning their consumers into “prosumers”.  These “prosumers” are taking control and driving the direction of the marketing campaigns through the use of social media … READ MORE

New Word Lens iPhone app translates words instantly

Word Lens translates words instantly.

Apple is known for its eye-catching products and cutting-edge technologies. Products like the iPhone and the iPad have been complete game-changers in their respective industries, often creating new ones as they go along.

But this new app for the iPhone will blow your mind. Dramatic, I know. But I’m totally serious.

It’s called Word Lens, and you can’t fully appreciate its functionality until you watch the demonstration of the app in this video:

Word Lens translates words on signs, menus and the like instantly. In a foreign country? No problem. Just point your iPhone to the words you wish to be translated and voila! You instantly know what the words say in your native language. The first version of the app will only be English to Spanish and then Spanish to English translations, but more language offerings are on the horizon, according to The Huffington Post.

TechCrunch said: “This is what the future, literally, looks like.” So check out the demo, and try to tell me that you’re not blown … READ MORE

The day Facebook changed — and nobody complained

When Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, who was recently named Time’s Person of the Year 2010, announced plans for a new Facebook profile page, I began to dread it. Not because I fear change or I thought it would be a bad move that would hinder my experience on the site. I was simply waiting for the monsoon that was undoubtedly preparing to rain down on my News Feed as friends, family and co-workers transitioned to the new format.

Comments like:

“JOIN THIS GROUP FOR 1,000,000 STRONG AGAINST THE NEW FACEBOOK PROFILE.”

“How ugly could this new profile be? Facebook, WHY do you always have to mess with a good thing?”

“I’m boycotting Facebook until they come to their senses about this whole stupid new profile page thing.”

But something was different this time around. I heard… crickets.

I don’t think I read one single solitary tweet against the change. Not one person offered to boycott or flee to another social media website in protest. It was almost eerie that a relatively major change to the functionality of Facebook caused no disturbance among its most … READ MORE

Google wants a spot at the eBook table

Yesterday Google launched their new eBook service called, simply, Google eBookstore.

Google is taking a swipe directly at other eBook sellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple, with one crucial difference—eBooks purchased from Google’s store will be available on any device.

When you buy an eBook from Google, it stays “in the cloud,” just like GMail and Google Docs. That means that in order to read your eBooks all you need to do is log in to your Google account and you have access to your library. If you’re going to be without an internet connection for a length of time (such as on a flight,) you can download the book onto any device with the Google Books app. Apps are currently available for iPhone, iPad, and Android. You can also download your books in ePub format for readers such as Sony eReader and Nook. Last but not least, you can always read them in any web browser.

If you want to test it out yourself, head on over to books.google.com. When you first download the Google Books app, you have access to three … READ MORE

Facebook expected to release ‘Gmail killer’ on Monday

Tech Crunch is reporting that a “Gmail killer” will be unveiled on Monday, courtesy of the social networking giant Facebook.

Dubbed “Project Titan,” it will be a web-based e-mail client, which will give users a personal @facebook.com e-mail address.

Tech Crunch goes on to say:

“Facebook has the world’s most popular photos product, the most popular events product, and soon will have a very popular local deals product as well. It can tweak the design of its webmail client to display content from each of these in a seamless fashion (and don’t forget messages from games, or payments via Facebook Credits). And there’s also the social element: Facebook knows who your friends are and how closely you’re connected to them; it can probably do a pretty good job figuring out which personal emails you want to read most and prioritize them accordingly.”

Facebook is expected to make the announcement during an invite-only press event on Monday, Nov. 15, at 9:30 a.m. in San Francisco.

Tech Crunch READ MORE

TBD Enterprises credits part of success to ‘eBoot Camp’ book

When you write a book, besides hoping you sell a lot of copies of said back, the biggest thing you hope for is that people will actually take what you’ve written, apply it in the real world and find success with it.

Well, we’re pleased to announce that Bernie Ritchey and Tom Washburn did just that after reading “eBoot Camp: Proven Internet Marketing Techniques to Grow Your Business.” The 17-year best friends were recently interviewed for Corp! Magazine’s September/October 2010 issue and talked about their experience with the book.

Both men were let go from their sales manager positions at an Auburn Hills robotic integration company in 2008.

“All of a sudden, you’re out of work and there’s not a lot of people hiring in Michigan,” Ritchey told Corp! “It was pretty much start a business, or move out of state.”

Ritchey told the magazine that “eBoot Camp” brought their new business, TBD Enterprises, to a new level. “That book has really changed our lives, and I’ve turned lots of other people on to … READ MORE

140conf Detroit a lesson in talking less and doing more

Yesterday, hundreds of people descended upon the Fillmore Theatre in downtown Detroit for the 140 Characters Conference. And they came to listen to stories.

Stories of how the real-time Web has impacted the way people do business. Stories about how the social Web has lifted spirits, changed traditional media, allowed people to become their own bosses, and helped build a united sense of pride in the Motor City.

To share all of the great nuggets, big ideas and calls to action that were shared yesterday would be nearly impossible. What we will share is some of the highlights from the event — an event that challenged attendees to question the status quo and move beyond just talking.

Filmmaker Erik Proulx shared his antidote to what he calls “ruin porn,” so often touted in traditional media outlets when Detroit is part of the conversation.

“Why can’t we see the reverse? Why can’t we look at hope and optimism and doing good by your neighbor … why can’t we look at that with the same sort of fascination and awe?”

His response: a documentary called “Lemonade: … READ MORE

RSS feeds make it easier to capture your favorite content

So you’re reading this blog post because you’re a fan of the eBoot Camp blog, right? But you might be thinking, man, it’s tough to remember to check back all the time to see if we’ve updated with any cool new content. Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered.

Some of you probably already know what an RSS feed is and how to sign up for our e-mail newsletter. But some of you probably don’t. So we want to take a minute to make sure everyone’s on board, because both of these tools are a great way to stay up-to-date on all of the new content on the eBoot Camp blog — without having to remember to check back with us all the time.

RSS, which stands for Rich Site Summary, is a way to deliver to a user web content that is changing regularly. It allows a person to stay informed about new content without having to visit each of his or her favorite sites individually. It’s also a great alternative if you don’t want to sign up for a company’s e-mail newsletter.

My Yahoo, Bloglines and Google Reader are some of … READ MORE