I couldn’t tear myself away from what seems like my only portal to the outside world.

Who would ever think of leaving the one place where all your interests and relationships are at your fingertips?

I was going through social media withdrawal.

I couldn’t complete the ‘media fast’ I set out to tackle a few days prior.

I consume too much media for my own good. It’s to the point where I think I should take a minute every now and then to ask myself if I have anything insightful to say instead of relying on the insights of others.

It would also probably help if the Spotify commercials blasting in both eardrums didn’t startle me as I search for that one song to inspire my need to write.

This is asking a lot out of someone. With Facebook, Twitter, and a multitude of other social media channels bombarding our psyches everyday, cutting out all forms of social media for an extended time is like asking someone to retreat to Mongolia and hangout with Tibetan monks.

However, there is value in disconnecting ourselves from the daily din of life and the thousands of thoughts that flash across our minds. At this point, it’s time for me to rip out my SkullCandy earpieces and dig in.

The only way we can seek mental clarity is to simply focus on the task at hand and eliminate extraneous thoughts. By not concentrating on the past, we can create the desired outcome in whatever pursuits we choose. This might be a better way to make progress concerning the things we value most. While social media allows us the ability to be anywhere and communicate with anyone, we tend to underestimate the value of what is physically present.

According to the World Unplugged study, most students found it immensely gratifying to untether themselves from all media channels. It gave them a peace of mind and a greater appreciation for the simple activities social media has replaced, such as playing board games, having more face to face interactions with friends, family and roommates, going for walks, reading and painting.

One response perfectly summed up the irony of social media: “I have legs, which I now believe are underestimated as a social tool, as they allowed me to go and see people and communicate with them wirelessly.”

Social media is, without a doubt, very efficient. Its sophisticated algorithms can seamlessly match and connect people with similar interests in order to create worthwhile relationships. However, it’s important to purposely seek out activities and relationships, which do take more time, precisely because sometimes wasting time is actually the best option. It gives you time to smell the roses and relax. By taking a little extra time, we can find more meaning in these tasks and relationships. These can lead to more significant and stimulating social interactions.

Internet marketing companies may not take to the idea of social media users partaking in a consensual worldwide fast, but they can help users make better use of their social media time. People will be able to devote more time and energy to the interests and relationships they value offline. Our “legs” are the best “social tools.” Let’s just try to make an effort to use them more often.

The post #SocialMedia: Can We Cleanse Our #MediaDiet? appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

YouTube, bought by Google in 2006, is usually offered on smartphones with all the typical features, such as searching through video categories, rating videos, finding favorites. However, the problem began to arise when Microsoft introduced the new Windows Phones.

Google blocked these fancy features from working with the Windows Phone version of the YouTube app. The article says it’s “basically just a browser displaying YouTube’s mobile Web site.” It severely lacks the “functionality offered on competing phones.”

According to another article on Venture Beat, Microsoft planned to retaliate by creating a new “high quality” version of the YouTube app.  It would be similar to the current app running on Android and iOS powered smartphones.

While this would make things more equal for everyone, Google alleged,“the app enables users to download YouTube videos, prevents ads from being shown, and plays videos whose owners have set to only play on certain platforms.” Unfortunately, this violates a whole mess of terms and conditions.

The real threat comes against Google’s branding guidelines. The multi billion-dollar company tries incredibly hard to uphold a good brand reputation.  In an attempt to preserve Google’s name, it sent a cease and desist letter to Microsoft a few weeks ago, calling for an immediate halt on the development of its alternative YouTube app.

Branding is extremely important to social media agencies, as well as large Internet companies like Google. If bickering between competitors flares up (as it most certainly will from time to time), preserving the brand must be a top priority.

Microsoft has since released a statement noting its willingness to work with Google to resolve the issue, which could be as easy as allowing the popular YouTube app to function the same way on Windows Phones.

However, the funniest part of this entire feud is that after everything is said and done, neither Google nor Microsoft will be losing much money as a result of this fued. In fact, Google “recently hit 900 million Android device activations,” and Microsoft has been making $5 off of each Android device sold. Pretty ironic, huh? So while the war seems like a means to an end, there’s only a matter of time before the next app battle begins.

The post The Video-Sharing War: Microsoft Battles Google for Equal YouTube Rights appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

Her badass physical and mental power catapulted her to her first French Open win in over 11 years and 16^th overall Grand Slam title, only further cementing her place among the all-time tennis greats. As a fellow female athlete, this is more than enough to make me swoon. Her powerful, muscular physique is symbolic of the new wave of female athletes.

At, 31, Williams is playing possibly the best tennis of her career and even clocked her fastest ace at 120 mph – prompting her opponent, Maria Sharapova, to excuse herself by saying, “I think if I was built like Serena I hope I’d be able to hit a big serve like that, too.”  The force of her serve is only one part of the enormous cultural power she holds as an iconic female athlete – she’s also avid social media user (Forbes even dubbed her one of their fifteen Social Media Overachievers).

The above photo from Sports Illustrated encapsulates the ecstasy, exhilaration and elation of winning as well as the sacrifices, frustration, and disappointments of past losses. Simply put, it is a beautiful and moving portrait of a lifetime of work captured and expressed in a singular moment in time. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

I hope the photo will go viral and help disabuse people of the notion that female athletes are too masculine or not worth watching. The awesome physical and emotional power displayed is inspiring. Social media allows us to not only record moments such as these, but comment on them and pass our thoughts along. It makes us less passive – we fancy ourselves participants, not observers.

I’m not alone in this sentiment either. Among the many Twitter reactions to Serena’s win, @niketennis had over 1500 retweets of the post below:

With over 3 million Twitter followers, Williams has been steadily increasing the value of her social media stock. Her fandom has reached the point where she has instituted @Serena Friday, a separate Twitter account dedicated to a weekly Q & A session for followers wanting to inquire about her game, her personal life, and even pictures about her conversations with fellow competitors.

This weekly meet ‘n’ greet has helped her build a rapport with some of her most devoted Twitter followers and she acknowledges the benefits of social media: “I don’t know why I chose Friday, but it became a huge hit. That’s what I like about social media. I can connect directly with fans.” It’s this kind of engagement that is key to building and maintaining a relationship with fans and followers. Her successful upkeep of this relationship is now pretty crucial for her own brand management – especially as she is solidifying her status as a legendary player on and off the court.

According to Forbes, as of this month, Williams is among the world’s highest-paid athletes, reeling in over $45 million in career prize money and accruing endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, and Wilson. Apple has also taken notice of her star power, as she and her sister, Venus are a part of their iPhone 5 advertisement from earlier this year.

Internet marketing companies should take note of her widespread appeal on the tennis court and in the court of public opinion. (Her victory speech in French on center court should be a big plus from a marketing standpoint: she knows how to woo the locals. Her Parisian apartment and embrace of the French lifestyle doesn’t hurt, either.)

There’s no doubt Serena will have a lot to say during this week’s #SerenaFriday, as followers recap her recent win at Roland Garros. Williams shows no signs of slowing down physically, technologically or culturally – and doesn’t want to be disturbed anytime soon.

The post #Serena: Not Done Serving on the Court, Nor on Twitter appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

Game of Thrones is one of the most popular shows on television right now. Many of the characters on the show have encountered problems at some point, but many of them could have easily been avoided had they logged into these social media accounts.

Arya Stark – Foursquare

Young Arya Stark has been on quite a journey since leaving Winterfell. After being captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners, and being held for ransom by the Hound, Arya has been traveling all across Westeros. If Arya had a Foursquare, she would be leading all characters by far in terms of points. She might even be the mayor of a few places. If she posted her locations for her mother and brother to find her, perhaps she would have made it back to them before their tragic deaths.

Daenerys Targaryen – LinkedIn

Daenerys Targaryen has been moving closer and closer to capturing the Iron Throne. However, she’s needed a lot of help along the way. Daenerys started with only a small group of Dothraki soldiers and dragon eggs. Since then, her dragons have hatched, she has found soldiers and a commander, but she’s gone through a lot of unnecessary trouble in doing so. Had the ‘Mother of Dragons’ simply gone on LinkedIn, she would have discovered soldiers and a capable commander without having to travel out of her way and partake in unnecessary battles. As for her dragons, they may be obedient to her but they are still young and untrained. Just by searching ‘dragon trainer,’ she could have found somebody to prepare her dragons for battle rather than have to wait until they grow and learn on their own. Maybe the Khaleesi should have learned some social media marketing skills before heading into war.

Robb Stark – Google+

Robb Stark had a valid claim to the Iron Throne and was working his way closer before he was murdered in the Red Wedding Massacre. However, if he built up his circle to gain support from other kingdoms, he could have completely avoided the event. He would have still been alive to wage war against the Lannisters. Also, if Robb used Google+, he would have already been in Lord Walder Frey’s circle from their previous partnership, so he might have been able to sense a vicious attack beforehand.

Joffrey Baratheon – Twitter

King Joffrey is not favored by many. However, maybe by tweeting to the citizens of King’s Landing, he could have gained some support. The young king is also quite a little brat and loves to complain. What better way to vent to the world than tweet? Celebrities do it, so why not the King? #DaddyIssues

Jon Snow – Instagram

Okay, so Jon Snow may not NEED an Instagram, but he would definitely have a ton of followers. This guy has a beautiful pet wolf that would appeal to animal lovers, has a hot girlfriend who I’m sure would get plenty of likes and could definitely take some beautiful landscape shots from the top of the Wall. Snow really has seen it all and I’m sure the world would love to see what he saw.

Tyrion Lannister – Facebook

“The Imp” is obviously not a huge threat on his own. But after the battle with Lord Renley, Tyrion gained quite a bit of support. If he had been on Facebook, his page likes would have skyrocketed! Just like social media agencies use Facebook to gain popularity, Tyrion could have done the same. With Facebook having over a billion users, I’m sure Tyrion would have quite a large fan base (especially since not too many people seem to favor his other relatives). I’m sure he’d also have some pretty witty Facebook status updates.

All in all, this just goes to show that even characters in a fictional world could benefit from social media.

The post Why ‘Game Of Thrones’ Characters Should Have Used Social Media appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

The quick and efficient way to look for help is to turn towards the Internet. It’s important to check social media marketing sites if you have questions about what’s happening. It’s also the best way to comb for news during a time of crisis. According to the infographic created by the University of San Francisco, 76 percent of people used social media sites to connect with a loved one to determine if they are safe after a disaster. Twenty-five percent of people during this time of crisis engaged in downloadable disaster apps to check the changing news and information.

In fact during Hurricane Sandy, FEMA actually advised people to let their family members know they were ok by updating various social networks.  This just goes to show how effective social networks are becoming in today’s age. A couple years ago, if the phone lines were down, there was no other way of contacting family members or friends. Social networks are becoming the go-to source for help, even replacing 911.

The booming social media scene is very beneficial whether you’re in the disaster or you’re trying to help others who were affected by a crisis. For example, during the horrific Haiti earthquake, there were 2.3 million tweets saying either Haiti, or Red Cross. Out of these tweets, 189,024 contained the number “90999.” If you texted that number, it sent $10 to the Red Cross relief funds for Haiti. Social networks helped to save countless lives in Haiti.

It is very clear that social media is becoming one of the leading ways of contacting people and it shows it here that social media can come up clutch in key situations such as during disasters. This form of communication is quickly replacing the original disaster response which was calling 911. “From raising money to locating survivors, it’s clear that’s social media is quickly becoming the most efficient outlet for managing disaster response.”  So as the days go on, always remember that if you’re ever stuck in a disaster or trying to reach a loved one, you’re only a click away from reaching them through social media.

The post Social Media is the Leader in Disaster Response appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

In a world fueled by technology and Internet marketing companies, it’s interesting to picture those same circumstances with the addition of digital media. Would the show have been as funny as it was?

Let’s take a look at some of Seinfeld’s most memorable dilemmas that could have easily been avoided if smartphones or digital media apps were available in the 90s.

In the episode “The Limo,” Jerry and George are stuck at the airport without a ride, so they steal a limo by claiming to be the rightful passengers. While posing as men named “O’Brien” and “Murphy,” Jerry and George begin to detect the unusualness of the situation and grow concerned. Eventually, they find out that the real “O’Brien” and “Murphy” are Neo-Nazi’s who ordered a limo to take them to a Nazi rally in the city.

This news causes a bit of a meltdown, which could have been easily avoided if Jerry used a smartphone to Google the name “O’Brien.” But, then again, this episode would have ended the minute Jerry’s search brought him to the keyword “Aryan race.”

Another moment that captures how handy technology could have been is when Jerry loses his car in the parking garage of a local mall. They spent an entire day searching for it. The day brings about many challenges that could have easily been avoided by the use of a smart phone and apps. First, the gang loses the car and begins their search. Then, upon searching, they split up and lose each other in the process

A simple car-locating app or an indoor navigation app would have brought this endless search to a fast halt. The car would have been pretty easy to find. Also, the ability to text would have prevented Kramer and Jerry from being separated from the rest of the group.

However, the best smartphone moment doesn’t come until the ninth and final season.

In the Season 9 episode, “The Puerto Rican Day Parade,” the “Seinfeld” cast finds themselves stuck in midday traffic due to the annual parade. Jerry tries to sneak away from the traffic jam to watch the end of a Mets game and Elaine leaves to find a way back home to watch “60 Minutes.”

Of course, the overall plot of the episode is the gang’s inability to find an alternate route. If a smartphone were accessible, things would have been much different. Jerry would have asked Siri for the most reliable way home from his current location. Siri probably would have mapped out his whole trip on Google Maps and navigate him home in time to see the Mets game. Even if they were still stuck in traffic, Jerry and the gang could have used mobile apps to record or stream TV broadcasts on their smartphones and never miss a minute.

But that would have been pretty boring, wouldn’t it? In fact, the whole series would have been a flop if technology was as advanced as it is now.

It is pretty clear how influential technology is in our daily lives. Thanks to smartphones and mobile apps, our daily tasks and accomplishments have become more manageable. However, it’s safe to say that a majority of the events in “Seinfeld” would not have occurred if new technology was available. People also probably wouldn’t have laughed as hard at their unpredictable misfortunes.

So that leaves us to wonder, is the influx of technology ruining television and diminishing real life comedic conundrums from many present-day sitcoms?

The post Could “Seinfeld” Live in Today’s Digital World? appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

• AnkiDrive was a new concept introduced by Apple that will be available on iOS devices. AnkiDrive is a small toy car that “thinks just like we do.” The cars reacts to their surroundings and can even target other vehicles, “bringing video games to life on the floor of your living room.”

• Apple also announced its new operating system, OS X Mavericks, the first of a series of future operating systems named for places in the company’s home, California. Mavericks has enhanced many aspects of previous operating systems, including battery life, Safari and the Finder. In addition, new features, such as file tags and enhanced multiple display support are now possible on Apple computers. The new iCloud Keychain feature saves user login information for virtually anything, as well as credit card info – but encrypts this data to prevent hacking, making logging into various websites and shopping online more efficient. Other Apple apps like Notifications, Maps, Calendars and iBooks have also been giving makeovers and some snazzy new features.

• The new MacBook Air on display at the conference. The new MacBook Air is faster, more efficient and more responsive than previous models and is also about $100 cheaper than the former’s original price. The release of new Airport Extreme Base Stations makes it possible for Apple users to stay online on the go.

• The Mac Pro was also a major topic of interest. Tim Cook described the new Mac Pro as “the future of a pro desktop” and something “truly revolutionary, truly radical.” Every aspect of the Mac Pro has been upgraded. The Mac Pro features a unified thermal Intel Xeon core, which allows for more than double the performance output of older models and the fastest ECC memory ever. Flash runs 2.5 times faster, than any flash ever built, and 10 times faster than any previous Mac Pro. More processors, memory and bandwidth all equal a Mac Pro experience more than twice as fast as any before. All of this is jammed into the new iO station, which is one eighth the size of the previous model, allowing for easy transportation.

• The most anticipated announcement of the Keynote was definitely the introduction of iOS 7. Apple touched on how much more successful iOS has been compared to Android and how much more satisfied customers are with iOS products. That is why they created iOS 7, to keep customers happy. “iOS 7 is the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone. It’s packed with new features, and an amazing new interface” says Cook. Everything about the operating system has gotten a face-lift, including the lock screen, camera, calendars, Gamecenter and even Siri. Several new features were also introduced, such as the iTunes Radio, which is sure to prove itself a major Pandora competitor, AirDrop (a new, simple picture sharing application), and Activation Lock, which allows users to deactivate their device if it is stolen. iOS 7 pleased the crowd of 6,000 and is now available in a beta version and will be available for full release later this year.

For more details on the Apple WWDC 2013 Keynote, check out my comprehensive report.

The post Highlights from the Apple WWDC Keynote 2013 appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

Now, while some of the arguments hold validity, social media sites deserve a little more credit. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have brought people together in times of need. After the Oklahoma tornados, a Facebook group was set up to help victims get their belongings back. This enabled people to not only locate belongings, but find pictures and help each other out during this tragedy. This wasn’t the first time Facebook was used to help people during natural disasters after the after math of hurricane sandy it was beneficial for raising money for victims who lost their home.

Social media has also been beneficial for all types of events as well. Think about all of the marathons you’ve ever heard of, or raced in. Most of these fundraisers’ were linked to social media marketing. Media sites were essential in giving vital information to participants, like where the fundraiser was taking place and the time.

What’s great about social media sites is you can target a large amount of people in a very short period of time. They give you the availability to keep people informed at all times, and this can be great for directors in charge of any organization or fundraiser. The fact that social media marketing sites can target a mass amount of people in a very short period of time gives you the ability to make a large profit since you are able to advertise on such a large scale.

While social media has been noted for causing procrastination, it’s also been largely beneficial in the work place. According to the Society Of Human Resource Management, social media “facilitates open communication, leading to enhanced information discovery and delivery.” This creates a free-flow environment where everyone is informed about what’s going on. It enables ideas to be flow more freely and builds a better community in a work setting. Not only that it enables companies do a lot of research on what their competitors are doing as far as how they are targeting their audiences and consumers. It becomes a great resource in that sense, because it puts smaller companies on the map and let them compete

Work groups can also be made on Facebook. These groups create a friendly atmosphere for all employees and can keep them up to date on staff events and staff gatherings. Obviously, there should be some caution when using these groups, but they are efficient communication tools.  They also create a sense of belonging since everyone is being taken accounted for.

Social media has become quite integrated in our lives and in many ways has revolutionized how businesses do things. In many aspects, the influence of social media has connected us all and we can now accomplish more goals than ever before. Hopefully in time some of the kinks critics bash will be worked out. This way we can take this social media marketing to new horizons.

The post Don’t Knock Social Media: It’s More Beneficial Than You Think appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

For those that weren’t there, we’ve compiled all the essential facts below. (To read highlights from this report, click here.)

Read on, or jump to specific updates:

OS X Mavericks – MacBook Air – Mac Pro – AnkiDrive – iCloud – iOS 7

OS X Mavericks

Over the next 10 years, the names for Apple’s future operating systems will be named after places in California, where the company was built. The first release will be the forthcoming OS X Mavericks. Mavericks is focused on “extending battery life and enhancing responsiveness,” as well as introducing many new applications.

Finder tabs will make sorting your files easier. Tags will also be available on Mavericks, so that you can tag files to find them easier in the Finder sidebar. When saving a document, users can assign it tags to make finding and organizing easier. Finder will place files from different programs together based on their tags. True multiple display support is another new feature: users will be able to use the dock and menu bar independently on each display, operate with multiple full-screen applications simultaneously, and drag applications from screen to screen.

Battery life is a major concern for Mac users. New technologies such as App Nap, which channels power only into actively open applications, as well as other power optimization programs, will potentially increase battery life by up to 72%. Compressed memory allows us to compress inactive memory, resulting in high responsiveness from the computer when executing simple actions like opening a new window or waking up your Mac from sleep mode.

Safari has also been enhanced. The Safari sidebar provides new features like a reading list, which allows you to maneuver from article to article without actually going to the page – and it includes your social media feeds for easy, constant access. Safari uses much less memory and energy than other browsers, such as Chrome and Firefox – great for your battery life. Accelerated scrolling makes scrolling through long web pages or feeds a breeze, providing 60 frames a second for a smooth transition between different parts of a large web page.

The new Safari top sites page features your personalized sidebar, bookmarks and shared links from your social media accounts. One-click bookmarking is another plus that makes saving a webpage quick and easy.

iCloud Keychain remembers your website logins, credit card numbers, and wi-fi networks, but encrypts them to prevent hacking. Safari will autosuggest your login information, including passwords, making logging into websites easier, especially for those who often forget their passwords. When shopping online, Safari will suggest a credit card, leaving only the security code open for the user to put in.

Notifications have also been upgraded – you can view them and respond in the same window without opening a new window in your browser. In addition, any application that sends you push notifications on your phone will also appear on your Mac – such as a fantasy football or news update. Notifications will also appear on your Mac’s lock screen, so you can easily see what you missed while you were away. Application updates will also run automatically while your Mac is asleep, so users do not have to do so manually.

Apple has revamped Maps, too – now Mac users can send directions from their Mac directly to their phone, which will appear as a notification on the user’s lock screen. The user only has to swipe open the notification, and the directions will open up immediately.

Calendars now has unlimited scrolling – i.e., you now get one giant calendar that goes on forever. The new version of Calendars also features weather and travel time, so you can keep tardiness to a minimum and dress accordingly.

iBooks is finally coming to the Mac, giving users access to 1.8 million books. The iBooks textbooks are interactive, allowing students to do their work right on their screen. Users can adjust font and type size, as well as use night mode for late night reading in dark places.

MacBook Air

Airport Extreme Base Stations are now available to provide users with wi-fi anywhere. These small, 4.5 by 2 inch devices also have room for a Time Capsule and have several new features, including Beamforming, a feature that sends the signal directly to an antenna array, increasing wi-fi performance. The new MacBook Air is available in two sizes, 11 or 13 inches. Both are available with either 128GB or 256GB of storage and are at least $100 cheaper than previous models – and both models are available as of today. The new MacBook Air is faster, more efficient and more responsive than previous models, providing users with a new, easy MacBook experience.

Mac Pro

“The future of a pro desktop,” says Apple, features something “truly revolutionary, truly radical.” The processor is built around a new unified thermal Intel Xeon core, providing more than double the performance output of the older Mac Pro and the fastest ECC memory to date, at 1866MHz, on a four-channel controller and 60GBps bandwidth. New generation flash now runs 1.25GBps read and 1.0GBps writes, up to 2.5 times faster than any flash ever built and 10 times faster than any Mac Pro before. Thunderbolt 2 allows for 20GBps throughput, 6 devices per port and is backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 1. Thunderbolt 2 is twice as fast as Thunderbolt 1, which was already the fastest of its kind. Dual workstation GPUs provide 4096 stream processors with 384 bit memory buses and 528 GBps of total bandwidth, all equating to a 2.5 times faster experience. All of these features are packed into an iO one eighth of the size of previous models, allowing easy transportation. This is the “future of the pro desktop” and will beavailable later this year.

AnkiDrive

AnkiDrive is a video-game-like application that allows users to control small cars that “think just like we do.” From your iOS device, you can control a car that “thinks” 500 times per second. The cars adjust their speed and scan the track to decide their next move. They steer themselves and detect their surroundings to maneuver around other obstacles. Every second, the car can perform thousands of different capabilities based on its surroundings. Cars can be given instructions such as blocking other cars, as well as enabling weapons to destroy what is in their path. The creator of AnkiDrive says “this is a video game in the real world.” He then went on to say “we are bringing video games to life on the floor of your living room.”

iCloud

New to iCloud is iWork, a new application that allows users to create “beautiful documents right in your browser.” Users can change fonts, formatting and even drag-and-drop images from their desktop right into the document. The text reformats itself around the image, saving the user both time and effort. iWork also works on Windows, so it is not limited to just Mac users. A preview of iWork is available today, but will expand to all users later this year.

iOS 7

Apple has now “sold over 600 million iOS devices.” Experian studies show that iPhone users use their phones 50% more than Android users. Also, 73% of iOS users said they were “very satisfied” with their phones, while only 49% of Android users said the same.

Today, Apple announced iOS 7: “iOS 7 is the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone. It’s packed with new features, and an amazing new interface.”

The new lock screen is a slide-up one; iOS 7 also features a slide-up drawer that brings the user to volume controls and setting toggles. Another new feature is the translucent keyboard, which allows users to see content behind the keyboard. In fact every UI element that previously blocked background content is now translucent. The background now features animated wallpapers instead of a simple photo, making for a more advanced look. The UI responds to gyroscopic movement, so as you turn your phone, the angle and lighting of the entire UI adjusts. A new app switch allows users to preview apps on their screen and slide smoothly from one app to another.

Every application has been redesigned to look more modern and sleek. The new weather application is similar to Yahoo’s weather. Gamecenter is no longer just green felt. The new Calendar is based around pinching to zoom from screen to screen, pinching out to go from a day view to a week view, and from a week view to a month view, and pinching in to do the opposite. The new notification center has a “Today” view, which shows your calendars, stocks, the weather and a small preview of tomorrow.

The swipe-up drawer features one-click access to airplane mode, wi-fi and Bluetooth toggles, volume, music playback and, to the dismay of the thousands of flashlight application designers, a built-in flashlight. iOS 7 also responds to your app usage by giving more background cycles to the applications that you use more frequently. The new operating system also takes advantage of “Opportunistic Updates,” which provides your phone with updates when you have a particularly strong signal.

The new Safari features a fullscreen look. Rather than have a URL input and a search bar, both have been combined into one easy-to-use input bar at the top of the screen. A new tab interface allows users to sweep down from the top and scroll through a 3D display where they can drag and rearrange tabs. AirDrop is a new program that makes wirelessly sharing pictures from device to device very simple

The new camera now has built in filters and allows the user to swipe the screen to transition between modes (stills, photos, panoramics, etc). Photos are now automatically organized into “Moments,” which break down your photos into moments determined by when the picture was taken or location. You can pinch in or out to create a smaller or larger moment and see your photos from a day or a year on one screen. Photo streams can be shared and managed by multiple users, allowing for families and friends to create and easily share albums of photos with one another.

iOS 7 introduces a new Siri with a more human sounding voice. The new Siri allows you to play voicemails, toggle settings and access Wikipedia without launching the browser. The new operating system also features connectivity with your car. Honda, Mercedes, Chevy, Nissan and many others are in the process of integrating iOS 7 capabilities into their cars. iOS can now push a unique, completely new interface to your car’s touchscreen. This equips drivers with easy navigation tools as well as alerts and notifications without the danger of handling your phone while driving. iOS 7 also features iTunes Radio, which will definitely be competing with Pandora. Like Pandora, users can create their own stations, ‘like’ the songs they think are good and skip over the ones they don’t. iTunes Radio also displays featured stations and displays songs and artists that are trending on Twitter at the time. From iTunes Radio, users can buy songs they like from iTunes in one click.

One great feature that is exclusive to iOS 7 is phone, Facetime and message blocking, so that users can block people who bother or annoy them, making it impossible for them to contact you again.

Another new feature is Activation Lock. Activation Lock allows users to deactivate their iPhone if it is stolen, rendering the phone useless to thieves. This will hopefully deter theft.

iOS 7 is available for beta today and will be available for full release later this year. iOS 7 is supported by iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad Mini and iPod Touch 5^th generation or later.

In summary: whoa. Apple has truly gone above and beyond with what they’ve announced today. They have enhanced every one of their products, from the MacBook to the Mac Pro and the iPhone. These new and upgraded devices provide users with a new experience that only Apple can provide. Many of the products shared today are still in their testing stages, but are sure to be a huge hit once they hit the market.

The post fishbat Reports: Apple WWDC Keynote, 6/10/13 appeared first on an online marketing firm | fishbat.

The answer lies in content.

Show people what you got

Content is the life-blood of the Internet. The social media sites are the nerves that control the flow of this “Internet blood.” Even if you use every social media site in existence today, your presence will not mean anything without something to offer. According to an infographic by VisualEconomics, 42 percent of Internet activity is based on viewing content. This statistic alone gives those who wish to grow their online presence the mission of generating novel content to distinguish themselves from others.

What kind of content matters, though? Well, for one, the content that matters most on today’s web is that which is shareable. Often times, the stuff that people want to see is that which they can increase their own reputation by passing it along to their friends and family. According toThe Web Citizen, the five most effective types of content on the web today include:

• Photos – give direct visual representations of your message.
• Videos – are an engaging way to showcase products and in general, people tend to simply enjoy viewing videos over other types of content.
• Voting Poles – People love to voice their opinion and see what others think as well. It also give the polling party invaluable information on consumer preferences.
• Contests – Let’s face it, we all want to be number one. Contests are a great incentive become a loyal consumer of your product/service.
• Exclusive Content – This is content that subscribers have exclusive access too. Everyone wants to feel important, and offering exclusive content is a great way to make your followers feel special.

Generating compelling content on the Internet is easy. At the core, everyone has unique aspects of their own personality that are appealing to receptive audiences. It’s finding that audience that often becomes the conundrum in today’s online world. The Internet is young and still forming, just like the universe after the theoretical “big bang.” As easy as it is to find whatever you want, it’s also very hard to find exceedingly novel content unless you know specifically where to find it.

Ok, where is this going?

This brings about a tricky situation. It can be frustrating when readers and content generators can’t find ways to reach each other. This is where optimization of search keywords (SEO or Search Engine Optimization) comes into play. Blogging helps to increase traffic to a website when it includes links which are embedded into certain key words. Any content which includes these keywords becomes an opportunity to associate that content with another reputable source. The more reputable the source is that a site is paired with, the more reputable that site becomes in turn. Press releases help companies appear familiar with current events and associate them with causes or organizations they support. With adequate content, an optimized site can reach top spots in search engine results. Companies and individuals alike have increasingly turned to online marketing companies to ensure that their content is found in preliminary searches of their keywords.

Aside from a little confidence in the non-digital world as well, the right social media marketing strategy makes a world of difference when it comes to your online presence. It is important not to overlook where you are linking to and who is linking to you in return. When used correctly, these tools and techniques essentially give you a microphone and podium to recite your message, rather than leaving you yelling over the crowd.

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