On Wednesday, Twitter made two BIG announcements, so pay attention!

Some background: Back in June, Twitter rolled out “Twitter Cards,” its name for the multimedia you sometimes see in expanded tweets on Twitter.com and its native smart phone applications. Alright, back to yesterday: Twitter released the Lead Generation Card.

What is the Lead Generation Card?

Basically, this will allow marketers to collect leads directly within the tweet. Followers don’t even have to fill out a form because Twitter already has your info (name, @username and email). When someone expands your Tweet, they see a description of the offer and just clicks on a call-to-action button. It is that simple and the implications are HUGE.

Here’s what it looks like, courtesy of the Twitter Advertising blog:

Marketers can now develop very effective campaigns to assist with email acquisition. Twitter has been testing this feature with a handful of brands, including New Relic (@newrelic), Full Sail (@fullsail) and Priceline (@priceline). According to Twitter, “many beta participants found the streamlined nature of the Lead Generation Card was instrumental in driving a low cost-per-lead compared to other technologies in their marketing suite.”

Okay, settle down there and take a deep breath. Currently the Lead Generation Card is only be available to Twitter’s managed advertising clients, but they have plans to launch this Card to everyone else soon.

An update to Twitter account security

Twitter has been under fire recently for some high-profile hacks. In an effort to increase security, Twitter added two-factor verification, which requires users to put in a second code along with their username and password. This part of a larger security plan that Twitter has implemented to help fix this.

Here’s how to setup login verification via the Twitter blog:

To get started, follow these steps:

1. Visit your account settings page.
2. Select “Require a verification code when I sign in.”
3. Click on the link to “add a phone” and follow the prompts.
4. After you enroll in login verification, you’ll be asked to enter a six-digit code that Twitter sends to your phone via SMS each time you sign in to twitter.com.

The Washington post has a good article about why you should turn two-factor verification on, and calls out other websites that have it. My recommendation? Turn it on. The extra security layer makes up for the small amount of inconvenience. However, keep in mind that nothing is as important as having a strong password. (This means length people, nothing shorter than 15 characters.)

Have comments or questions? Let me know in the comments below. You can follow me on Twitter @ppadley.

Author’s note: This was originally published on DEG’s blog.

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I am blessed to have a great job. I have worked at DEG for over two years now and my work is a significant part of my life. I hear many friends talk about the idea of work/life balance. I do not like that old adage. A better term is work/life effectiveness. One’s work should not take priority over God or family, however we inherently spend more time at our jobs. How is that balanced? Twenty-first century executives like Yahoo CEO Marrisa Mayer provide extraordinary benefits for associates to fix this issue.

My employer was recently picked up by KMBC Channel 9 in Kansas City to discuss how we approach the work/life balance conundrum. I was interviewed in this piece, watch the video HERE.

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With the surprise announcement of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, I thought I would share the top five places I go to for unfiltered, honest, non-secularized Catholic news. These fives news sources for me allow me to not get skewed information regarding the Church or any major news regarding Catholicism.

1. Vatican News - The official news site of the Vatican offers the faithful brief news articles on the Pope and the Church, videos of His Holiness and multiple news outlets. They tweet @newsva_en
2. National Catholic Register - The National Catholic Register began in Denver in the late 1920s as the Denver Catholic Register. Exchanging several hands, it eventually was purchased by EWTN from the Legionaries in January 2011. The paper prides itself on being a daily news outlet that is faithful to the Magisterium and professional in presentation. Amongst many supposed Catholic media companies, the NC Register remains a resource for faithful Catholics seeking to understand their Church and their world. It hosts a myriad of correspondents and gives opinion through their various and well-known bloggers. Follow NC Register on twitter @NCRegister
3. Catholic News Services - The mission of Catholic News Service is the mission of the Church itself — to spread the Gospel through contemporary means of communication. Serving since 1920 as a news agency specializing in reporting religion, is the primary source of national and world news that appears in the U.S. Catholic press. Their website is a little outdated, but decent reporting. You can find them on twitter @CatholicNewsSvc
4. Rome Reports - Rome Reports is a great source for Catholic news videos. Updated on a regular basis, Rome Reports is faithful to the Church and reliable for up to date videos on Catholic news and papal events. Watch the best moments of Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI and check out their twitter @romereports
5. Zenit – Zenit has some of the most comprehensive Vatican News coverage. When the Holy Father issues an Encyclical or Document it is on line within 24 hours. It also prints important news on the international Church and comes in several languages. Follow them on twitter @zenitenglish

Update (for papal election & conclave coverage):

• Watch EWTN’s live coverage online of the Papal Conclave —> HERE. You can follow them on twitter @EWTN.
• Funny Twitter handles to follow conclave coverage:

#CONCLAVE EXPLAINED: cardinals’ votes burn in @conclavestove travel up @conclavechimney / @papalsmokestack. @papalsmoke sets off @popealarm.

— Popewatch2013 (@Popewatch2013) March 11, 2013

Stay away from the following:

National Catholic Reporter – Lovingly called the National Catholic Fishwrap by popular blogger Father Z and others, the supposed Catholic newspaper is a festering wound of heresy and dissent. I call it the National Catholic Distorter.

Mainstream Media “Faith Blogs” – Sites like the Huffington Post on Religion and the CNN Belief Blog are complete froth and generally only host those religious thinkers who are either atheists or angry ex-members of a given religion.

What are your favorite Catholic news sources?

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I didn’t get much sleep last night, because I’ve been sick. Luckily for me being up at 4AM on this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe had it’s plusses. His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, tweeted his first messages from an Apple iPad Wednesday at 4:28 AM (CST) to more than 1 million followers on his newly started @Pontifex account. I was able to watch it live.

Watch the video of Pope Benedict post his first tweet below:

His first post was a simple message of gratitude:

Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.

— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012

The pope’s first @Pontifex tweet — which was typed by an assistant but sent by Benedict — already has nearly 50,000 retweets. According to the Vatican, papal tweets will from here on out be posted by assistants, but written with Benedict’s guidance. The moment’s leading up to the the pope’s first tweet were exciting according to Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Twitter‘s consultant to the Vatican.

My nerves kick in as we near the moment. First tweet from @pontifex now imminent.

— Claire Diaz-Ortiz (@Claire) December 12, 2012

Good thing it all went off without any trouble.

The Vatican also announced that Pope Benedict XVI will be responding to questions posed using the #AskPontifex hashtag. I’m excited to see how these interactions play out. It is a good first step to use Catholic new media and show the world a new era of Vatican communication. I hope that the World will see how wonderful the Church’s message is 140 characters at a time.

Will you follow @Pontifex on Twitter?

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The phrase, “work on the work on your desk” comes to mind. I heard this a few years ago at an AAF-KC event. I believe it was said by John January from American Copywriter. What January meant is, focus on creating great work with the clients you have. Don’t think about the next project, or the next agency, or the next city. See opportunities in the work on your desk and make it better than it needs to be.

So as we near the end of the year, and many of us in marketing start 2013 planning, stay focused and remember to work on the work on your desk. Who knows, maybe if you create something extraordinary you’ll win an ADDY!

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It is good for the soul to take the focus off ourselves and onto what matters–family, friends, our God. It keeps us humble. This year I have so much to be grateful for! However, I’m issuing a public challenge to myself (and you) to be thankful more than once a year. It says in the bible,

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

his mercy endures forever.

-Psalm 118:1

When is the last time you wrote a thank you note? How often do you praise God for all the gifts He’s blessed you with? I’m inspired by people like Matt Swaim or my friend Maria Johnson who start each day with a #Gratefultweet. Catholic News Services just did a story about Matt and his movement. (Happy day 425 of being grateful Matt!)

#gratefultweet Day 425: For an entire day devoted to gratitude.

— Matt Swaim (@mattswaim) November 22, 2012

Today, even Facebook has changed their update status box to ask, “What are you thankful for?” But I challenge you to make it last more than 24 hours.

Here it is, my list of things I’m thankful for. I am very blessed.

#gratefultweet For my family, @nrbenner, my job, my #Catholic faith, Turkey Day & all the blessings God gives me. bit.ly/T75F1J

— Patrick Padley (@ppadley) November 22, 2012

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Apple released iOS 6 on Thursday (Sept. 19th). iOS 6 adds over 200 new features, and Apple is touting a few like its own Maps app, Facebook integration, Siri improvements, Apple’s new Passbook digital wallet app, and more. Here are a few quick takes on my first 6 hours with the new software.

1. The new Maps app is cool. I especially like the 3D view, but I’m not sure how useful this is. The traffic alerts are nice. Apple clearly has a lack in map data compared to Google Maps. Seems like it’s going to take a little while for this app to feel like it not a beta release.
2. The App Store is way more graphical. I’ll be interested in the coming months to hear how this affects app sales.
3. The status bar now changes colors depending on which app your using (i.e. if you are in Mail, the status bar at the top is blue). Does anyone know what this is supposed to indicate? To me, it is an unnecessary UI change that doesn’t actually add value. Apple has recently been criticized in the news for their UI changes.
4. I really like the updated phone features. Now when you decline an incoming call, you can instantly reply with a text message or set a callback reminder. You can customize the auto reply text messages too.
5. So far I’m not that impressed with Passbook, however as it gets a wider adoption rate I’m sure I’ll start to like it more.
6. Set aside some time to update your phone. This update comes in at 626 MB, but it packs a lot. So it’s going to take a little while…

Currently downloading #iOS6 and the time remaining keeps changing between 2 minutes – 1 hour left. What a #tease.

— Patrick Padley (@ppadley) September 19, 2012

How to update:

You can obtain the update either by connecting your devices to iTunes and clicking the “Check for Update” button or checking for over-the-air updates on your devices via Settings -> General -> Software Update. Wait and then enjoy!

 Share your favorite new iOS 6 features in the comments.

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Last week Apple sent out invitations to a media event scheduled for Wednesday September 12th. Apple is, of course, expected to introduce the next-generation iPhone, aka the iPhone 5. In anticipation of this glorious announcement, I’ve compiled a list of the top five best Catholic iPhone apps currently in the App Store

iPieta (Catholic Teaching, Calendar and Prayer) - $2.99

This will be the best $2.99 you ever spend. This app is so packed with so much Catholic awesomeness you won’t know where to begin. How much awesomeness you ask? In addition to being available in Spanish and German, here’s a short preview:

• Daily readings from the Douay-Rheims & Vulgate
• Both the Ordinary (Novus Ordo) and the Extraordinary (or Traditional/Tridentine) Calendars
• Numerous devotions and prayers
• Baltimore Catechism #1 – 3, Papal Encyclicals and Cociliar Documents, plus Fathers of the Church (Erdman’s collection)
• The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas Kempis
• The Rule of Saint Benedict
• Examination of Conscience
• And just for good measure, the Summa Theologica, by St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Catholic Directory - free

This is probably the app I use the most because I’m terrible at remembering mass times. My favorite feature is that you can find churches by using your current location. This is super helpful when traveling, or when your schedule requires you to find another parish to go to mass/confession. The only down side of this app is that it requires parishes or users to help keep the information up-to-date. As an added bonus, they have added the daily readings.

SEE ALSO: How the iPad Can Influence Your Faith

Laudate - free

Similar to iPieta, this is a Catholic mashup app. Laudate has the daily readings plus the saint of the day. It includes the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, multiple podcasts for daily meditation and the New American Bible. My two favorite features are the gospel reflections and the interactive rosary. For those of you who don’t have a Magnificat subscription, these reflections are a wonderful free alternative. True, you will get odd looks when you whip your iPhone out after communion (it happens to me all the time). Just be confident in the fact that you’re not texting or tweeting but rockin’ some deep meditation. For those onlookers, this is a good time to introduce them to the 21st century when mass is over.

iBreviary - free

If there was only one app I could recommend to priests this would be it. iBreviary brings the traditional Catholic prayers/rituals and all of the texts of the Liturgy to your iPhone. Originally conceived by Fr. Paolo Padrini in Italy, this app is available in English, Italian, French, Latin, Spanish and also for the iPad and Android.

“What’s that Father? Oh, you forgot all the texts needed to celebrate mass. No worries I have my iPhone.” iBreviary includes:

• Liturgy of the Hours (Roman and Ambrosian Rite)
• Roman and Ambrosian Missal
• Mass readings for the current day (full lectionary)
• Missal and Breviary for the celebrations of the Saints. (also the commons)
• Main prayers of the Catholic tradition
• About Saints Day (short bio and picture)
• The ability to load up to 10 days to use off-line
• Ordinary of the Mass and rituals according to the Vetus Ordo of 1962.

Divine Office – Audio Prayer – Liturgy of the Hours - $19.99

This is the best app for praying the Liturgy of the Hours. When you’re on the go this app gives you an opportunity to participate in the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours–the public prayer of the Christian community. Made by Surgeworks, it has a beautiful user interface and is very simple to use. It is also available on the iPad, Mac, Android and Kindle Fire. It includes the audio version of the Liturgy of the Hours, scripture readings, psalms and prayers.

Bonus: Check out the iPhone 5 Rumor Roundup

Don’t see your favorite app on the list?

Share your favorite Catholic iPhone apps in the comments below. These are just some of the great Catholic iPhone apps out there.

By: Patrick Padley

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I had the pleasure speaking in Dallas, TX at the Catholic New Media Conference. I spoke about Digital Strategy and how the Church needs to use the same tactics/tools that major Fortune 500 brands do—because the Catholic Church is a major brand. Hopefully my talk inspired those needing help with a digital strategy in their Catholic parish or organization.

If you couldn’t make it, or want to get all listen to all the talks again, I suggest buying the CNMC Virtual Ticket. This will give you access to the audio recordings of all the sessions that were held over the three days of the conference, plus exclusive bonus interviews with many of the speakers and attendees.

While you wait to receive your download for that, you can download a PDF of my slides or view the deck I presented below:

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It’s no secret that Facebook’s iOS app was horrendously slow. Once a poster child for how to design a great mobile app, it has faced alot of criticism in the past 18 months. Part of the reason it was so slow was because of the old apps use of HTML5. While HTML 5 is great to build cross-platform mobile-friendly web pages, it is not a good way to make an iOS app.

So basically, Facebook had to go back and rewrite the whole thing from scratch. The Facebook mobile rebuilt it using the Objective-C programming language, which essentially makes better use of the iPhone hardware and focuses on the advantages of using a native application, rather than rendering Facebook items in the app using Web data.

Anyway, you can download Facebook for iOS [iTunes link] from the App Store.

(For more nerdy deets, look at Facebook’s engineering blog.)

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