Getting your education on the go is now possible. With mobile education applications, it is now easy to take online university courses and stay updated using your smartphone. You can use your smartphone in a variety of ways. You can check your class’s message board, you can email your professor, or you can delve into the world of applications. In fact, eSchool News, an online publication for education professionals, lists ten of the best available online applications. One of them is called “Molecules,” and it allows the user to toggle three-dimensional images of molecules, in order to understand their structure. Another application is Blackboard Mobile Learn, which is the mobile version of the already-popular online application used by many colleges and universities to help students organize and enroll in courses, download assignments and contact their instructors. Also, there is the application Math Ref, which serves as a reference guide to math students, and lets students see graphs for different equations.

In fact, doing all things via mobile and the use of applications is only going to continue to grow. One field in which taking online university courses may be particularly important is in the healthcare industry. Currently, those in the healthcare industry are moving towards mobile data keeping and usage – for example, a doctor may use a tablet to show a patient images of his or her recently-taken x-ray. And so it is important for people in the field to know how to use online resources, and to keep abreast of the latest trends. For example, Tufts University is currently offering online courses in Mobile Health. Not only can this course be taken online, but it also allows the student to increase his or her knowledge of the mobile world going forward, particularly health-related applications.

Moreover, as the ubiquity of mobile devices continues to increase, most online university courses are adapting. Just five years ago, for example, it is unlikely that students were expected to have or use a smartphone. Today, it is hard to find someone under thirty without a smartphone. Smartphones and other mobile devices can make life a lot easier – it is easier to coordinate with fellow students, it is easier to email in an assignment while commuting into work, and it is easier to plan one’s day when using a smartphone. So it only stands to reason that online universities, in combination with app-makers, are making it even easier to get a good education.

In summary, while it may seem that apps are just toys, they can be used for mobile education. Therefore, apps are a worthwhile part of the education landscape, and their scope will only increase going forward.

There’s good and bad about speaking engagements in Vegas. The good part is that the city is ideal with plenty of hotel rooms and conference space to make anyone comfortable and productive. The bad part is that it’s Las “Stays In” Vegas and attendees are often distracted from the business at hand.

That won’t be the case at the PCG Event tomorrow through Thursday. The attendees are there for learning and the presenters are professionals. I have been to the previous two and both were high on education, low on distractions. The only bad part is that I won’t be posting much on Soshable for the time – Brian Pasch tends to keep everybody pretty busy during his events even if we’re lucky enough to skip out on the 6am exercise program.

I’ll be discussing “SEO Techniques that Leverage the Latest Changes in Google’s Search Algorithm” that covers the Penguin update. It’s arguably the most important speaking engagement topic I’ve had this year.

KPA will have a strong presence at the event and is doing SEO Snapshots for those interested in consultations. With many of the attendees being PCG clients, we don’t expect to see too many bad things going on with the search engine optimization, but not everyone is with PCG so there will definitely be some who need help. We’re ready.

For Soshable visitors – see you Friday! Vegas, I’ll see you in the morning.

We’ve done it, just like most of our friends have done it to us. We’ve come across a viral video that either made us laugh out loud, cry like a baby or think about something we’d never really considered before; and we’ve passed it on – usually with a comment like “lmao” or “This is going to make you cry.” And some of them are just so simple: a little kid getting his finger bitten by his younger brother or a three second symphonic clip introducing a wide-eyed gerbil. These videos are getting millions and millions of views and it seems like almost no effort went into the production. Why can’t you do that and use it to promote your company at the same time?

Sadly, there is no magical equation for making the perfect viral video. A lot of it has to do with good timing and just the right people picking up on it. But there are some things you can do to help your viral video on its way to viewer stardom.

Identify Your Audience

Depending on what your company sells, you’re probably going to want to craft your ad so that it appeals to a desired age range. Are you looking to grab the attention of 40+ year olds or the teen market? Are you trying to engage the 30s group? According to an April 2010 article by eMarketer, statistics predict that the majority – 93 percent – of 18 to 24-year-olds are watching videos online at least once per month in 2012, followed closely by the 24 to 34 group at 91.1 percent. Grabbing the attention of these age ranges takes a fair amount of research into what’s popular, but luckily, there are a lot of ways to find out what’s hot these days. Just check out the top viral videos lists updated daily at ViralVideoChart.com and on YouTube, or visit social media sites such as StumpleUpon, Pinterest, and of course, Facebook.

Keep it Short

While video viewership is going up, attention spans are going down. Average videos are typically around 15 to 30 seconds long, and they usually start with a quick “hook” within the first few seconds. It could be a good joke, a seemingly impossible sports trick, or even an adorable puppy trying to howl for the first time. No matter what, make sure it happens within the first few seconds or your audience will assume there’s no point in watching the rest, no matter how long it is.

Make it Catchy

Think of a commercial, any commercial you’ve seen in the past few days. What comes to mind? Three guinea pigs rowing a boat? A singing falafel? Whatever it is, the reason that commercial stuck with you is because it’s catchy. According to the founders of the viral video production company Seedwell in a recent interview by Mashable.com, a good viral video is usually either incredibly cute, shocking/seemingly impossible or a parody of something recent and well-known. Whatever it is, you want it to be something that catches your audiences’ attention and sticks with them well after it’s over. And hopefully, it will also be something they’ll want to pass on to their friends.

Good Title and Thumbnail

A lot of your viewing audience is out there trolling through the almost endless pages of videos available on the web for something to watch, and they aren’t taking the time to watch every single video in turn. Instead, they’re looking for interesting titles and intriguing thumbnails – the little freeze frames from your video that give the viewer an idea of the content. When preparing your video for the internet, make sure you pick a thumbnail image of your video that makes you think, “I need to watch that.” To get an idea of good thumbnails, flip through a site like YouTube or Ebaumsworld and see what other people are posting. These are also good sites for finding catchy titles. You only have a second or two to grab your audiences’ attention, so you want the first things they see – title and picture – to be as attention-grabbing as possible.

Promoting Your Product

Throughout this process, you’re probably wondering how you’re supposed to promote your business with this video. The answer is with subtlety. While watching any of the videos on the links provided above, you’ll notice that products typically aren’t mentioned directly in the film. Instead, they usually appear in small boxes at the bottom of the screen. Some companies choose to have the ads pop up in a contrasting bar at the bottom of the screen, while others might already have their video in letterbox format (a black bar across the top and bottom of the screen) and the ads appearing in the dark frame. It’s easier to integrate your marketing message this way, and your video avoids the stigma of being tagged as a blatant commercial. And if your video really catches on, you could sell additional space on the video to other companies.

Above all, remember that viral videos are all about entertainment. If you aren’t entertained watching it, your potential customers probably aren’t either. Just be sure to keep it short and catchy, geared toward your audience, and your products subtlety advertised. Add a good title and thumbnail and you’re on your way to viral fame.

So, a large number of the cognoscenti have gone downright apoplectic about Mark Zuckerberg daring to wear a hoodie to all-so-serious meeting of business bigwigs. The scandal.  What’s next?  White after labor day?  Red shoes on a Thursday?  How can our society survive without our sumptuary laws?  Perhaps the Mayans were right: the end is nigh!

Sarcasm aside, it really does show an interesting moment about social media and its place in society and Mark Zuckerberg—for good or for ill—is its personification.   Social media is not businesslike; it is not Chanel and it is not Brooks Brothers.  It is hoodies and jeans.  It is, by its very nature, more casual and much more direct.  It is not businesslike?

But should it be?  Businesses are certainly trying to make it that way.  They can ape a casual voice, but they still craft their voice in the same hyper-calculated way the make press releases or invoices.  Facebook, after all, is poised to conquer Wall Street.  Maybe it is time to change?

I think not.

Social media is powerful because it’s direct, personal, casual.  By taking away its main selling point, it can no longer do its job.  It is a bit of a paradox, but being too businesslike will actually be bad for business.  Companies need social media to be a hoodie.

This is not the first time that an online entity has undergone a massive change in tone; in fact, the internet itself did it back in 1993.  Believe it or not, there was a time when the internet was not casual.  It had a genteel, rarefied tone that was aggressively monitored by those that used it.  Before America Online brought it to the masses, the internet was the sort of place where you were scolded for being rude and spam was unthinkable.

This small group of sophisticated netizens only really grew in September, when a new crop of college students joined the online world.  Thankfully, this small group could be trained so that by November it was back to its lovely, Tea and Cake with the Bishop self.   Massive internet access altered this forever, and now the internet is the steaming morass of rudeness and obscenity we all know it to be, a situation decried as the eternal September.

It would appear, therefore, that the same businesses which removed the class from the internet wish for it to return.  As Cher lamented, however, you cannot turn back time.  We have gone from an internet of white gloves and tails to ones of hoodies and blue jeans.   Pandora’s Box has been opened and the Rubicon crossed.  Let’s get used to it.

Just so we are all on the same page, Apple Ping is a social media platform for music.

Ping is an underestimated platform that really has an incredible amount of possibilities for those who really love music. Not only does it allow for people to share what is in their libraries, but it also allows for people to see updates about a specific artist and even concert updates. It imports their Tweets and you can see what everyone is saying and listening to.

It’s not so much a platform like Facebook where you can comment on people’s walls and such, but you can comment on songs and albums that people recommend or are in your library that you recommend to others. Then you can then hear a short little clip and if you like it that much, a click of a button and it’s yours for no more than $1.29. Crazy right?

Not only is a social media platform, but its online marketing at its best! It’s unbelievable. People can recommend things for you to buy and ultimately make Apple even more money. We don’t normally hear about Ping as often as we should. It is the Facebook of the music industry and I think people are missing out.

I have been a music buff since the day I was born and it is a huge part of my daily routine. For instance, right now I’m listening to some Doobie Brothers and the Allman Brothers band on my iPad. Ping is recommending me artists and songs galore along with other people who have similar interests in music. As much as Spotify allows you to listen to music much like Pandora does, it does not give you the same connectivity that Ping does.

I think its wild. Social media has taken over all aspects of life whether we like it or not. I enjoy it. It’s fun, its connective; it’s something that is ever changing and ever developing. Sometimes it’s creepy that it can know everything about you, but at the same time, the ease of finding a song that could be your new favorite is out of this world. I love it, and it would be a “Genius” idea for everyone to get involved.

Related articles

• How Social Media Has Influenced Counting Crows Frontman Adam Duritz (mashable.com)
• Social media’s growing influence on sports (techi.com)
• Can You “Handle” Social Media? (techvert.com)
• iTunes Ping (ibm.com)
• Here’s Proof That Social Media Blunders Have Real Consequences (businessinsider.com)
• 10+ random thoughts on Ping and iTunes (ouriel.typepad.com)

There are many new businesses that are making waves in financial technology to help ensure our lives are made easier. Here are 7 companies that are truly innovative in the way they do business.

1. Klarna

Klarna is a Swedish-based e-commerce company that offers businesses the ability to receive payments and consumers to buy items, via online storefronts. Klarna creates a trustful relationship by offering customers the option to pay for goods after they are delivered and also allows buyers to verify their identities using basic personal data. Again, this allows for a safe and trustworthy relationship to be built, which is the core of Klarna.

2. CoverHound

CoverHound provides consumers a new way to shop for car insurance by using a comparative shopping platform. CoverHounds platform offers consumers the ability to choose which car insurance best suits them through comparing instant, accurate and actionable rates from leading insurance carriers. Without selling consumers data, CoverHound uses relationships between insurance carriers and agencies to enhance users’ car insurance policies.

3. Giftly

Giftly enables consumers to conveniently use their debit or credit cards to send and receive thoughtful and personalized gifts to family and friends. It is a newer kind of gift card, by turning ordinary debit and credit cards into gift cards that allows recipients of a “Giftly” to choose where he/she will spend it. Those sending a Giftly can choose up to 3 businesses where it can be spent, a personalized photograph or note, the amount, and send it via email. The recipient can then easily make purchases from the businesses listed using a credit or debit card that has been registered or redeem the Giftly via computer or smartphone at giftly.com.

4. ZipZap

ZipZap is a global cash transactions network that allows merchants to offer customers the ability to buy products online using cash. ZipZap also enables consumers to pay bills and add money to prepaid cards or mobile accounts online, using their local currency. ZipZap has over 700,000 payment centers that permit cash-preferred consumers to conveniently purchase items online and make payments with cash in their very own neighborhood via a CashPayment center.

5. BillGuard

BillGuard is a free service that offers users a place to collectively post billing complaints online. It checks and monitors your bills for any bad charges that have occurred without your knowledge and sends you an alert when one happens. BillGuard uses the same security measures as your bank to ensure that your information and data is kept safe, private, and secure.

6. Dwolla

Dwolla is a new payment network that works with financial institutions to offer merchants, non-profits, and consumers a cheaper, safer, and better payment experience, both online and via mobile devices. Users can send friends money through social networks, purchase products with a mobile phone, etc., safely and securely. Dwolla is an e-commerce company that is only offered in the United States.

7. Virtual Piggy

Virtual Piggy creates a safe and secure shopping environment for merchants and parents to help teach children responsible spending. Virtual Piggy provides a tool that enables children, 18 years and younger, to make purchases online that are controlled, approved, and monitored by parents. Merchants can offer a parental control mechanism, through Virtual Piggy, on their websites that gives children the ability to purchase products online, which is compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

I’m what you might call an Apple Hipster. I was using the Macintosh and Apple IIe before they were cool. The various companies that I’ve worked for over the last decade and a half converted me to be a PC guy, but definitely not by choice. That’s why it was a surprise to those who know me when I bought a G1, the first official Android phone, back in 2008.

I was trying to be smart. I compared the specs. I went so far as to put it head to head with an iPhone to see which was more responsive, which was faster browsing, and which seemed to have the brighter future. The Apple won by a very small margin but I was already with T-Mobile and it wasn’t enough of a difference to switch carriers, so I went home and started to play with my shiny new Android device.

Fast forward 5 Android smartphones later and for the first time since my mobile computer life began I’m facing a decision. Do I finally relent and get an iPhone 5 when it comes out? Do I go with one of the slick new Androids like the Galaxy S III (never had a Galaxy)? I was planning on going over the specs, grinding through comparisons, and making an informed decision as any self-proclaimed geek should.

Then, something happened. I saw a friend using a Windows 7 phone. Like when I’m watching a trailer for a movie that I decide half-way through I’m going to watch, I stop my friend from showing me any more. I’m in. It’s not that the features are any better (though the interface is pretty slick). It’s that I enjoyed the little that I saw and felt that this may just be the phone for me.

I’m not going to go into specs. I’m making a lifestyle choice for my next phone. I don’t want to be an Apple cult follower. I don’t want to be part of the Android sheep, either. I want to be a Windows Phone guy. It’s not the advertisements. It’s definitely not the peer pressure (I only know one person with a Windows Phone). It’s the symbolism that the company represents. They’re the underdog. They have what many consider to be a formidable product and their app store is perfectly big enough for me. As a result, I’m officially going to be carrying around a Windows 8 phone.

When do they come out again?

Related articles

• Mobile OS Madness Ahead In June (informationweek.com)
• Apple’s Siri says the iPhone is not the best smartphone (examiner.com)
• Wozniak: Windows Phone Apps Are ‘Much More Beautiful’ Than Those on Android, iPhone !!! (emmageraln.com)
• Apple Siri’s Recommending Nokia? Then Nokia’s Recommending Android & iPhone, I Guess (searchengineland.com)
• The Wrap: Samsung Omnia M, sunny Lumia news, et tu Siri? (windowsteamblog.com)
• Apple co-founder picks Windows Phone over Android (bgr.com)

Each year, Google makes changes to its search algorithm up to 600 times. This is way too many times to keep up with new changes, and its affecting the ranking of every website on the World Wide Web. Although Google considers most of these changes minor, many website owners find it quite challenging to adapt to changes soon enough.

Every few months, major search engines roll out important algorithm updates which affect the way in which search engines rank websites. Google might consider these changes minor, but I can honestly tell you that; that is not how website owners view those changes because they affect search results significantly. And of course it will be very hard to keep up with some of those changes sometimes.

It important however, that search marketers know and understand these changes and updates. These updates will help you explain changes in website rankings as well as organic website traffic which most of these websites depend upon. And it is important to know that understanding these updates can help you with your search engine optimization.

Search engines love social media because they know that most people express their views without bias on social media networks such as Facebook, twitter, and etc. If a products or service receives a favorable rating on one of the social media networks, major search engines take note of that. Major search engines know that people interact with one another on these websites in ways never seen before. They share their passion, interest, hobbies, and etc.

It is hard to see how search engines can disagree with so many people on these social networks. Even before the recent changes took effect, websites were ranked according to the number of genuine visitors received on each day that passes by. Of course, we cannot ignore valuable products and information, but that alone is not enough.
Words of Caution

Many website owners have now turned to purchasing Facebook likes, something that no one saw coming. Although you have to do it in way that’s not obvious, it does really work if done correctly. Search engines are always crawling social media networks for many things, and not just for fun. They pay attention to every small detail on these websites because they learn a lot of things every day. And they take everything for granted.
If Facebook likes were of no use, then you must ask yourself a simple question; why do the major search engines take these likes very seriously? The answer to this question is very simple; because people like value and not garbage. If many people come out and share how they like a certain product or service, it is very hard to see how these major search engines will oppose them. That will be like a suicide mission, and who would want to do that.

You also have to understand that search engines are not stupid; therefore, you must buy your Facebook likes in a way that won’t put you at risk of being penalized by major search engines because your online business depends on them. That being said, if done correctly it will boost your profit margins in ways you never imagined, which is why even big brand names with well-established foundations are looking for Facebook likes.
If those Facebook likes were nothing or not important at all, no one would even care about them so much. Many businesses big and small, online as well as offline are all fighting for a spot on the first page of Google, because this is where most people go to look for thing to purchase on the internet. And they trust Google on top of everything else.

The buildup to the Facebook IPO scheduled for a week from now has been anything but boring. Even the boring parts are being blown up in ways that make them exciting, such as the media’s fascination with Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie during his IPO roadshow. Long-term investors are starting to get the jitters based upon declarations of “innovation before profits” coming from Facebook’s upper management. Is the table being set for a roller coaster ride after their initial public offering?

Yes.

Facebook will explode out of the gates. It will be the hottest stock to buy for the first couple of weeks as quick-in-quick-out investors buy it up and watch their money multiply. They will all be watching for signs of the turning point when the first big selloff will begin, at which time the stocks will start to fall sharply, possibly below their IPO value. Will it be two months? Two weeks? Two days? Very few people know for sure (yes, there are some who actually do know with relative certainty because they’ll be part of the reason for it happening in the first place), but it’s very clear that it will happen at some point.

How Facebook recovers from that will determine how successful it will be long-term.

This isn’t beyond Facebook’s control. They may have scared off the all-important long-term money that makes most stocks much more stable, but they still have a hand in it through buzz. If they can create positive buzz surrounding their products and services, it will attract the WSJ Front Pagers (those who invest based upon news rather than insights) who can help elevate the bottom to an acceptable level, hopefully above the IPO price.

For the long haul, they’ll need to demonstrate growth beyond users. The revenue is being outpaced by marketing expenses and user adoption which is always a bad sign. The investors who plugged into Google and Apple will wait to see forward movement in profits before diving in. The sooner, the better for Facebook as they are unlikely to make a big move since forking over $1 billion for Instagram.

If they do make a big move, it would be to take over Bing, a move that some expect shortly after the IPO.

At the end of the day it’s not a question of whether Facebook will skyrocket, then plummet. It’s a question of where the bottom will be and whether they can then grow it at a steady pace to go beyond their early high point before the 12-month mark. If they can, they should have a long-term winner. If not, they may regret going public in the first place.

Related articles

• Four ways Facebook has transformed the tech IPO (news.cnet.com)
• Facebook IPO Meeting Weaker-Than-Expected Demand [REPORT] (mashable.com)
• Learn From the Facebook IPO (solo-e.com)
• Facebook IPO will be tough for investors to get in on (usatoday.com)
• Facebook IPO – Will The Average Investor Get A Shot? (boston.cbslocal.com)
• Facebook IPO: Targeting $96 Billion Company Valuation (wire.kapitall.com)
• Facebook is as big as Europe, but how does it stack up against prior tech IPOs? (venturebeat.com)
• Zuckerberg a no-show at Facebook’s Boston IPO roadshow (slashgear.com)
• Other Social Sites Trend Poorly Ahead of Facebook IPO (soshable.com)

Time saving tools are always welcome to anyone with the job title social media manager. If you have this title, or something similar, it is very likely that you manage multiple social accounts everyday. Whether it is different social networks, multiple Twitter IDs, or brand clients, efficient tools are necessary to keep updates flowing.

A tool that is specifically powerful for anyone who is seeking a professional appearance and consistent messaging is Buffer. This powerful web app has the ability to create a stream of updates to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn with only a few minutes spent each day. Updates can include links, messages, and photos which give great diversity across different types of social media channels.

How Buffer Sends Updates

For yourself or for clients, you may want to send updates at specific times to reach the maximum number of followers and engagement. For example, Facebook users might respond better after 5PM, you could schedule a post everyday at 5:30PM. Buffer will let you set a schedule for each account connected and then automatically send out status updates or tweets at those specific times.

Efficiently Add Content

As a social media manager for multiple clients, I have many accounts that I need to keep updated with relevant content from different industries. To do this I combine Buffer and Google Reader. To keep interesting content flowing from the social accounts I manage, every morning I add articles from the RSS feeds in my Google Reader.

My reader is set up with folders for each client containing RSS feeds from relevant blogs. I simply have to skim through the folders and add the best articles I find to each matching social media account using Buffer. A recent update to the browser extensions has included the add to Buffer button inside Google Reader which makes the process even faster.

How Buffer Helps Your Community

Having hundreds or thousands of followers is great, but how do you reach them all? Well you can’t really but you can increase your chances. Sending out updates consistently and at various times will help you reach people that you might not have otherwise. You will save a lot of time adding scheduled messages once a day rather than trying to remember to manually post throughout the day.

Using Buffer will also allow you to focus more on using social media to actually be social and engaging. Knowing that your content is scheduled to send, focus on reaching out to members and joining some conversations. Having an active and fresh social presence will be attractive to new members of your community.

Buffer has a great free version and also a pro version which is good for those that manage many social accounts. I am giving away 1 full year of Buffer Pro on my Facebook page, find the details here.

Related articles

• Social Media Tool BottleNose Launches Twitter, Facebook Pages And RSS Feed Aggregation (thetechnologycafe.com)
• Smart Marketing Tips From Get Busy Media: Ease Your Twitter Efforts With the Right Scheduling Tools (theepochtimes.com)
• Don’t Let Social Media Stop Your Real Life Existence (soshable.com)
• Buffer Has Scheduled 10M Social Updates And Signed Up 180K Users (techcrunch.com)