TechCrunch. Facebook unveils improvements to Timeline. So last week we had an update to the Facebook newsfeed and today Facebook has announced it is rolling out improvements to the timeline to help people better express what’s important to them. The changes, which will be rolled out to all users in the coming week, will usher in a cleaner timeline layout with posts nowing appearing on the right hand side of timeline, and recent activity, such as music, photos and other apps, will appear on the left. As for apps the update makes these more prominent by giving them new sections in the left column of timeline and on the About page. The new visual sections give Facebook users a way to add content from apps like Pinterest, Quora, Instagram, Etsy, Fab, and Foursquare, directly to a their timeline.
Redesigned sections give users one place to add music, movies, TV shows and books that interest them, alongside photos and friends. For avid readers, they can keep track of the books they want to read or add more with Goodreads. Who are top of the Apps? Everyone is always going on about apps, especially people like me in mobile marketing but what are the public actually downloading? With the average number of apps that people have being 41 what are the most popular apps in Singapore and the by comparison the UK? Are they the same?
What local differences are there? Let’s start with Singapore. What’s App is unsurprisingly the favourite app on the app store according to App Annie for paid apps. On Apple you have to pay whereas on Android for some reason it is free… Disney’s Temple Run is the number two and number one paid for app on the ipad. VSCO Cam is next which is another instagram variation of taking beautiful photos to share. Pages slips in at number 10 on the ipad, a “beautiful word processor” emphasising the different uses that tablets have with smartphones. The rest of both charts are games, games and more games with the odd exception like Keynote on the ipad for business presentations. Clay Shirky: How the Internet will (one day) transform government. The five rules of social media management. Marketers are learning that social media is far more than a sales tool.
The big gains in this arena are coming from cost-savings in managing customer care, uncovering insights from the world's biggest focus group, reputation-building PR and internal communications. In fact, boosting sales comes some way down the list. Research by consultancy McKinsey has shown that 70% of the extra value generated by social media has nothing to do with marketing, but lies in embedding its use across businesses through customer care, market research and public relations.
Brands are finally moving on from the belief that amassing Likes on Facebook, followers on Twitter and clicks on other social-media platforms are a silver bullet for triggering sales. Telefonica's UK head of social media, Paul Fabretti, who oversees social strategy at mobile operator O2, says: 'Our marketers know the ins and outs of all the channels and are very clear on the role that social has to play. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Facebook promises less clutter as new-look news feed unveiled. Why Twitter Killed Tweetdeck for AIR, iPhone and Android - Mike Isaac - Social. AllThingsD. Spotify Joins Ford's Roster of In-Car Music Apps. Spotify has made its first connected-car appearance. At Mobile World Congress, Ford and Spotify announced that the subscription music service will soon be available over the Sync AppLink platform and integrated with the Sync’s voice command system in Ford vehicles in the U.S., Europe and Australia. According to Pascal de Mul, Spotify’s global head of hardware partnerships, the updated iPhone and Android apps will soon be able to pair with the dashboard AppLink system, streaming music through the car’s entertainment systems.
Users will be able to play their songs, playlists, and radio stations and even be able to create new radio stations on the fly with simple voice commands, he says. Ford (F) has been loading up on music streaming apps in AppLink, making it a key initial focus of its connected-car strategy. Paul Mascarenas, Ford’s chief technology officer, says digital music streaming figures right into Sync’s sweet spot. Why Firefox OS May Bring Balance Back to the Smartphone Industry. Treadmill desks: How practical are they? 29 January 2013Last updated at 20:07 ET Bombarded with adverts promising a longer, healthier life, BBC News Los Angeles correspondent Peter Bowes goes in search of eternal youth.
Could walking while we work significantly improve our chances of living to a ripe old age? I hope so. As I write, I am walking at 1mph on a treadmill desk. Many experts believe that there is convincing evidence that sitting all day is killing us. "The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that prolonged sitting is shortening our lives and also our quality of life," says Dr James Levine, director of obesity solutions at the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University. Levine, an endocrinologist, says our computer and gadget-driven society shoulders much of the blame. "The health consequences of prolonged sitting... include not only obesity but also hypertension, hyperlipidemia - high cholesterol if you like - cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, poor or low mood, a predisposition to diabetes," he says.
Mobile future: Smart homes get smarter. Unilever's Keith Weed: four steps to connecting with a mobile world. Vine: A new way to share video. Time for robust and independent enforcement. Earlier this week (4 February) the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) began its new remit to enforce UK rules to provide greater transparency and consumer control over behavioural ads. The rules complement the existing EU Framework for behavioural advertising for ad tech businesses (eg ad networks), supported by the UK Government as well as the European Commission. At the initiative’s heart is an icon that is now widespread across all EU (and EEA) markets in or around ads and also on web pages. Consumers across Europe are now one click away from information about data collected and used for behavioural ads. And this information includes links to mechanisms of control, such as the pan-EU industry site, www.youronlinechoices.eu, now available in 24 different languages. The site is also packed with helpful information and videos to inform consumers about how it all works (the UK version is at www.youronlinechoices.eu/uk).
The ASA’s new role is a welcome and needed development. Maynard Webb On ‘Rebooting’ Your Career By Relying On Yourself, Not Your Employer [TCTV] Maynard Webb knows a thing or two about navigating through a career path. From the start of his professional life as an entry-level employee at IBM, he has risen to be one of the tech industry’s most respected veterans. After working his way up through increasingly senior ranks at technology firms, he became perhaps best known for working in executive roles including COO at eBay from 1999 to 2006, helping build the e-commerce company through its biggest boom times.
After that, he served until 2011 as CEO at customer service technology firm LiveOps, where he remains chairman of the board. Today he also holds board seats at Salesforce and Yahoo, responsibilities he juggles with a number of otherinitiatives. And Webb just added another role to his resume — author — to help other people better forge their own successful work lives. It was a real pleasure to have Webb drop by TechCrunch TV last week to discuss his new book and the ideas behind it. B2B businesses to focus on their websites in 2013: report. Nearly half of B2B companies will up their marketing budgets in 2013, with more than half of those saying they'll increase their investment in email marketing, social media, online video and search.
But one marketing asset will be receiving the biggest investment by far: the company website. According to a survey conducted by BtoB Magazine, slightly more than 70% of B2B companies will boost their spending on website development this year. Where the action is That websites will be the greatest beneficiaries of increased B2B marketing investment in 2013 isn't all that surprising given that 93% of those BtoB Magazine polled indicated that they use websites as a marketing channel.
The second most popular channel, social media, is still employed by substantially fewer -- 65% -- of B2B marketers. And for good reason: B2B marketing, which typically features a laser-like focus on driving sales, almost always requires the involvement of a corporate website at some point in the funnel. Google, Mozilla Team Up for Skype-Killing Video Call Demo. Google and Mozilla, erstwhile rivals in the web browser world, have teamed up to show off the power of WebRTC by creating a web-based video chat app — think Skype without Skype.
The demo bypasses a centralized server and instead makes a direct peer-to-peer connection between browsers. The key component of the demo is a set of work-in-progress standards known as WebRTC. WebRTC is a proposed standard — currently being refined by the W3C — with the goal of providing a web-based set of tools that any device can use to share audio, video and data in real time. It’s still in the early stages, but WebRTC has the potential to supplant Skype, Flash and many device-native apps with web-based alternatives that work on any device. The app that the Chrome and Firefox teams developed is available on Google Code and there’s a demo app available on Google app engine if you’d like to try it out for yourself. There is of course one other major browser that’s not yet coming to the WebRTC party.
First To Know Series. Tide Cleans Up In Kellogg School 2013 Super Bowl Ad Review. Facebook Graph Search. What Can You Search For On Facebook Graph Search? Great, Facebook launched something called Graph Search. But how does it actually help you? From content discovery to finding a restaurant, from recruiting to dating to a trip down memory lane, here’s what you can do with Graph Search. First, check out this quick hands-on video intro above. Then let’s look at some questions Google, Yelp, and LinkedIn couldn’t answer but Graph Search can. First things first, go to facebook.com/graphsearch and click the button at the bottom to sign up for beta (or begin using it if you already have access). When you do gain access, you’ll see a notice at the top of your Facebook homepage to activate Graph Search and take a quick tour. Dating Where To Eat Getting Nostalgic Sharing Experiences A concert going buddy: My friends who live in New York City and who Like Vampire Weekend A night in: My friends nearby who Like Netflix and Arrested Development Hit the club: My friends nearby who Like dancing Who wants to sing some karaoke!?!
Getting Advice Who Am I? Facebook Graph Search Didn’t Break Your Privacy Settings, It Only Feels Like That. Omg, Facebook Graph Search has exposed my private photos! This kind of email has been rolling into TechCrunch’s tip line since the introduction of the new, and still-in-beta, search service from Facebook. The reveals are somewhat tantalizing – Mark Zuckerberg and a baby dressed like a monkey! Matt Burns in a Star Trek costume! Eric Eldon flipping the bird! If you recently discovered that people you’re not even Facebook friends with have seen some embarrassing photos from your past, then yes, you can probably thank Facebook Graph Search for that.
And some of those may not be photos you were willing to share. This has led to some immediate backlash. And it’s kinda sorta true. What Balaban is referring to in his post is the fact that even privacy-conscious users like his brother – who carefully maintained his privacy settings over the years to make sure that non-friends visiting his profile can’t see a thing – are now exposed by the new feature. This is Facebook’s general M.O., of course. .net magazine | The world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers since 1994. Digital media | Media. Media news, UK and world media comment and analysis | Media. Technology News - CNET News. Mashable. PSFK - Inspiring Creative Business. Digital Buzz Blog | Digital Campaigns, Online Marketing, Social & More.