While Twitter handles don't necessarily link to anyone's 401(k), freeing up old handles creates plenty of fraud opportunities. Read more...
More about Tech, Twitter, Mashable Video, Social Media, and Tech
Twitter forgot about dead people.
The social media giant awkwardly copped to that fact late Wednesday morning with a tweet admitting that, perhaps, its recently announced plan to free up inactive accounts for new registration may not have been entirely thought through. Specifically, the company admitted to overlooking the impact such a process might have on accounts that once belonged to the dearly departed.
"We’ve heard you on the impact that this would have on the accounts of the deceased," wrote the company. "This was a miss on our part."
We’ve heard you on the impact that this would have on the accounts of the deceased. This was a miss on our part. We will not be removing any inactive accounts until we create a new way for people to memorialize accounts.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 27, 2019 Read more...
Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to gather, catch up and celebrate with friends and family over a hearty meal. And while the general mood can be described as merry and celebratory, plenty of us have experienced the dreaded, awkward dinner table conversation.
You know the one. The conversation that starts when guests have a few drinks, eat an extra slice of pie and suddenly you find yourself stuck in a debate about politics. Or equally as unnerving: when you’re asked what it is you do all day as a social media manager, and you have to dispel the myth that it’s all sunshine and Instagram Stories.
Some conversations will be unavoidable and, try as we might, not every holiday meal is going to be smooth sailing. But this year’s Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to be a disaster. With the right conversation starters and some fun ‘did you know?’ facts, you too can make it through this year’s festivities with your head held high and all crises averted. To help you further navigate the dinner table interrogation, we used our own social listening platform to pull fun facts you can use at a moment’s notice. Here are three common holiday scenarios we’ve all experienced and some talking points based on holiday social listening data to help you create sparkling conversations and get back to the holiday meal.
Catching up on life (which often means work) is essentially a holiday tradition. That’s just a fact. And you’re going to hear a lot of assumptions about what it is people think you do in your role as social media manager.
When faced with a barrage of misconceptions, like, “so you just Tweet all day?” or “anyone can be a social media manager,” consider using this time in the spotlight to educate your family on what you do. Try using these talking points during your next holiday dinner:
At some point between when the last turkey leg is consumed and first slice of pumpkin pie is dished out, the conversation will die down. But before the tryptophan takes over, consider using your social expertise to pull out some fun facts to keep your family and friends chatting. Here are some additional starters to help your holiday discussions stay lighthearted and engaging:
In today’s politically charged environment, there’s a good chance someone is going to steer the conversation toward politics, religion or current events—three topics that can make for tricky table talk. Or, if politics never make it to the dinner table, you might still encounter a line of questioning that leaves you feeling uncomfortable… like when you’re getting engaged, when you plan to have kids or why you can’t be more like your successful cousin. When those situations do arise, consider the following tips:
Seeking additional help on how to navigate tricky conversations during the holidays? Consider these resources on how to approach discussions on race, politics and other tough subjects at the dinner table.
While spending copious amounts of time with family and friends can be joyous, it can also trigger feelings of anxiety depending on what’s said around the dinner table.
But the holidays don’t have to be this way and conversations about your job shouldn’t be the most stressful part of the meal. So the next time a relative asks what you do, or a guest steers the discussion into dangerous territory, consider using the prompts above to keep your Thanksgiving dinner conversations trending in a direction that leaves everyone feeling merry.
This post 10 ways to navigate an extra serving of holiday table talk (with social data) originally appeared on Sprout Social.
Welcome to the Social Spotlight, where we dive deep into what we love about a brand’s approach to a specific social campaign. From strategy through execution and results, we’ll examine what makes the best brands on social tick — and leave you with some key takeaways to consider for your own brand’s social strategy.
Transparency and authenticity are two of the most sought-after brand beliefs for consumers who, more than ever before, want to put their money where their values are. But the records of social media are riddled with brands that have attempted purpose-driven marketing without realizing that consumers need more than surface-level PR commitment. Without a purpose-driven business behind the stunts, the message rings hollow. But when a brand builds purpose into the very fiber of its business, the marketing is the easy part. Take fashion brand Everlane, which uses social not for flashy content meant solely to sell, but for deep and authentic storytelling about the purpose-driven business it’s built.
Founded in 2010, Everlane has been mission-aware from the start. Founder Michael Preysman turned his entrepreneurial energy into a quest of sorts: to demystify the clothing industry. By doing basic reconnaissance on how, where and at what cost clothing is made, he immediately saw an industry ripe for disruption by simply telling the truth. He found, for instance, that a $50 designer t-shirt cost just $7.50 to make. The additional cost wasn’t driven by pure demand; rather, it was driven by the cost of getting the t-shirts to the customer. Wholesalers, distributors, importers and other “middle men” were all taking a cut. All Preysman had to do was to find a way to sell directly to his customers–and then make sure they knew that cutting out the middle men was the reason Everlane was able to sell those same high-quality t-shirts for $16 instead of $50. And thus, one of the world’s most transparent brands was born.
Everlane has also been conscious and transparent about how it designs and markets its offerings. Rather than developing full collections (i.e. “Spring 2020”) that are built around a theme and marketed as a whole, Everlane designs singular pieces with input from all areas of the company, releases them and iterates as necessary when feedback comes in from its customers. The pieces are sold year-round and marketed as part of a lifestyle, rather than a “look.” Instead of talking about each product’s features, Everlane focuses on how customers will use it. By selling timeless staples (Preysman once joked to the New Yorker than “no one gets laid in Everlane”), creating a vision for consumers of how, when and where they could wear each piece and openly soliciting feedback to make each product better, Everlane has built authenticity into the fabric of the brand. And because the entire business is built on transparency and authenticity, social can just be the place where those stories unfold.
Everlane has built a multi-hundred-million dollar business on the idea that people want to know what they’re buying. And the more the brand shows them about how it designs, makes and sells its products, the more those same people are willing to purchase. The key, of course, is to start with a business you’re proud to be transparent about and then to find the right levers to pull in that bring your customers into your story.
This post Social Spotlight: Everlane and the Impact of Zero Impact originally appeared on Sprout Social.
Everyone talks about algorithm updates, but Google does a whole lot more than adjust algorithms.
Some of the moves they are making are really going to impact your marketing efforts.
So, what are these non-algorithm changes?
Well before I get into them, keep in mind that you aren’t going to like some of them, and that’s ok. Instead, I want you to focus your energy on how you can leverage these changes before your competition.
Let’s get started…
If you aren’t familiar with the concept of ambient computing, here’s a quick definition:
Ambient computing is a term that encompasses many different concepts. At its core, it is the combination of hardware, software, user experience, and machine/human interaction and learning, all of these things becoming the idea of using a computer or internet-enabled device, without necessarily consciously using it.
In other words, Google wants you to use them 24/7 no matter where you are or what you are doing. They are doing this by integrating products everywhere.
Whether it is Nest, Android devices, Chromebooks, smartwatches, Google Home, or anything else they can drum up.
Because their mission is to spread the usage of all Google related products, it will eventually open up new ways for you to drive traffic and monetize.
An obvious example is to create apps on mobile devices that work on Android phones. Uber, Netflix, and Candy Crush are all examples of apps that work on Android devices.
You already know about apps, but I bet you don’t have one.
To give you an idea of how well you can do with a mobile app, there are roughly 2 million mobile apps, and there are over 13 billion mobile devices.
Of course, a lot of those devices are old or in landfills. But still, there aren’t that many apps for how many mobile devices that exist. Especially when you consider that there are over 1,518,207,414 websites.
In other words, there are 759 times more websites than apps, so consider creating one. 😉
If you don’t know how you can always use services like Build Fire.
And in addition to apps, you’ll need to start looking at generating traffic through all voice devices. Phones, watches, and even the smart home assistants that Google is creating leverage voice search.
Using tools like Jetson.ai will help you create a voice version of your website so you can collect sales and leads.
If you don’t think voice search is that important, 50% of searches are now voice-based.
Again, just like an app, I bet you don’t a voice search version of your website.
Question is, are you going to create one first or is your competition?
Do you have a Chromebook? Chances are you don’t.
But if you have kids, or nieces or nephews, ask them if they have ever used a Chromebook.
Chromebooks are not only affordable, but they are taking over the world, at least when it comes to millennials and generation z.
Just look at the percentages of schools that use Chromebooks.
In some countries like the United States, 60% of the schools use Chromebooks.
That’s a ridiculously high percentage.
Apple has also been trying to penetrate classrooms, but they haven’t been having the same success as Google.
All this means is that kids are going to grow up using Google devices and fall into their ecosystem.
Sure, social sites like Instagram, Tiktok, or whatever else is new will always be popular, but the chances are these young kids will get to those sites using a Google device.
Even though Google isn’t as sexy as it once was, you shouldn’t take it for granted. It’s not going anywhere, and future generations will continue to leverage them. Just don’t drop your eye on Google and you’ll be fine.
When you think of ecommerce, what name comes to mind?
I bet you are thinking of Amazon.
We all use Amazon and, of course, every major tech company wants a slice of the ecommerce market.
Even when I’m using a search engine to find something to buy, I usually click on an Amazon listing because we all love their Prime shipping feature.
Google’s been trying to take a piece of that market for years. From shopping actions to Google Shopping nothing has really been too effective.
As consumers, we are just trained to go to Amazon to buy stuff.
And if you aren’t going to Amazon, you are probably going to Walmart or one of their online stores that they own all around the world.
To make matters worse, Walmart has removed all of its products from Google Shopping.
Google hasn’t made any big ecommerce or commerce purchases in general but you can expect that to change.
They may decide to buy a grocery delivery company like Instacart, but knowing them, I believe they will stick with the software, just like most things that they are doing.
Expect them to go after Amazon by helping people create their own ecommerce site. Whether it is through a Shopify acquisition or Bigcommerce or any other platform out there, they want to own the ecommerce market.
It’s going to be too tough to go head-on with Amazon, and that’s I think they will take a different route and go after a platform like Shopify.
If you are selling products online you should, of course, be on Amazon, but don’t rely on them. Make sure you have your own website and look to see what platform play Google makes as you may eventually want to consider moving over to whatever they buy.
And no, I don’t mean they are going to create something better than an iPad or an iPhone.
Apple, at its core, is a hardware company and they are clearly the winner when it comes to producing amazing devices that we use. But there is a big issue with Apple devices and even Samsung devices.
They are expensive.
If you want to buy a brand new iPhone, expect to drop $699 for the lowest model.
Google, on the other hand, does have high-end devices, but they also try and produce affordable devices. They also let other manufacturers use their operating system for their phones.
Their goal isn’t to make the most money per phone. Their goal is to get everyone in the world using their hardware.
Why?
Because that means they are collecting more data and that allows them to generate the most amount of money from advertising because all of these devices drive people to their search engine that is filled with ads.
It’s a pretty smart move.
I highly recommend that you watch this…
They aren’t just using this strategy with their phones, they are trying to make all of their products affordable. That way people all over the world can afford them.
Because if you live in places like Brazil or India, Apple devices are too expensive, which leads people to choose a Google device.
Less than 5% of the world lives in the United States… the money is in the global markets.
If you are debating which platform to build on, consider Google, even if it isn’t the sexist due to sheer volume. Android’s market share is roughly 87% because of its affordable hardware and partnerships.
Right now you mainly see ads on their search engine.
Yes, you will also find ads on some of their other properties like Maps, but expect them to be everywhere.
For the first time, the 2019 digital ad spend overtook traditional ad dollars in the United States.
But still, ad dollars offline is more than a hundred billion-dollar industry, and that’s just in the United States.
Over the next few years, I bet you’ll see Google dip into offline advertising.
Just think of it this way. Google owns Waymo, a self-driving Uber type of service that is growing fast in popularity.
They have data from the Google devices in your home and the watch on your wrist and they know where you going through Waymo… essentially, they have more data on you than anyone else.
Heck, they are even starting to offer checking accounts.
With all of that data, who better to serve you offline ads? They’ll be able to target people better and make them more relevant.
This will also increase the value (cost) of offline ads as well as online ads in the long run.
You are probably going to hate this change the most, but it will also make their search engine more usable.
They are testing a lot of different ad types.
For example, as a business, you can collect leads through Google.
And eventually, you’ll just be able to book a hotel room right on their search engine without going to the hotel’s website.
The same will happen with mortgages, auto insurance, and many more industries.
This doesn’t mean that SEO will be dead or no one will go to your site from search engines, it just means you will have to adapt.
For example, you can create educational-based content, rank highly, and when people land on your website, you can convert them through sales funnels.
You can also use tools like Hello Bar to create sliders and popups to drive visitors to your money pages.
The future isn’t going to look the same. Companies like Tesla aren’t the only ones who are innovating, most big companies are.
Don’t expect Google to just stay the same and not adapt just like every other tech company is trying to do.
It’s the only way to stay ahead and win.
As marketers and entrepreneurs, Google won’t be the only one disrupting how you are growing your sales and traffic. But instead of getting upset or complaining, accept it.
Be productive with your time and focus on adapting. Because when you are adapting while your competition is complaining, you’ll win.
What other changes do you see Google making in the future?
The post An Inside Look at Google’s Future Plans appeared first on Neil Patel.
A man named Brayden has had a rollercoaster of a past few days. Bad news: His relationship ended. Good news: Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath broke the news. Better news: Anthony Scaramucci broke the news, too, and the whole thing is probably an enormous prank.
A video has been circulating on Twitter that allegedly shows Mark McGrath (of Sugar Ray) breaking up with Brayden on Cheyenne's behalf via Cameo, the app where users can pay celebrities to send personalized video messages to their contacts. Each celebrity charges a different rate. McGrath's (as in, the guy from Sugar Ray) is $100 per video.
McGrath seems a little — just a little — uncomfortable with sending a breakup video, but he manages the emotional complexity of the situation pretty well. He even draws a parallel between Brayden's relationship and his own marriage, which is a weird move but also quite sweet. Read more...
More about Twitter, Social Media, Cameo, Anthony Scaramucci, and Mark Mcgrath 
Thanksgiving dinner is high-stakes. It's labor-intensive. And people have a lot of opinions about it. Basically, it's a recipe for disaster.
As home cooks across the country prepare their fridges for this year's feast, stories of Thanksgiving dinners gone wrong are also popping up on Twitter. Take them as funny anecdotes or serious warnings, but please take that Pyrex off the stove and don't forget to defrost the turkey this year.
Thought I’d somehow forgotten to order most of the ingredients I needed for thanksgiving cooking. Turns out my husband just forgot to get any of them out of his trunk 7 hours ago. Botulism here we come!
— Toulouse and Tonic (@toulouseNtonic) November 21, 2018 Read more...
