Why The Facebook-Parse Deal Makes Parse's Rivals Very, Very Happy

Yesterday, Facebook bought Parse, a San Francisco startup with a service designed to greatly simplify the process of creating mobile and Web apps. Today, Parse’s rivals are doubtless celebrating because the (reportedly) $85 million acquisition effectively puts a big seal of approval on their techniques for automating some aspects of app development.

(See also: What Happens When Almost Anybody Can Build A Mobile Business App?)

In tech jargon, outfits like Parse are often called “backend as a service” (or, worse, BaaS) companies. But they could be better described as mobile cloud-service companies. They offer services designed to easily tie mobile apps into the cloud, providing a host of automatic “backend” functions such as data storage and connections to social networks. That allows developers to focus on the core elements that make their apps sing instead of doing a lot of complicated integration with cloud systems.

One of the companies paying closest attention to Facebook’s move is Boston-based Kinvey, one of Parse’s biggest rivals and a startup eager to see this cloud-service market really hit the big time.

What This “Validation” Means

Over the space of a few months in 2011, three startups effectively created this app-service automation market. Parse, StackMob and Kinvey promised easy cloud integration to mobile developers, but lookalikes quickly surfaced. Cocoafish (acquired by Appcelerator, Tiggzi (now Appery.io), FeedHenry, Applicasa from the startup end, new services from the likes of Sencha (Sencha.io) andeven Apple (iCloud) joined the fray. IBM and SAP now also offer similar cloud solutions.

(See also: Parse Offers “Backend as a Service” to Mobile Developers)

Some critics wondered if the industry segment had become too crowded and if all the outside entrants would doom the three original backend-service providers. They were small, their business models were unproven and their stories (i.e., “we provide backends so you don’t have to”) were quickly in danger of being drowned out by competition claiming the same thing. There was a time in 2012, before it raised its first venture funding, when Kinvey had serious doubts if it would make it.

A map of the BaaS ecosystem from Kinvey from February 2012

Then these companies, which initially had started as developer tools, started turning into actual businesses. StackMob and Kinvey found that big companies were really interested in their services. Parse started attracting brands like the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, Hipmunk, Armani and the Food Network.

(See also: Bringing Enterprise Data To Your Mobile Workers)

It’s no coincidence that Facebook named Parse, StackMob and Kinvey (along with the likes of PhoneGap and Sencha) as preferred technology partners last week. These are companies with useful skill sets. All three have done extensive work with Facebook in the past. 

Many in the tech community associate “validation” of a new technological or business approach with startup venture funding or outright acquisition. But the likes of Parse arguably found validation much earlier, with the arrival of big, high-profile customers. 

“Lots of people are saying [the Parse acquisition] ‘validates’ the space,” said Sravish Sridhar, CEO and co-founder of Kinvey. “I disagree. The space was validated when brands like J&J, Aetna GSN and Cadillac began trusting their data and apps to BaaS.”

Sridhar has a point. But until Parse sold out, none of these startups had entered the “big money” realm of tens of millions in funding, revenue or acquisition. In that sense, the Facebook-Parse deal has definitely lifted the prospects of StackMob, Kinvey and the rest of their competitors.

Where Do These Startups Go From Here?

Parse reportedly had a long line of suitors. Facebook won the bidding, but Dropbox, Google and Yahoo also all apparently had interest, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Evelyn Rusli. A variety of other companies have also shown interest in the backend-service startups, including Salesforce (customer relationship management), Intel (chip manufacturing and developer tools) and classic enterprise service providers like IBM and SAP, which have acquired mobile enterprise application platforms (MEAPs) in the past. 

When parsing what the Parse acquisition means to companies like Kinvey and StackMob last night, Kinvey’s head of marketing Joe Chernov turned to Sridhar and said, “Do you know of any other tech space that has so many different kinds of big companies wanting to acquire its vendors?”

It’s a good question and one that should have the likes of Kinvey and StackMob hi-fiving, jumping in their seats and making plans for happy hour. 

Twitter will be the next company to watch. It recently bought Boston-based Crashlytics and Bluefin for a total a little less than $200 million. Twitter is beefing up on its own application ecosystem (see: Vine and Twitter Cards) and could very easily find a place for backend services in its app efforts.

Why The Facebook-Parse Deal Makes Parse's Rivals Very, Very Happy

3 Easy SEO Tactics to Do Right Now

 

Want to improve your site rankings? Of course you do. Assuming your content marketing strategy is in place so you know your target keywords, who you’re speaking to, and what action you want visitors to take, here are 3 down and dirty ways to boost your search engine rankings.

 

1. Map Your Keywords to Your Site Pages

 

Open up an excel document right now and create three columns: Page, URL, Target Keyword.  Go to your website and list the top 25 pages in your site (eventually, you’ll want to list them all but you have to start somewhere).  Next to each page, copy and past the corresponding URL.  Next to each URL, type in the keyword phrase(s) you want to target for this particular page. Every page is an opportunity to lure in a visitor or prospect and should have its own unique meta data. For example, a plastic surgeon might focus on IPL or Dark Spot Removal on one page, and Botox on another.

 

 

2. Add Meta Data

 

Open your content management system and make sure the keyword phrases from your excel document are written in the tag, header tag, content, and alt tag of each corresponding page.  Some SEO experts say the description doesn’t matter, but from a user perspective, it does. The description is the content humans see when they do a Google search and can be the enticing factor that encourages someone to click on your link.

 

 

3. Make Use of Your Blog

 

Head over to your blog and pull up the last 25 to 50 blog posts. With your keyword list by your side, read through each blog post and look for any opportunity to incorporate one of your target keyword phrases.  When you find these opportunities, make sure to link the exact keywords back to the page you are targeting within your website.  This will help with your internal linking, and often creates reminders and ideas for future blog posts or enhancements to ones that might need an update.

 

 

 

3 Easy SEO Tactics to Do Right Now

The Truth Behind Facebook’s Drop In Users: ‘There Is No Story’

 

You’ve probably seen a number of headlines circulating today about Facebook’s drop in users, backed up by figures from SocialBakers. According to stories on The Guardian and other sites, Facebook is being “deserted” by millions of users in markets like the U.S., Russia and the U.K. As is usual with any story of this profile, the stats get unleashed and glorified as people cry out that Facebook might be nearing the beginning of the end. It’s not, and here’s why.

 

1) “There Is No Story!”

 

Socialbakers issued a blog post on its website telling users that there is no story, and that The Guardian got it wrong (again). Its CEO Jan Rezab explained that the numbers were provided as an estimate for advertisers and shouldn’t be used to determine Facebook traffic accurately.

 

 

2) There Is A Bigger Picture

 

While this particular story focuses around the drop in users over a one month period, it should be understood that this is an incredibly short amount of time to judge any movement in traffic as anything other than a blip. This could be affected by anything from seasonality to a brief spurt of behaviour from the allure of new services. For context, take a look at the trend in users for the UK and U.S. for a year as opposed to one month, from the same source:

 

Both the UK and the U.S. are clearly in the green here, showing the complete opposite of a small, one month trend.

 

3) We’ve Heard This Before, And Facebook Is Still Here

 

In 2011, there were reports of a huge slowdown in growth for Facebook.

 

And similar stories were published in 2012.

 

In fairness, while these articles were addressing a slowdown in growth instead of a drop in users, the fact remains that online traffic trends are cyclical. At any point there can be a dip, yet as we’ve already seen, year-on-year Facebook users are growing. Looking at monthly trends isn’t all that indicative as history shows us.

 

4) A Change In Traffic

 

While these figures may specifically address traffic to Facebook, this isn’t the only thing it owns. We all know the importance of mobile and Facebook’s strategy here isn’t always restricted to Facebook itself. Last year’s purchase of Instagram seems to be working and one year after the purchase, Instagram users have more than tripled from 30 million to 100 million users.

 

The Truth Behind Facebook’s Drop In Users: ‘There Is No Story’

Strategies for Economic Development in China

Classification of Cities

This classification splits the Chinese market in different levels of developments. It is useful for strategies of business development and market analysis.

The tier 1 cities are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.These were the first to be opened up to competitive economic development by the Chinese government, and so are the most populous, affluent and competitive cities in the country.

The tier 2 cities are around 60 cities. Tianjin and Chengdu are growing faster than other cities of this category. These two cities are considered rapidly developing economic centers. Nanjing and Xi’an are growing but less quickly. Wuhan and Hefei were behind but now are developping faster.

The New Consumer

The new consumer class is more likely to consider emotional benefits of the product or service she/he buys and prefer certain brands. She/he will typically be of the younger generation and live in the more developed eastern coastal provinces.

Younger consumers are more likely to imitate the spending habits of consumers in developed countries.

About 41% of younger consumers in this new class are inclined to pay a premium for the best products, compared to 31% of older consumers.

According to McKinsey, the proportion of urban households able to afford cars and small luxuries will rise six-fold in the next decade and account for 57% of the total population by 2020.

It also estimated that the largest 225 cities in China will contribute 27% to global economic growth between 2013 and 2025.

The consumer trend in China’s first-tier cities is quite different from other cities in the country. People in the country’s largest cities typically spend more. For example, they are spending 35% more on dining out than people in second-tier cities, and 50% more than residents of third-tier cities.

Strategies for Economic Development in China

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Joins the $1 Salary Club

Facebook confirmed in a filing that Mark Zuckerberg, the social network’s founder and CEO, is taking a $1 salary this year, and foregoing any bonuses.

But he’s not exactly taking a vow of poverty. When Facebook went public last year, Zuckerberg exercised 60 million stock options, then worth nearly $2.3 billion, buying those shares for next to nothing. (He sold half of the stock to cover his tax bill.) And he’s still sitting on another 60 million stock options that can be exercised on Nov. 7, 2015, for the same dirt-cheap price of $0.06.

All of those shares give Zuckerberg plenty of incentive to keep Facebook in good financial health, although he is on record saying, “We don’t wake up in the morning with the primary goal of making money,” and isn’t really beholden to shareholders, since he controls a majority of proxy votes.

The $1 salary is symbolic. Companies have to compensate all of their employees, so working for free is out of the question — and doesn’t $1 sound better, anyway? Since the first dot-com boom, getting paid $1 has become something of a tradition among extremely wealthy executives whose compensation instead comes in the form of stock.

Steve Jobs famously took a $1 salary from the time he returned to Apple as CEO in 1998; he didn’t take any stock grants after 2003, either. In 2005, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, along with then-CEO Eric Schmidt, all reduced their salaries to $1. Schmidt, now executive chairman, takes a salary of several million dollars these days; Page, now CEO, and Brin still make $1.

Other tech CEOs who belong to the $1 salary club include Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Tesla’s Elon Musk, Zynga’s Mark Pincus, and HP’s Meg Whitman. Yahoo’s Jerry Yang was making $1 before he was ousted as CEO last year. Outside of Silicon Valley, CEOs of American companies who made $1 in salary last year include Capital One’s Richard Fairbank, Urban Outfitters’ Richard Hayne, Fossil’s Kosta Kartsotis, Kinder Morgan’s Richard Kinder and Duke Energy’s James Rogers.

Among the $1 salary club, only Karsotis, the watchmaker’s longtime leader, actually made nothing in 2012, according to a Bloomberg analysis of proxy filings. He owns 11% of the company but didn’t receive any additional stock or stock options last year. “Mr. Kartsotis is one of the initial investors in our company and expressed his belief that his primary compensation is met by continuing to drive stock price growth,”the company explained in its filing.

That’s generally how $1 salaries are explained, but sometimes they come in the form of punishment or self-flagellation. When Lee Iacocca was brought in to save Chrysler from bankruptcy in 1978, he took a $1 salary as a publicity stunt. Vikram Pandit’s salary was reduced to $1 in 2010, as Citigroup struggled to recover from the financial crisis, and executive compensation packages on Wall Street were facing intense public criticism; he was still fired two years later.

Zuckerberg’s $1 salary for 2013 was first revealed in Facebook’s IPO filing, but the proxy filing yesterday confirmed the amount and added that he won’t receive any bonus, either. It also revealed that Zuckerberg received a $266,101 bonus last year in addition to his $500,000 base salary. He also gets to use Facebook’s private planes, of course. Professional trips don’t count as compensation, but his personal trips on Air Facebook last year cost more than $1.2 million.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Joins the $1 Salary Club

Advice for Clueless Brands on Social Media

Bob Garfield3 days ago

 

Bob Garfield and Doug Levy explain the rules of the relationship era in their book Can’t Buy Me Like: How Authentic Customer Connections Drive Superior Results.

Dear Bob & Doug,

I run a social media platform serving one-seventh of humanity. Ironically, though we have one billion friends, we never, ever ask them what their wishes are before we impose changes to our user interface, our terms of service, our data collection policies or our news feed algorithm. One part of our philosophy is that sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. The other part of our philosophy is: “If you don’t like it, why don’t you take your online life to a competing social network where all your friends hang out, LOL.” Anyway, we wanted to freshen our logo, but instead of seeking ideas from our community, we just unilaterally changed it? Do you think this is arrogant?

— Mogul in Menlo Park

Dear Mogul:

Seldom has a logo refresh been so refreshingly well suited to a brand. We see you removed the light blue line beneath the lower-case “f.” Not only was it visually superfluous, it misleadingly implied you are in any way grounded to the earth you so dominate. The new version is more in your face: “We’re effin’ ‘f.’ Effin’ deal with it!”

Dear Bob & Doug,

I am a member of America’s First Family of morning chat shows. As you know, family life can be difficult, and along with the rest of the elders, I shunned my slightly awkward co-anchor until she finally got the message, took the money and ran. But a huge part of our audience followed her right out the door and now I am being vilified in the press as a conniving bully, and I’m about to lose my $25 million a year gig. How could we have kept the squabble all in the family?

— Today, but Probably Not Tomorrow, in New York

Dear Today:

We propose time travel, backwards. In contemporary times (or said another way, “Today”), no show, no brand, no institution can keep any untoward behavior confined within. In reference to one such 2011 train disaster, even China can’t keep scandalous behavior confined within … and it’s a police state. Your near future probably resides at a major cable network, where your old boss is himself trying to go back in time. Meantime, heed the old adage: Be careful how you treat people on the way up. You may meet them again on your way down.

Dear Bob & Doug:

I am an international teen idol with suddenly tall hair and the subject of lots of Twittercule because of a couple of sentences I left in the guest book at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, which is either in the Netherlands or Holland or Dutchistan … I could never quite figure it out. Anyway, all I wrote was: “Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a Belieber,” but everybody went all crazy. Not just the Hollandaise — everybody. Dude, no offense meant. I understand Anne was murdered by the Nazis and all so she never really got to attend many concerts, but seriously, who was she gonna like, One Direction? Why is Twitter ganging up on me?

— Feelin’ Low in the Low Countries

Dear Feelin’ Low:

Two things: 1) You were a creation of Twitter, so take your lumps like a man. 2) A “belieber?” Seriously, you conceited little snot, some things are just not about you. Such as: the Holocaust.

Dear Bob & Doug:

We are a major political party that just got trounced in the presidential election, because we failed to include women and minorities in our “big tent,” and because one major faction of our party believes we are a Christian nation being tyrannized by evil forces, such as Obama and science. How do we forge relationships so we will fare better in the next election?

— Redfaced in Red States

Dear Redfaced:

Will you accept a couple of hypotheticals? Let’s say that the mass shooting of Connecticut school children had finally led to overwhelming public support for modest legislative safeguards. Don’t cave cravenly and venally to the gun lobby. Also, let’s say there was a shocking crime committed in Boston by two immigrants from Central Asia; don’t jump on that episode to scuttle a bi-partisan bill for immigration reform. Such conduct leads to unflattering public caricature. “Big tent” is a fine slogan. But it doesn’t work if the world can see your tent and it is still very small.

Image via iStockphoto, duncan1890

Topics: Business, Marketing, Social Media

Source : www.mashable.com

 

Advice for Clueless Brands on Social Media

Sports News App Aggregates Tweets Related to Your Favorite Teams

Vignesh Ramachandran1 hour ago

Sports fans that use a tablet or smartphone — the “second screen” — during live game broadcasts are becoming more and more common these days. For this year’s Super Bowl, a Century 21 Real Estate survey found that 36% of polled viewers said they would use a second screen to supplement the game-viewing experience.

A Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup is catering to that trend with a new tablet app that aggregates real-time tweets from 1,000 media sources and 2,000 players. So if the game is on or you just want to see the chatter surrounding your favorite teams, the free “Beyond the Box” app by Murphy Ave. Inc. does the legwork for you with refined Twitter updates from interesting people, players and sources.

The app includes content covering NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams. You can pick your favorite teams to get timelines of updates, analysis and links from the app’s various aggregated sources. For example, for my hometown football team — the Denver Broncos — I can instantly read tweets by everyone from linebacker Von Miller to SB Nation’s Mile High Report to the team’s official Twitter feed.

App co-founder Shailo Rao told Mashable that it brings everything together into one timeline, because he says it’s hard to navigate to twenty different sports sites or apps that someone might frequently visit.

“[Beyond the Box] aggregates all the great content about your favorite teams or about other teams in the league that you just want to track,” Rao said. “You’ll get a different take that goes beyond what the TV commentators are telling you.”

The app [iTunes link] launched Thursday and is currently only available for iPad and iPad Mini.

SEE ALSO: 10 Exhilarating Apps for Sports Fanatics

Rao, a self-professed sports junkie himself, said Beyond the Box reduces the need for sports fans to manually curate feeds: “Twitter is the new RSS.”

He also said the app can allow fans to discover new sources, including the ability to engage directly with players and their thoughts through tweets.

“It’s not just about what the local beat writer or what the team itself wants to pump out,” Rao said.

“It’s not just about what the local beat writer or what the team itself wants to pump out,” Rao said.

Rao also pointed out that unlike competitors (think Turner Sports’ Bleacher Report Team Stream and ESPN’s SportsCenter Feed), Beyond the Box is not restricted by content restrictions or exclusive partnerships, which could eliminate bias that may come along with those things.

In the future, Rao said they might expand to college and international sports (e.g., world soccer and cricket).

Though you could likely just spend the time to curate your own Twitter lists of sources to follow instead, this app not only does that work for you, but it has a clean user interface. Even when a league is off-season, an app like this can be an interesting way to more easily follow the social conversation (like the ongoing NFL Draft 2013).

Rao, along with co-founder Vam Makam, are developing Beyond the Box in Stanford’s accelerator, StartX.

Do you use sports news aggregator websites or apps? Let us know in the comments.

 

Source : http://mashable.com/

Sports News App Aggregates Tweets Related to Your Favorite Teams

ThingLink's Interactive Images Come to Facebook

Sam Laird1 day ago

Marketers just got a powerful new way to reach fans on Facebook: interactive images powered by ThingLink.

The popular interactive-image platform officially hit Facebook on Tuesday morning. That means posts there now let fans interact with content embedded “inside” an image — other photos, video or text blocks, for example — without leaving Facebook Timeline.

ThingLink allows users — ranging from big national brands to someone like you or I — to enhance images with links to other selected pieces of content. When you hover over a main image, icons pop up to indicate the presence of additional content. Then, with a click, users can open YouTube videos, audio clips, other websites and virtually anything else that would previously have had to be linked to elsewhere. Check out this Facebook post from Doctors Without Borders for a hands-on example.

In theory, the entire package offers a great opportunity for brands, which aim to get as much information as possible in front of fans, but often have very little time to make an impression.

ThingLink isn’t the first interactive-image service to hit Facebook — Stipple did so in January — but its presence does point to a growing trend. Interactive images essentially give brands (or anyone else) a standalone communication platform within the larger Facebook platform.

Back in November, ThingLink made its debut on Twitter. Since then, the platform’s reps say brands have “commonly seen” more than five times as much engagement on Twitter posts using ThingLink images. So if the results are any indication, it’s set to become a useful tool on Facebook now, as well.

ThingLink's Interactive Images Come to Facebook

5 Social Media Management Tools You Should Consider

Have your social media activities spiraled out of control?                                                                                                       

Are you looking for tools to simplify the management of your social media marketing?

Would you like better insight into your audience or the ability to compare your social activities against the competition?

These are some of the capabilities you’ll discover in the five social media management tools listed below.

In this article I reveal five social management tools that just might make your life a bit easier.

Check out what they have to offer and see if they are a good fit for your business needs.

#1: Sprout Social Helps You Engage Followers and Respond in Real Time

One of the best things about Sprout Social is the user interface. Many people find it easier to process and digest data when it’s presented graphically. That’s one of the strengths of this tool—you can quickly check data and figure out how to respond to it.

Another important aspect of Sprout Social is the Smart Inbox. It’s designed to help you respond quickly and easily from different social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), post different message types (mentions, direct messages, wall posts, etc.) and even sort by brand keywords.

There are a wide variety of ways you can use Sprout Social to manage your campaigns, but one of the best is the Twitter Comparison Tool. It’s a great way to compare your Twitter usage to that of your friends and competitors.

Sprout Social is ideally suited for people who like to digest and process information visually. It can be used by individuals or teams and has very solid reporting and analytics.

The cost is reasonable and their free 30-day trial is perfect for people who are interested in taking it out for a spin.

#2: MarketMeSuite Provides an Easy-to-Use Dashboard That Works Like Email

If there’s one thing everyone reading this article has in common, it’s that we’re all comfortable using email. A message comes in, you open it and then you respond.

That’s the approach MarketMeSuite uses for its social media management tool. The dashboard is designed to work the same way an email inbox works. You can look at messages in the preview pane, and then open them up to explore more about the person who sent the message.

If you’re like many people, you’re busy trying to run the day-to-day operations of your business, so sitting down and learning a new tool by trial and error is time-consuming.

One of the strengths of MarketMeSuite is that it has a built-in tutorial to walk you through the basics of using the platform. The tutorial guides you through a simple 9-step process to help you get up and running fast.

Best of all, it takes the guesswork out of trying to figure out all the bells and whistles—just complete the tutorial and you’ll have a great foundation to work from.

MarketMeSuite has plenty of other strengths, too. Their geo-targeting feature allows you to locate customers using social media who are near your business. It allows you to manage multiple social media profiles. And you can schedule messages across social networks with just one click.

You might be interested in taking advantage of MarketMeSuite’s free service as you make up your mind about which of their fee-based programs suits your needs.

#3: Sendible Provides Brand Monitoring and Sentiment Analysis for Businesses

Here’s a question: If you found out that 70% of your customers described your product as “cheap” while only 30% described it as “a good value,” would that be important to your business? Absolutely. And that explains one of the strengths of the Sendible platform.

With its 360° brand monitoring and sentiment analysis feature, you’re able to read and respond to what people are saying about your brand across the web. Plus, if you want to really be proactive, you can monitor what people are saying about your competitors’ products, too.

That way, when someone posts an update about a negative experience with a competitor, you can gently (and politely) introduce him or her to your brand. (Note: Be cautious with this tactic, because if you’re too aggressive, it can backfire.)

Like other social media management platforms, Sendible provides a wide variety of features at an affordable price. You can engage with new and existing customers across multiple platforms, analyze and track your social media and email campaigns, measure the success of the content you share and a multitude of other things.

Sendible is terrific if you’re a data junkie; there’s a lot of information to plow through with their platform. The user interface isn’t as elegant as some of the other options mentioned here, so if “look and feel” is important to you, it might not be perfect. But if you’re more focused on content, then Sendible has plenty of data that can be put to use for your business.

#4: Socialbakers Provides Large Amounts of Data in a User-Friendly Interface

If you want to combine the data available in Sendible with the user interface available with Sprout Social and MarketMeSuite, then you might want to check out Socialbakers.

It’s the most expensive of the tools reviewed here, but it may be worth the price. (Note: It’s just the most expensive of the batch here. There are more expensive tools aimed at big brands.)

Socialbakers tracks fan growth across multiple platforms so you can determine which content was the most well-received by your audience.

It also allows you to analyze fan growth by days of the week and times of the day. That way, you can track when your audience is most likely to respond to your content.

Are you interested in tracking how your social media campaigns are performing compared to your competitors? You’ll like some of the tools available with Socialbakers.

You can compare how you stack up on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube and see all of your competitors’ pages, profiles and channels in an easy-to-understand dashboard.

Best of all, you can analyze the content that prospective customers find most engaging, which leads to better content from you.

Socialbakers also has a number of reports available on their website, including statistics from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn. It even breaks some of the data out by country, making it perfect for the international crowd.

#5: Crowdbooster Does Much of the Thinking for You

Is the idea of drilling down into vast amounts of data and analyzing what to do with it is a bit daunting? Enter Crowdbooster, a social media management tool for people who want their tools to make recommendations for them.

With Crowdbooster, you can check the number of retweets, replies, impressions, likes and comments by date range or in real time. You can also drill down to see who retweeted you, how many shares were organic and how effective your campaigns have been.

One of the strengths of Crowdbooster is that it provides email alerts that are dropped into your inbox each day. The alerts give you a summary of the data that Crowdbooster collected and, best of all, provides recommendations on how you should respond.

That way, for example, when someone with a high Klout score follows you, Crowdbooster will recommend that you follow her back and engage with her.

About the only weakness of Crowdbooster is the fact that it currently only supports Twitter and Facebook, so if YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+ or any of the other social media platforms are an important part of your mix, Crowdbooster may not be for you. But if you like the idea of having a tool that provides data and recommendations, then you’ll want to check it out.

Which Social Media Management Tool Is Right for You?

The tools listed above have a lot of great qualities. There are still others out there that you may want to investigate, including SproutLoud, Wildfire, SocialBro, MediaFunnel and others.

No matter which approach you take, if you’re ready for a more robust platform, you can’t go wrong with the tools mentioned here.

5 Social Media Management Tools You Should Consider

Twitter Is Working on Two-Factor Authentication, Report Says

Anita Li4 hours ago

Twitter is currently testing two-factor authentication, and plans to roll it out to users soon, according to a report.

The microblogging network is conducting internal tests before gradually debuting the security measure site-wide, Wired reported Tuesday night.

Also known as “two-step verification,” two-factor authentication prevents fraud by forcing users to provide two pieces of information that will verify their identity. Bank customers, for example, must provide both a physical card and PIN number.

The reports come just after The Associated Press’ Twitter account (using the handle @AP) was hacked earlier Tuesday. A tweet sent from the account falsely alleged that there were two explosions in the White House, and that U.S. President Barack Obama had been injured. Hackers called the Syrian Electronic Army took credit for the incident.

Calls for Twitter to enforce two-factor authentication were swift and strong, with many commentators — including Mashable‘s Lance Ulanoff — saying the security measure is necessary to prevent further hacking incidents.

Back in February, Twitter posted a software engineering job related to product security. It listed designing and developing user-facing security features “such as multifactor authentication and fraudulent login detection” as part of the position’s opportunities.

For its part, Google also has an option to apply two-factor authentication. When signing in, users must enter their username and password — but in addition, Google will send them a security code via text, voice call or mobile app, which they then must enter when prompted.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Twitter Is Working on Two-Factor Authentication, Report Says

26 Mobile Apps to Improve Your Business and Networking

Have you been spending more of your mobile time using smartphone apps than browsing the web?

Suffice it to say, you’re not alone.

There are more than a million apps available and according to Sunil Gupta,”Users spend on average, 82% of their mobile minutes with apps and just 18% with web browsers.”

In this article, you’ll find apps to consider using to help you with your business and social activities.

Due to the enormous number of apps to choose from, I focused on apps that are convenient and provide social value.

Note: For consistency, all screenshots were taken from iTunes app store. I also looked for apps available on both iPhone and Android—and if not identical products on both platforms, another one with similar functionality would be available (see #3 for example).

Here are 26 apps, an A-Z guide to help you conduct business and network while on the go.

#1: Adobe Reader

Do you need to work on PDF docs on the go?

Adobe Reader offers features to view PDF documents, store and access documents in the cloud with Acrobat.com, navigate through PDF content, annotate and comment on PDF documents, fill out forms, organize documents, electronically sign and print and share.

iPhone | Android
Free

#2: Bump

Do you want to easily share documents with those around you?

With Bump you can share contact information, photos, videos and files by simply bumping two phones together. You can also share contacts, photos and files with others and sync with your computer.

iPhone | Android
Free

#3: CardMunch Business Card Reader

Have you been holding onto a whole bunch of business cards from the last conference you went to? Looking for a solution for the cards you collected at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego?

Convert business cards to address book contacts and add them as connections on LinkedIn. CardMunch provides card-capture functionality for faster card scanning.

iPhone | Android *Yulu Card Reader
Free

#4: DocuSign Ink

Do you need to get that document signed, sealed and delivered?

With DocuSign Ink you can sign, send and store documents and even create a signature in different colors and formats.

iPhone | Android
Free

#5: Easy Note + To Do

To-do lists have a way of growing when you don’t chip away at them little by little. Using an app for note-taking and managing lists can make them feel much more doable.

The Easy Note + To Do app allows you to organize notes in folders, check items as complete, assign a due date and prioritize.

iPhone | Android * EasyNote Notepad To Do List
Free

#6: Foursquare

Whether you’re in a familiar location or somewhere new, Foursquare has your back and 30 million others, too.

“Open up the app to discover and learn about great places nearby, search for what you’re craving, and get deals and tips along the way.”

iPhone | Android
Free

#7: Google+

You don’t need to decide whether to check Google+ or leave your desk.

The Google+ app will help you stay connected via hangouts, photos and updates from what your friends are sharing.

iPhone | Android
Free

#8: Highlight

Are you feeling particularly social today?

The Highlight app may be just what you’re looking for with its notifications when friends are nearby, ability to see mutual friends and messaging within the app.

iPhone | Android
Free

#9: Instagram

Taking photos on a mobile phone offers users spontaneity plus the ability to visually transform a picture and share it immediately.

Instagram includes filters and borders, blur effects and easy sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and Foursquare.

iPhone | Android
Free

#10: Job Search

Searching for a new job can be time-consuming and stressful.  Using an app during a job search will help make the most of your time.

With the Job Search app you get access to information from company websites, recruitment agencies and job boards in the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, India, South Africa, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia.

iPhone | Android
Free

#11: Kindle

You don’t need a dedicated e-reader to take advantage of reading on the go.  With the Kindle app, you can stay up to date with books, eBooks, magazines and newspapers right on your smartphone.

And while there are more reading choices than you’ll ever have time for, if keeping up with social media–related books is of interest, you can certainly do that. iPhone users can search for books within iTunes and Android users can find social media titles on Google Play.

iPhone | Android
Free

#12: Logo Mania Quiz

Marketers recognize the value of a memorable brand logo. These apps will let you test your skills and make a game of identifying a logo.

If your business is rebranding and reassessing the value of your corporate logo, this may be a fun way to review the strengths of well-known logos. (You can play Angry Birds or Words with Friends later!)

iPhone | Android *LOGO Mania
Free

#13: Meetup

Is online time usurping much of your day? There’s still nothing like the face-to-face experience.

The Meetup app will help locate meetups around topics of interest to you including social media, tech, business and entrepreneurship—and of course a range of fitness, hobbies, community, parenting and dog meetups, among others.

iPhone | Android
Free

#14: Nook

Similar to the features mentioned about Kindle, the Nook reader app will help transform your smartphone into your own library on the go.

There’s still nothing like holding a print book in your hands, but with these apps you’ll never find yourself without something to read when you’re waiting for the bus or train and the unexpected long time in a waiting room.

This may not the most desirable way to read something like War and Peace, but the convenience and ease will come in handy. Plus both apps will sync with your Kindle or Nook device and let you resume reading where you left off.

iPhone | Android
Free

#15: Odometer

Do you need to keep track of mileage for a business trip?

Odometer apps will simplify the process and help you store the date and number of miles traveled.

iPhone * Odometer + $.99
Android* Odometer Free

#16: Photo Covers for Facebook Lite

Facebook cover photos are excellent real estate for business branding. The iPhone and Android apps referenced here will make it easy to create a new photo cover and post it while on the go.

Use your own image or choose one from a library of images that you further customize with special effects, captions and more.

iPhone | Android * Timeline Cover 4 Facebook Lite
Free

#17: QR Reader

Whether you want to scan a QR code (Quick Response Code) or create one, there are a number of apps that will add meaning and destinations (websites, special offers, contact information, etc.) to those ubiquitous codes.

Use the QR Reader to check out how other businesses are using QR codes and see if one makes sense for your business.

iPhone | Android *Scan
Free

#18: (i)Reddit

Reddit describes themselves as the “front page of the Internet.” If you’ve come to rely on Reddit’s news aggregation from countless sites, you’ll be happy with these apps knowing that you never have to leave home (or office) without Reddit again.

iPhone | Android *Reddit News
Free

 #19: Square Register

What will your smartphone do next? Take credit cards?

If you’re headed to a tradeshow, conference or a community event where you’re planning to sell your products, the Square Register app makes it possible to swipe credit cards and have payments delivered to your bank account within 1-2 days.

iPhone | Android
Free

#20: TED

If TED conferences are new to you, then you’ll be in for a thrill with their app that makes the wonder of these talks a mobile experience. There’s a wealth of information right at your fingertips.

Whether you want to buff up on some business-related topics, technology trends or be inspired by ones that are rated jaw-dropping, there’s clearly something for everyone on TED.

By #20, I don’t know about you but I’m feeling that if only there was an app for creating more hours in the day, we’d be all set!

iPhone | Android
Free

#21: UberSocial

UberSocial, previously known as Twidroyd, is a mobile app that enables users to post new tweets, monitor and keep up to date on hashtags, lists and people you follow, while also managing other multiple social accounts all in one place.

iPhone | Android
Free

#22: Vintique

Want to look retro? Having several different styles for your photos on social accounts will add variety and make your images even more shareable.

The Vintique app allows you to add effects that give an old and classy look to photos.

iPhone    *Vintique $.99
Android * Vintique-Photo Editor Free

#23: WiFi Finder

Need to find WiFi areas while traveling to make a Skype call or save on some of those minutes?

The Wifi Finder app features over 550,000 free and paid locations in 144 countries worldwide.

iPhone | Android
Free

#24: (e)xcel Contacts Lite

Business is all about contacts and making sure that you have a good solid list that you can access while you’re on the go is essential.

The Excel Contacts app will help you move contact information to and from your phone.

iPhone | Android
Free

#25: Yelp

Making a decision about where to eat, shop or play has become more streamlined with mobile apps. Yelp has a very large and loyal following and is definitely worth checking out, especially when you’re in a new city.

It’s also very interesting to see how the places you’ve come to know, within close proximity to work and home, rank within the Yelp community. And, if you’re so inclined, you can add your two cents!

iPhone | Android
Free

#26: Zendesk

It seems fitting that the last app on our list would be focused on customer support.

In this article we’ve run the gamut of the sales process; for example, maintaining and engaging contacts, promoting businesses with photos, QR codes, credit card payments, plus more. Managing customer support via mobile phones has also become a necessity.

With Zendesk you can view, update and create new help desk tickets, configure support ticket fields and add comments.

iPhone | Android
Free

Concluding Thoughts

As mentioned above, the average number of apps a person downloads is 40 and only around 15 are used regularly. Finding your core group of apps can be a very personal decision, establishing the kind of information you want and need to be able to access.

26 apps only scratches the surface. Hopefully along the way you’ve discovered some new apps to download and explore.

26 Mobile Apps to Improve Your Business and Networking