The Rise of the App Culture !!

Welcome to the world of Apps!!

The mobile app market is evolving rapidly. there were approx more than 140 billion mobile apps already downloaded. Such statistics re-instate how there is a parallel market place growing at an aggressive rate.

What drives this growth?

Smartphone owners aged 25-44 use the highest number of apps per month, while 18-24 year-old spend the most time on them. What drives the growth of this market is the convenience brought to the end user. While websites are information-oriented, apps are task oriented and the entire process is quick, easy and economical. The ability to be used anywhere, any time brings about great efficiency in the process. Thus over 85% of users prefer mobile apps.

What does it mean for businesses?

A mobile application is a new touch-point for businesses to connect with their customers. It provides value to the existing clients, robes in new customers, and increases the business loyalty and sales. For example, Amazon is a global online shopping marketplace. Operating in more than 50 countries its service enables users to select product from local market and orders placed via its website or mobile application.

The download is free however there are in-app purchases while in there is a nominal charge to download the app. Majority of the apps available are free with downloads reaching 127 billion downloads in 2014 while there are over 11 billion paid app downloaded. The revenue from free apps is higher too. Apple claims that 71% of its revenue comes from free apps, which is predicted to surpass 14 billion US dollars in 2015. However, it must be noted that of the top 10 revenue-generating apps are from the Apple's App Store or Google Play Store in 2014, other 9 are games apps.

Mobile apps bring in immense business opportunities for organizations. It's a direct marketing channel where they're able to capture the mind share of the customer. Businesses are also able to build the brand and enhance customer engagement. Mobile apps undoubtedly increase sales. But it even keeps its users up-to-date with its products and services. Zappos' uses the push-notifications option to inform consumers of the products which are in stock. As the customer requested a product update, this second stage push to sale is seen as a service and a gentle reminder, rather than as an unwanted direct response call to action.

Apps as running business! 

Moreover, there are businesses based on mobile platforms. Uber is one of the fastest growing global companies in world. It is an app-based transportation network company, operating in over 200 cities. The company uses a smartphone application to receive ride requests, and then sends these trip requests to their drivers. Customers use the app to request rides and track their reserved vehicle's location.

Thus the rise in the app culture should come as no surprise. Mobile apps are here, and will increasingly become a vital element in the marketing plan for businesses as customers are looking for convenience, ease and instant results while on the move. By 2017, Gartner projects that there will be 268 billion mobile app downloads annually, amounting to $77 billion in revenue. Hence apps will soon, if not already, influence our lives to a great extent. And businesses who are fore runners will surely gain a competitive advantage.

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byUnknown

in Social Networking

09:47

The Rise of the App Culture !!

Welcome to the world of Apps!! The mobile app market is evolving rapidly. there were approx more than 140 billion mobile apps alread...

Read More

You can Use Hangouts for Video Conferencing Read How...

Online meetings or videoconferences can be done easily by Hangouts of Google+.

The Hangouts feature is more than just a tool to hold casual conversations with family and friends through video chat. Today, it can be effectively used as a video conferencing tool between employers and their employees or among project collaborators.

How to Create a Hangout

To start using this feature, first you need to log into your Google+ account and create a Hangout.

On your home page, you will find the green Hangouts link and icon at the top right below your name and thumbnail image.

Below the Hangouts on the right column, you will see the invites sent to you.

On the bottom part is the Start a video Hangout section which will expand when you hover your cursor over it. Click the green Start a video hangout link to begin your hangout.

A new window will then display where you can see the link to your Hangout, a box to include a message and a box where you can add people to invite using their name or email address.

To invite people to your Hangout, you can choose from your Circles or you add email addresses in the box provided.

There's also an option for a Quiet invitation. This means that instead of a bell sound, those invited will only receive notifications and stream post on Google+. Invites for Hangouts involving 25 people are always the quiet type.

You can also access Hangouts on Gmail. Look for the video camera icon on the left column on the right of your thumbnail image and the telephone icon.

When you click on the video cam icon, a new window will show up where you can find the link to share for your Hangout and the box to invite people. You can include the link in your email or in a status update if you would like to share it was well via your favourite social networking sites.

To invite participants, simply click on the box that says "invite people." A drop down menu will show up from which you choose the circles from where to invite people to your Hangout. When you're done adding people, just click the Invite button below.

Once you start your Hangout, you will immediately see who has joined. Those invited may opt to join via voice only such that you will only hear them but not see them although they can see and hear you on their end.

How to Share Your Screen

When everyone is already present on your Google+ Hangout, you can start sharing your screen. This is ideal if you're holding an online meeting with colleagues and project collaborators. It is also a great way to promote new products and demonstrate how to use them as well as show people how to use certain online tools with ease.

Take note, however, that the screen sharing option is only available to users of the computer app. Mobile devices do not have this option but mobile users have the ability to join a Hangout.

Inside Hangout, there's a Screen share button on the menu bar at the top that you can click.

Next, choose the screen you want to share. It can be your desktop, a Google doc you have uploaded or a website you have opened.

After you are done sharing, just close the window of your shared screen to return to your normal Hangout screen.

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byUnknown

in Social Networking

05:32

You can Use Hangouts for Video Conferencing Read How...

Online meetings or videoconferences can be done easily by Hangouts of Google+. The Hangouts feature is more than just a tool to hold c...

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Difference Between Facebook Profiles, Pages and Groups..

Facebook is Fun book with Business & community !

Facebook can be confusing, especially for those just starting out with it. I hear a lot of people getting confused between profiles, pages and groups. Most of them are of course, new users. People like me who have been using the service since long time, have adopted with the new things that eventually came along. But for new users just starting out, this can be a confusing process. So, it is important to know about differences between Profiles, Pages and Groups.

Differences between Profiles, Pages and Groups.

Profile

A Profile is the basic privilege you get when you first sign up. After you have completed the basic sign up process, you're redirected to your profile.

Profiles are meant to be personal, for individuals and not for business. If you want a personal account, like most people, you'll have to sign up for an individual profile. Facebook prohibits creating personal profiles in the name of business because profiles are meant to be for individuals only.

According to the information provided in the Help page,

"Personal profiles are fornon-commercial use and represent individual people."

Your Facebook profile will contain your personal and public information including your name, age, gender, interested in, workplace, hometown, school etc. You can add friends, upload pictures, share statuses but you cannot run promotional ad campaigns on behalf of, say, your business. So, you're limited to sharing personal information only. A single profile can be run by one person only.

Facebook Pages

Pages are meant for celebrities and businesses. If you have a business you legally run and operate, you can create a page about it. It will contain information on your business, include promotional offers, official events etc. Facebook is a great way to reach your audience and grow your business. Which is why, more and more businesses are desperate to grow their online presence on the site.

The core difference between a Profile and Page is in their purpose. While Pages are meant to serve commercial purpose (like Business or Celebrity), Profiles are meant for non-commercial purposes only. Facebook also has strict policy regarding this. You are not allowed to create a personal profile for your business. But you may open a page on your name, but if you're willing to connect with your friends and family, you should create a profile which allows you to add friends. You cannot add a friend through your Page. Also, you'll need a Profile to maintain a Page. A Page can be administered by more than one person.

"Pages look similar topersonal profiles, but they offer unique tools for businesses, brands andorganizations."

Facebook Groups

Groups serve the purpose of connecting a community of like-minded people. Groups can be created by anyone and based on the type (open, closed, secret), others may be able to join. Profiles and Pages look the same, but Groups have a different layout. A Group can contain thousands of members and be administrated by more than one person.

Usually, Groups are created surrounding different topics like Pets, Computers, and Common Interests etc. Anybody can join an Open group but Closed Groups require admin approval. Secret Groups are private and can only be seen by admins and members. Closed groups can be seen by anybody, but only accepted members may join in. Open groups are free for anyone to join.

In a Group, you can post statuses, images, videos, notes. You can interact with other group members even if they're not on your friend list, but you cannot see their private information that is only shown to their friends.

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byUnknown

in Social Networking

09:17

Difference Between Facebook Profiles, Pages and Groups..

Facebook is Fun book with Business &  community ! Facebook can be confusing, especially for those just starting out with it. I h...

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Social Networking Facebook- How to verify your Facebook Page...

Wao! Its Facebook !!! Get Verify your page.... 

Opening a Facebook page takes seconds only. A lot of people want their page to be verified. But honestly, most people don't know how page verification works. Frankly speaking, there are no rules specific to this.

Facebook verification is currently only eligible to impressive pages or people only. If you have an effective or impressive page, you will be eligible for a verification. When you are eligible, at the top of the page, there will be a notification stating "Your page is eligible for verification, click here to apply." If you follow the link, you will be asked to submit several documents to verify. The whole process takes about a week and after that, you receive a blue verification badge.

Even though there is no hard and fast rules specified to get a page verified, you can focus on some key points. Note that, none of these are recommended or endorsed by Facebook, they are my personal opinions. The most important factor, in my opinion, is engagement. Engagement refers to the amount of users and their interaction. This is very important because this determines whether your page is important or not. To get verified, you must get Facebook's attention. And to do that, this is an important factor.

Category is also an important thing to consider. If the category is Public Figure/Actor/Musician, then it will be easier to get verified. Or, if you have a very popular website, or if you are popular on the internet elsewhere, this can help in getting attention from Facebook. The important question to ask here is, is it important enough to get a verification? In most cases, I have seen that Facebook puts emphasis on that.

For example, you may have seen some pages with millions of fans with no verification, and some with a few thousand but with verification. This happens due to importance, rather than influence. If it's about a Public Figure, then it is likely to get verified very easily, not considering how many fans it has. On the other hand, if it's "Just for Fun", then it may not get verified even with a million fans.

Other than that, there is no real way to apply to Facebook. You will have to be patient. Another important factor to consider, is time. If you're page is new, it will likely take more time, unless it's about a Public Figure, like a Politician. On the other hand, if it is a few years old, it can be given more priority than the others. But like I said, this information I'm providing, is based on my personal analysis. Because Facebook has not revealed how their process works, and they won't likely do it either.

If you're concerned about audience reach, then let me remind you that, verified pages don't have any particularly higher rate of audience reach than non-verified ones. So, the entire verification is not really an important factor to reach more audience. But it will certainly help to gain more brand value and audience trust. But in my opinion, it's not that necessary.

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byUnknown

in Social Networking

07:18

Social Networking Facebook- How to verify your Facebook Page...

Wao! Its Facebook !!! Get  Verify your page....   Opening a Facebook page takes seconds only. A lot of people want their page to b...

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Social Networking Meetup Impressions

First Tech Meetup Impressions

Recently I attended a Meetup. The gathering I attended had a guest speaker named  who is the Director of Technology mobile development company that builds and supports media sites for big names like AOL, VICE, and High Times.

Visiting their was kind surreal considering the last time I was there was before the revival had begun. Back then the boardwalk was mostly empty except for those looking trouble of doing some urban exploring. While exploring I remember seeing skeletons of unfinished high rises, beautiful rusting art deco buildings and amazing beaches. Although the town was in ruins back then you could see the amazing potential this special place had.

So you could imagine how stoked I was to see this town back on top again. When I first I arrived at the Lake avenue address for the Meetup I was pleasantly surprised how nice the area is. There is an old factory that is being renovated into a Kindergarten which is really awesome. I walked into the Co Works building and I was immediately greeted by a friendly face who showed me to the meeting.

On the floor where the Meetup convenes there is also a music studio so I could here sounds of music being played all around me. I peek in the room see what appears to be a meeting so I open the door and see a familiar face from the Meetup page its the group organizer and host I shake his hand and take a seat among the group of techies.

The group is nicely diverse there are developers, investors, start ups, enthusiasts, programmers, engineers, and sales guys. The room where we meet is whats called a co working space which means during the day it is a shared work space but during the meeting the desks are slid to the side to make room for the group.

The idea of co working is something that is really going to change the game for many people in tech especially start ups that need to keep costs low. Another benefit is it can help spread ideas faster among like minded people who could collaborate and build synergy together. For me a coworker at my full time mentioned I should check out meetup, I 've heard of it before but never took a closer look until now.

Once the meeting started host asked all in attendance some questions. "Who needs a developer?" Who needsan investor?" Its at this point I realize I was let in on something really special this is not just some group to shoot the breeze about tech. But instead a working productive group who takes an interest in making its members successful.

Once those requests are heard he intros the speaker for the night Technology Director of mobile development company. Began talking about coding languages and how you can streamline work by leveraging the power of the cloud. In this case Amazon's version of cloud computing called AWS or Amazon Web Service. His discussion focuses on how you can manage a large number of images stored in Amazon S3 using one hour of coding, SQS and EC2. Once he was finished with his presentation he fielded Q&As from the group. After he wrapped up host invited everyone from the Meetup to join him at a local pub for a drink.

About half of the group walks together around the block to the pub. As if the value I 've gained from the meeting wasn't enough I was able to further network with members such as the founders of a start up that aggregates video for musicians, a Drupal developer, a software engineer who is a Yoga instructor and one the founders of the Co Werks, and Bands on A Budget.

The doors of opportunity that were opened for me at my first night of Jersey Shore Tech are priceless. I intend to continue to be member and contributor to the group and possibly join other groups in addition. Just want to thank all in attendance for the warm welcome I felt right at home with people who have common interests.

If you want to develop your knowledge or find your passion I highly recommend that you step out of your comfort zone and join a group in your area.

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byUnknown

in Social Networking

06:20

Social Networking Meetup Impressions

First Tech Meetup Impressions Recently I attended a Meetup . The gathering I attended had a guest speaker named  who is the Direc...

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Social Networking tips

Tips for Professional and Personal Social Networking

Begin networking and learning to distinguish professional contacts from personal contacts while you are in college. Students should grow both networks, but, in general, keeping them separate. I recommend using LinkedIn for professional connections and Facebook for social connections. The Internet has dozens of tips to optimize your social media profiles, but here are eight tips that I have found most relevant.

LinkedIn

  

1.     Use for professional contacts, such as professors, employers, and graduate students.

2.     Choose a professional looking head shot for your profile. Appropriate selections involve a non-distracting background and a well-groomed subject (yeah, that's you).

3.     Maintain less restrictive security settings so that employers and recruiters are able to learn about you and your brand. However, keep your profile conservative since your information will have increased public visibility.

4.     Generate a summary discussing your thesis project and what you did or learned about the topic.

5.     Post writing assignments. If you completed a great paper for one of your classes, attach it to your profile or turn an assignment into multiple blog posts. Keep your posts short by subdividing a lengthy paper into articles of 400 to 700 words. If you have a video of yourself presenting the material, attach that as well.

6.     Build a profile that you will be able to convert into a resume for future job searches.

7.     Endorse and recommend connections who show genuine skills and you can expect that they will return the favor. Better yet, only connect with people who you would recommend to others to create a solid and credible network.

8.     Follow professional publications and groups in your field as well as companies to which you plan to apply for future employment.

Facebook

1.     Use for personal contacts, such as relatives, classmates, and roommates.

2.     Choose a photo that reflects your personal style. But NEVER post a photo of yourself with a drink in hand.

3.     Establish strict security and privacy settings where only your friends see your updates, photos, etc.

4.     Post photos or videos when they express more than your pithy update does.

5.     Reference contacts in your post to thank them or to share something that reminded you of them.

6.     Fill out your profile and share favorite books, movies, and television shows.

7.     "Like" status updates that you enjoy.

8.     Follow companies with which you do business.

Of course, the network that we create and keep up in person far outweighs any online network. So, get out and enjoy the people around you.

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byUnknown

in Social Networking

08:32

Social Networking tips

Tips for Professional and Personal Social Networking Begin networking and learning to distinguish professional contacts from person...

Read More