This week I’ve included an odd post about how to determine if we are living in the Matrix, some tips on using Instagram, some brilliant features you may have missed on Facebook timeline and more.
Are we living in the Matrix?
Could we really be living inside a computer simulation? Is it possible that the real me is holed up somewhere and the me that is typing this blog post is just an Avatar playing a game? It looks like scientists are going to find out. But if we are in fact living inside a computer do we really want to know? Would the reality be even worse than the game? If we are in a simulation how long will it be until we create our own simulation so convincing that our characters won’t realise it’s not reality? OK so it was Halloween so stories like this were bound to capture my imagination. Read more about the tests that will be used to determine if this reality is the real reality here.
How to know if you should promote a Facebook post
Businesses are beginning to cave in, we know that we are going to have to start to budget for Facebook advertising in the future. Promoted posts are one of the most cost effective solutions for small businesses but what sort of post should you promote? This handy four point checklist from Convince & Convert blog will help you make the decision.
3 reasons your social strategy is failing
I’m constantly surprised by the number of people I meet who don’t have a social media strategy or at least a basic plan for their online activities. However a strategy needs to be constantly reviewed. Having one doesn’t guarantee success. If you’ve put the effort in to creating a plan and it’s not working it can be quite disheartening so keep reviewing an tweaking. This great article from Social Media Today by Brad Smith is a great read. If you haven’t considered these three key points before it’s time to tweak what you are doing.
Verify your website with Pinterest
Those of you who follow this blog will know I’m not a massive fan of Pinterest, that’s not to say that I don’t think it’s a good fit for business. It is certainly still growing in popularity and it looks like it will continue to do so. Pinterest have just added a new feature that allows you to verify your website with them. Once you have completed verification your website will appear with a big tick next to it on your profile. It’s simple enough to do if you have editing privileges on your own website and should have some impact on traffic coming from the network as well as making you look a little bit more legitimate. Here’s a great tutorial on how to get verified.
5 ways Instagram can boost your marketing plan
From a network I’m not mad about to a network I love. Instagram, I love taking shots and choosing my filters and sharing on it but more than that I love seeing what is going on in other peoples lives via Instagram. There are some fantastic photographers on Instagram, having the app and following some great contributors is like having an art gallery in your pocket. And yes, like any social network there is the potential to utilise it for business. Here’s five ways that you can integrate it into your marketing.
Oh and as a bonus here’s an Instagram photo that made it on to the front cover of Time from Hurricane Sandy.
Facebook Timeline features you may have missed
It’s hard to keep up with the new features that Facebook adds, hardly a day goes by without them testing or adding something new. Some are handy some are annoying some are just downright confusing. Luckily it’s usually the good ones that stand the test of time. So here’s 19+ new features on your personal Timeline you may have missed from Ching Ya. Even I may have found one here that I’d missed.
People in Ireland access the internet via a mobile device more than those in most other countries
You may remember last week I wrote about Niall Harbison’s presentation at the Dublin Web Summit where he predicted that the future is mobile. It’s quite scary to think that even big business in Ireland is not prepared for this revolution, particularly when you see statistics like these in the Irish Times: 77% of Irish internet users access via a mobile device so if you aren’t already considering how to make your site mobile friendly it’s time to think about it now.
And from Spiderworking.com this week
I’ve been trying to decipher the changes in Facebook Edgerank and how businesses can get their content seen by a larger portion of their audience. Here’s my guesstimates on what will work.
Have a great weekend.
