Into_Now (iPhone App Review)

Into_Now, has to be one of the most incredible iPhone apps I have ever used. It works like magic. In a nutshell the application when activated will listen to your television and with seemingly 100% accuracy, tell you what you are watching. You then can let your fellow Into_Now friends, Twitter followers, and/or Facebook friends know what you are watching within seconds!

With an incredible algorithm of past and present airing logs of television shows, Into_Now dynamically changes how we use Social Media. I’m all about geosocial and other types of cool apps, however the nefarious and ironic side of Social Media is that it takes time to checkin to places or type a message. This makes you “THAT ANNOYING GUY WITH THE IPHONE”.

I have to say that with Into_Now, I’m no longer, “THAT GUY”. I can continue interacting with the people around me as I hold the iPhone close to the television. Social Media can be really amazing at times, and yet (sigh) can be the very thing that pulls people away from each other. How many times have you gone to a party or a bar and there are at least 5-10 people with their faces in their iPhone or other SmartPhone device? It’s annoying…and yes admittedly, I used to be one of those people.

Into_Now’s network of users creates a microcosm of like minded people that you can connect to, in less than a heartbeat! At the time of writing this post, I have 135 friends on their network! I’ve only been using the app for a few days now! That is incredible, no matter how you look at it! So many people like to connect because they know that I have something in common with with them, that they love or enjoy watching.

As a Social Media Consultant, I would highly recommend this app to local & national television advertisers to help analyze the real-time data and the impact within various demographics of particular television shows. The best part is that it’s FREE! Enjoy!

Kudos to Into_Now! Download it now! Into_Now

Byte Back!

Tags: iphone, iPhone app, SMM, social, Social Media, social media marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking
Posted in: Facebook, iPhone App Reviews, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking, Twitter |

Comments: 96 Comments

LinkedIn InMaps visualizes your network!

LinkedIn, the social network for business, has revealed an amazing new application feature from their Labs division, called InMaps. It illustrates your entire LinkedIn business network as a visual cloud.

I’m really impressed on the presentation and the implications of the new InMap for networking professionals and business owners alike. Amazingly, LinkedIn takes your connections and literally creates a web of lines and dots that contain the relationship and contact data of who you are connected to and to each other.

With this new technology, Social Media really is moving into the next phase, Social Visual Media. Everything is becoming visual: with visual phone calls, data, etc. It just seems logical and right to create something like this as another way of understanding relationships and business. As Human beings, we have this innate desire to be understood and feel connected to others. This will show you how you are connected to others. It’s up to you to figure out the context of the relationships and what that means to your business.

You’ll notice that there are groupings of color lines and dots. If/When you do your own InMap from LinkedIn, you can actually label and categorize these groups to help extrapolate how you are integrated into the business world. This is a fantastic concept that truly will change the way LinkedIn will be used and perceived by it’s users. I know as a Social Media Consultant that something like this will help me help my clients understand the true potential and power Social Media has. Kudos to you LinkedIn!

Check out this video put out from LinkedIn Labs and then try it out for yourself.

Byte Back!

Tags: LinkedIn, LinkedIn InMaps, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, Social Media Posts, social network, social networking, social visual media
Posted in: LinkedIn, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Posts, social networking |

Comments: 80 Comments

The Fruits of my Social Media labor.

Yesterday, January 20th, 2011 was the 2nd anniversary of putting down Bailey. It was a really rough day for me. No matter what I did, I kept thinking about that beautiful face and happy disposition. Just when I thought the day was going to be a complete downer…I received this incredible letter from one of my customers. This truly, truly, truly made my day and helped mitigate some of the pain of losing Bailey. The Haase Family have to be the sweetest people I have ever met. Ann & Jim are wonderful souls that openly welcomed me into their home a little more than a year ago. Their daughter, Annie-Brigitte, treated my little Murphy as if he was her own. Lovely humble people that lost an important part of their family: Ruby

I love transforming utter sadness to warm memories that fizzle and rejuvenate the soul.

This is why I love doing what I do.

Dear Andrew,

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. She sits on the mantel piece over the fireplace.

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve looked at her and are amazed at how real she looks even down to the little hairs above her ears. You are quite the artist. This is something we will cherish forever. She was very special to us and will always be special. Although the heart ache eases up, the emptiness is there.

We have since got another dog. Her name is “Beaner” she’s a mutt. Rescued her from Paws in Time. She was found on railroad tracks, starving, abused and sick with mange. She’s better now, wild and needs a lot of attention. We still miss Ruby.

Thanks again for your thoughtfulness.-

Till we see you again,

Love The Haases

Ann, Jim + Annie B.

Tags: pet portrait, pet portraits, social, Social Media, social media experimient, Social Media Posts
Posted in: Pet Portraits, Recent Projects, Social Media Experiments, Social Media Posts, social networking |

Comments: 35 Comments

formspring.me

Do you have any questions about or dealing with Social Media? #socialmedia #consultant

Formspring is an incredible Social Media phenomenon. It’s like a combination of Twitter, Wikipedia, and Facebook. Really interesting Q&A that you can get instant answers from the entire world.

Byte Back!

Tags: formspring, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, Social Media Posts, social network, social networking
Posted in: Formspring, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Experiments, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking |

Comments: 30 Comments

January 2011 LinkedIn Poll: How often do you update your Social Media accounts and profiles?

For January 2011, I chose this question for my LinkedIn Poll: How often do you update your Social Media accounts and profiles?

With new advances coming out literally everyday, sometimes by the hour, it’s imperative to stay on top of your online presence. Knowing how to use the big 3 Social Media sites; Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; is only the beginning. There is a whole world of amazing Social Media Networks out there that many business owners are unaware of.

Sites like Foursquare, Groupon, and Yelp are making some headway into the mainstream consciousness, but there are still even more amazing sites like: Instagram, a photo sharing Social Network. Formspring, a Q&A based Social Network. Goodreads, a Social Network to see what other people are reading in their leisure time.

No matter what network you are a part of, it’s so incredibly important that you actually participate in a discussion, or leave a comment, or start a conversation about something that means something to you. If you simply use Social Media to blast out stuff about your business, chances are most people will ignore it. The key is to talk honestly, freely, and respectful of others and you’ll be surprised how many people will begin to follow what you have to say.

Think of your Social Media presence as a long term project that will produce a different quality of result that you cannot compare to “normal” advertising. It’s all about what you say and how you say it. As a Social Media Consultant, I deal with these issues all the time and give sound guidance. Let me know how I can help you.

Byte Back!

Tags: formspring, foursquare, goodreads, groupon, LinkedIn, linkedin poll, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, social media network, Social Media Posts, social network, social networking, yelp
Posted in: LinkedIn, Organic Search, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking |