Mastering Pinterest for Marketing

Over the past few months, you may have heard some chatter about a brand new social network called Pinterest. Not surprising. According to Compete, unique visitors to Pinterest.com increased by 429% from September to December 2011, and the social network already boasts a user base of 3.3 million. Pinterest is only growing in popularity as the hottest new social network, and in December 2011, it made Hitwise's list of the top 10 social networks, currently sitting at #5 and beating out big names like LinkedIn and Google+. And as with any hot new social network that comes onto the scene, marketers are chiming in with, "Can I use it for marketing?" "...and, how?" 

The short answer? Absolutely. The longer answer? Follow the link below to find out how. 

The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Pinterest for Marketing

Creating Remarkable Poetry Through Subtraction - My Modern Metropolis

TIME magazine recently revealed its 30 Must-See Tumblr Blogs which includes the highly creative, user-generated Newspaper Blackout. This blog is the brainchild of Austin-based artist and writer Austin Kleon. The main objective is to display poetry through the omission of words in already printed text. Essentially, it is poetry by way of censorship, executed with the aid of a black sharpie.

Taking published works in the form of newspaper articles, novels, and even horoscopes, this style of "blackout poetry" reveals only carefully selected words to create a new, shorter composition of expression. Often, the poems produced offer a sense of hope and inspiration. At times, they can be depressing but thought-provoking. We love the way this Tumblr reflects how art inspires art.

Creating Remarkable Poetry Through Subtraction - My Modern Metropolis

African Mirror inc. on Facebook

facebook.com/AfricanMirrorinc

www.corruptionwatch.org.za launched in South Africa | Corruption Watch

Independent civil society institute Corruption Watch embarked on its outreach to the public today, launching a website and SMS hotline to receive reports of corruption and posting an online pledge for people to sign rejecting corruption.

www.corruptionwatch.org.za launched in South Africa | Corruption Watch

Elvis Presley Enterprises Announces Preliminary Contests in the Search for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist in 2012

Contests taking place during worldwide 35th anniversary celebration of the life and legacy of the King of Rock ‘n Roll

Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) announced that a record number of preliminary contests will be taking place around the world as part of the sixth annual search for the “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist”. Contestants will be chosen at licensed preliminary venues being held at fairs, festivals, theatres and other venues. The semi-final rounds and final round will be held during Elvis Week 2012 which will take place in Memphis, 10 - 18 August 2012.

“In 2012, during the 35th anniversary, you’ll see Elvis’ life and legacy celebrated with concerts, festivals, special events and unique product releases taking place in countries around the world,” said Scott Williams, Vice President of Marketing and Media for EPE. “These contests give Elvis fans worldwide an opportunity to experience his music in a fun and unique way that we’ve seen continue to grow in popularity.”

Judges at each venue will look for the “best representation of the Elvis legacy” in vocals, style, stage wear and stage presence. The best overall performer will be named the “2012 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist”.

For a complete list of contest preliminaries, along with tribute artist photos, videos and additional information on the 2012 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest and Elvis Week, please visit www.Elvis.com.

Top 10 Finalists of the 2011 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest on stage at the Orpheum Theater during Elvis Week in Memphis, TN. (Photo: Business Wire)

Small Biz Resource Tip: YouSendIt App

You might already be familiar with YouSendIt’s secure cloud sharing capabilities, and you may have already used the service to send a file to a co-worker or client. The popular business content collaboration service has just announced a new app for YouSendIt available for iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac. With the new app you can securely send files, share folders, digitally sign documents and more from smartphones and other mobile devices. Plus, files stored on mobile devices are encrypted and protected by an application passcode feature.

YouSendIt App

Small Biz Resource Tip: YouSendIt App | Network Solutions Small Business Blog

How to Find and Add Facebook Apps to Your Facebook Page

by Monika Jansen

Sure, there’s an app for just about everything these days, but how do you put those apps to work for your online marketing strategy? While an article about using apps effectively could easily turn into a multivolume work, this article will focus on using Facebook apps as part of a successful social media strategy.

What exactly is an app?

They may sound cute, but the little applications (apps) that live on your Facebook page are powerful engagement tools. Native Facebook apps can be found on the left sidebar of your page, and they include Photos, Videos, Links, Events and Notes. When you install a third-party app, you are using an application that someone other than Facebook has developed.

To view your apps, click Edit Page on your Facebook wall. These are the apps you have now. To get more than just the basic Facebook-issued apps, you’ll need to find and install them.

When you search Facebook for additional apps to install, you may find it difficult to distinguish an app page from a regular fan page. Since even apps have fans, or “likes,” you should check for a Go to App button, the app classification, and an Add to My Page link. These are indicators that you have found an app.

Since apps are a dime a dozen, and you don’t want to waste your time on inferior apps, check to see how established it is before installing. The Monthly Active Users figure will show you how many people are currently using the app, which means someone out there is finding it useful and worthwhile.

The Hunt for Facebook Apps

Of course, if you know the name of the app you want, finding it will be a cinch. Simply use the search tool within Facebook, and filter by Apps in the left sidebar.

If you see a cool app in a posting on your news feed, explore it by clicking on any links found within the posting. This tactic only works if the app has posted to your newsfeed. Otherwise, a bit more sleuthing will be required.

You can study the bottom of Facebook pages to see which apps are being used by that organisation. Check for a link to the app’s external website or a link to the app within Facebook. If you cannot find a link, the app either doesn’t have this feature or it is a custom app created specifically for that page (in other words, the organisation paid to have it created just for them). In the case of a custom app, you may be able to locate an attribution to find out how the custom tab was created; again, check the bottom of the page for this indicator.

If you don’t have a particular app in mind, you can use www.Appbistro.com to find a selection of Facebook apps to get you started.

Installing Your Apps

When you’ve found an app you’d like to try out, you may run into a few snags, depending on the app’s installation requirements. If you’re lucky, the app will install easily from within Facebook. However, some apps have a smoother installation process from their external website; many of these websites provide you with step-by-step instructions for installing their apps.

The simplest way to get started adding apps within Facebook is to click the Add to My Pagelink on the left sidebar; this is easier than taking the Go to App button route mentioned earlier. Once you click the Add to My Page link, select the page where you want to add the app from the pop-up box that appears. Click the Add to Page button.

Navigate to the page where you added the app, and locate the app on the left sidebar. Click on the app to check for additional steps for configuring the app. If there are more steps, follow them through to completion, and you’re ready to go!

If you want to move the app’s position on your left sidebar, simply click the Edit link under your app list, and drag the app to the desired position. After your apps are organised how you’d like, click Done to save the new positions.

How to Find and Add Facebook Apps to Your Facebook Page | Network Solutions Small Business Blog