Using Interactive Video to Spur Engagement and Capture Metrics By Michael Castellano Video is a highly efficient way to communicate with audiences because it is personal, immediate and delivered on demand. Company representatives who are researching products and services online clearly prefer video: A recent Forbes article noted that almost 60% of business professionals said they would watch a video first before reading the text on the same page. But it's important to recognize that not all video messaging strategies are created equal. ...Read More »

Social Media Marketing in Times of Tragedy By Marsha Friedman If you're using social media for marketing, what should you say following a tragedy like the deadly blasts at the Boston Marathon on April 15? The horrific elementary school shootings in Newtown, Conn.? The October storm that took lives and devastated communities across the Northeast? Sometimes, nothing at all. ...Read More »

Content Insider #278 - Social Chaos By Miles Weston Social media is a great way for 1:many conversations/sharing. It's a great marketing/service support tool. It's a great way to get into a verbal brawl. Face it, it's fun to watch the drama unfold as long as it isn't you that's being hammered. You know, "she beats her significant other," "I don't beat my significant other." And now you're wondering if there's some truth and who's right, who's wrong. The discussion gets so heated that the opponents forget the whole world is watching/listening. Need a good example just see what happened at the end of a very successful game developer conference. Maybe that's why most publicists/communications/marketing folks only send messages out and if you ask a question...silence. ...Read More »

Bread & Butter 3D By Ko Maruyama Here's why Zax Dow created Zaxwerks and why his software is so valuable even if you already have another 3D program. 3D work can be divided into two main categories: Bread and Butter work, and Custom work. Everyone would like to get custom work but it's the bread and butter work that keeps food on your table. The big mystery here is why most people use custom software on bread and butter jobs? Do they even realize there is a difference? Doing that is like drawing animation by hand; the result can be completely custom but boy does it take a lot of time and skill to do. ...Read More »

Content Insider #271 - More Screens By Miles Weston First, Second, Third screen...It doesn't really matter. It isn't about which screen you're watching right now it's about the message, its delivery, its impact on you. And nothing has the potential to do it more than some of the advances taking place in the digital signage industry. Blend the screens with Big Data, the Cloud and creative people and I smell opportunities to educate, inform, influence people in entirely new ways. Connecting all the dots is getting interesting... ...Read More »

Content Insider #269 - Privacy By Miles Weston Privacy is such a neat sounding word. Who wouldn't want it, expect it? Yes...But!!! Yeah but...you want tons of people to like you, heck you want products and stores to like you. You want to know when there are specials and discounts and sales and events on that you want to know about and you expect "them" to tell you. Just makes it a little tough and then there are the people who stalk you...creepy. Privacy is a difficult line to walk but still companies, products, brands, folks try. Just be careful how much, how often and where you put yourself out there. Some things you can't get back...privacy may be one of them!!! ...Read More »

Content Insider 264 - Three Ring Circus By Miles Weston There are times you have to compare a trade show/convention to a circus because everyone wants to be in the spotlight, center ring. Being a keynote speaker at events like CES is an awesome weight, awesome responsibility. Speakers carry the image and vision of their entire company when they're up there on the stage. Oh sure there is the endless parade of dignitaries and stars but still the spotlight is on the boss. CES 2013 keynotes were ... interesting! ...Read More »

Simplify your business in 2013 By Mike Savory, Product Manager, Sage One We've had countless discussions with them about the tools they use and why they chose them. These are businesses of all types, sizes and ages; but do you know what is common among them? To some degree, they all use a mix of tools that are either the wrong fit or not connected with each other...or both. ...Read More »

Content Insider #261 - Big Bank By Miles Weston Hope you noticed you had a whole new crop of ads this holiday shopping season on your devices, all of them. You can't really blame the advertisers - ok you can but... It's all part of a better job of targeting the right information just for you. It's all part of the constantly evolving, constantly improving Big Data world you contribute to with every click, every search, every Like, every Tweet, everything you do to stay in touch, stay relevant. You can't really blame any one person for this because all of your data bit sorting, buying, selling, recording is handled as fast as stock trades on Wall Street. Trust the machines because nothing can go wrong...nothing can go wrong... ...Read More »

How Does HTML5 Change the Development Game? By By The Editors of Digital Innovation Gazette for Digital Innovation Gazette One of the best cross platform mobile development tools you can have is HTML5. Here`s what developers need to know. ...Read More »

Innovation By Larry O Connor Everyone has his/her idea of what innovation is. Lots of folks swear it was a string of hits that Steve unveiled back in the day. Larry O'Connor, CEO of Other World Computing, won't diminish the luster of the products but he takes a quieter, more unassuming approach to innovation...he listens to what his customers are telling him -- and mixes it with a lot of good inputs from a great engineering team. Both approaches are good and when they click...it's a beautiful thing. ...Read More »

Adventures in BYOD By Tim Kridel for Digital Innovation Gazette Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies are changing the market for enterprise mobile applications, which in turn presents challenges and opportunities for businesses and developers alike. ...Read More »

How Big a Problem is Malware? By Tim Kridel for Digital Innovation Gazette Mobile malware has been around since at least 2004, but it wasn`t until smartphones went mainstream that the problem started to attract the attention of enterprises and consumers. Here`s why app developers should care. ...Read More »

Trends in Device Turnover By CDATABy Tim Kridel for Digital Innovation Gazette From OS upgrade availability to non-user-removable batteries, multiple factors affect how often people replace their smartphone. That turnover then affects the app market. Heres what you need to know. ...Read More »

Show Me the Money By Tim Kridel for Digital Innovation Gazette Which operating systems and form factors have the highest revenue per user? An Evernote executive weighs in on his company`s experiences. ...Read More »

Content Insider #254 - Paperless Kits By Miles Weston You've either said it or heard it, "Kids today have it so easy!" That's sure true of publicists when it comes to conventions/trade shows. No copying 20 releases/stuff, collating/stuffing folders, lugging them to the show, redoing 4-5 of the write-ups and restuffing, lugging to the press room, saying goodbye to your creative genius. It was great physical exercise! Then there are the hours, days of smiling/dialing to talk people into coming by...well because. Paper cuts and phone ear were badges of honor but now it's work that leaves no visible scars. No it's not about your Likers or Followers, it's about developing real relationships that extend year-round, having meetings with a purpose (for both parties) and producing results without a stack of paper. ...Read More »

Social Media Changes Driving Some Marketers Buggy By Marsha Friedman Social media is the most rapidly changing aspect of communications to begin with. Throw in an IPO (Facebook) and a major overhaul (LinkedIn) and modifications are barreling ahead so fast, even the techies seem unable to keep up. ...Read More »

Choosing A Tablet - Spec to Spec By Charlie Wade Ok you want a new tablet. Now would seem the perfect time, with all the top contenders with brand new tablets to choose from. The new iPad. The Nexus 10. The Kindle Fire HD. Microsoft Surface. Each has its own special features, its own uniqueness. It's own ecosystem of support applications, software, content and peripherals. The question is which one is right for you? ...Read More »

Video Compression In The Age Of Mobile Devices In the multi-screen world, video in all its glorious resolutions and formats must be processed for a variety of bandwidths to serve an ever-growing network of screens. That's a lot of permutations, or video profiles. And that puts unprecedented strain on traditional ABR transcoders. ...Read More »

Texas Help Em By Larry O Connor Online retail (etail) is more than just price. A lot more. It's about quality, variety, convenience, integrity and support...lots of support. And putting the customer first and at the center of every decision. Other World Computing (OWC) - macsales.com - goes beyond developing products and focuses on developing solutions that fit the customers' needs and are best for his/her budget. Then providing customers (or anyone who might be stuck) access to clear, concise documentation and installation/troubleshooting videos. As the company marks it's 25th year, Larry O'Connor, founder and CEO, notes that there are millions of Mac and PC users who don't realize they can upgrade their systems/notebooks themselves to give their systems a new lease on life without voiding factory warranties. ...Read More »