Internet-based applications and services - News, Features, and Slideshows

Features

  • Why Instagram started banning hashtags (and why it's a bad idea)

    Policing social media sites is no easy task, because users can post almost anything they want, often without consequence. Other users can report inappropriate content, but it's not possible for social networks to remove every post that violates their guidelines.

    Written by Lauren Brousell12 Aug. 15 23:55
  • Why you shouldn't accept every LinkedIn connection invite

    Next time you receive an invitation to connect on LinkedIn from someone unfamiliar, think twice before you accept. This is not only sound advice, it's part of LinkedIn's official rules. Section 8.2 of the site's user agreement specifies that members agree not to "invite people you do not know to join your network." While Facebook and Twitter are great for broadcasting random thoughts and bragging about your private life to complete strangers, LinkedIn is designed to be personal and relevant to your professional life.

    Written by Matt Kapko10 Aug. 15 23:42
  • 7 social media mistakes job seekers must avoid

    Social media can be a fun part of your day. You get to interact with friends, family and strangers -- and maybe if you're lucky, get a retweet from your favorite celebrity. But as much as you may like to put yourself out there, it can be easy to forget that your public social media accounts are just that: public.

    Written by Sarah K. White24 July 15 00:15
  • Social media sites still don't do enough to combat abuse

    Every day, countless individuals and groups are victimized on social networks. The abusers, detached and cloaked in anonymity, often take on different personas as they shame, troll, incite and denigrate others with relative impunity. The ramifications can be devastating and, until recently, the majority of social media companies failed to acknowledge -- let alone confront -- the vulgarity and vicious threats that fly so freely on their platforms.

    Written by Matt Kapko01 July 15 23:13
  • Why Twitter Cards are key to social media marketing

    Twitter Cards are one of the core features of Twitter's platform. However, if you aren't aware of them or confused by what they do, you're not alone. Twitter Cards enable developers for brands, publishers and other businesses to add photos, videos and a richer media experience to tweets. Marketers see them as a tool to boost their business in varying ways while users just see the better experience they provide in their timeline.

    Written by Matt Kapko23 May 15 01:01
  • Why you should use LinkedIn Pulse to self-publish

    Online self-publishing isn't the bore and chore it used to be. Today almost everything is automated, and the most important choice for individuals and brands is picking the right platform, based on the goals they're trying to achieve.

    Written by Matt Kapko21 March 15 00:18
  • How 'Facebook at Work' Could Alter the Social Enterprise Landscape

    Most people don't want to be caught at work with Facebook open on their computers or smartphones, but that may change very soon. Facebook is working on a new social network for the workplace, called "Facebook at Work," that would pit the king of social media against more business-savvy stalwarts such as Google, Microsoft and LinkedIn, according to the Financial Times.

    Written by Matt Kapko02 Dec. 14 02:57
  • Is Social Media Reviving or Killing Our Classrooms?

    Remember the days when back to school meant a trip to the store for new pencils, paper and maybe a spiral notebook or two? Today's students, particularly those in the higher grades and college level, have little time or interest in those analog commodities -- they're carrying laptops, tablets, smartphones and other gadgets.

    Written by Matt Kapko10 Sept. 14 06:09
  • Who's Really Using Tinder (and How Are They Using It)?

    There's a good chance someone you know is using Tinder as you read this. He or she is swiping left or right, looking for someone, somewhere for something. Each of those variables contributes to the service's serendipity, which makes it fun with just enough different and unexpected turns.

    Written by Matt Kapko01 Sept. 14 23:56
  • How social networks are changing mobile advertising

    For digital marketers, the road to riches on mobile screens has been long and riddled with holes of divergence. But the pursuit, which harkens back to the pre-smartphone era, has gotten more promising thanks to social media.

    Written by Matt Kapko21 Aug. 14 05:37
  • How AWS Helped Scale App for World Cup Social Media Hub

    Running a social media hub for any large event poses a challenge, but perhaps none quite so daunting as running the FIFA Social Hub, the official social platform of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

    Written by Thor Olavsrud05 Aug. 14 23:07
  • Snapchat Must Either Grow Up or Risk Disappearing

    Snapchat had a rough May, and that's even before taking into account the massive competitive threats it faces from Apple and Facebook. The company has a lot of growing up to do. And it better do it fast.

    Written by Matt Kapko11 June 14 23:27
  • How to use social networking to succeed in business

    In the current business climate, networking is at the nexus of technology, the customer, and true innovation, and it's about time you put your heart and soul into it. In short, it's time to get on board with social or get left behind.

    Written by Rich Hein04 June 14 16:15