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The Canadian Business Dream and Why You Should Never Give Up – Harper Media

There comes a time in most entrepreneurs’ lives when the challenges seem overwhelming. You’ve suffered consecutive setbacks and sometimes, you seriously consider throwing in the towel.

You question yourself. Maybe you don’t have what it takes after all? Maybe your breakthrough idea just isn’t realistic? Maybe you should quit now, rather than continue to make a fool of yourself. Self-doubt leeches onto your heart and soul, and despair begins to take over.

It happens all the time, but I’m here to tell you why you should never ever give up on your dreams. Consider these six reasons:

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Why Your Business Needs A Responsive Website – Harper Media

If you’ve ignored previous warnings and your business isn’t taking advantage of responsive web design right now or planning on it in the very near future, you are in danger of going out of business in 2014. There are three exceptions to the rule; 1) you don’t depend on your website to stay in business, 2) you have no competitors, or 3) you are familiar with responsive design, you’ve already verified it’s not the right fit for you, as Linkedin has, and you have an alternative mobile strategy. If any of these three apply to you, then you’re ok, carry on. But if your company depends on its website enough that losing the business it brings to you would be a serious blow, getting a responsive website before the end of the year should be your #1 online marketing goal.

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Every Business in Winnipeg Can Benefit From A Blog – Harper Media

Ensuring people regularly visit and engage with your website is a critical requirement in the new digital landscape and besides who in Winnipeg doesn’t want extra business?

As the CEO of a social media strategy & web marketing firm in Winnipeg, I’m constantly asked by friends, acquaintances and total strangers what is something they can do to get more eyeballs on their website. The reasons why vary. Everything from improving conversions, increasing traffic, boosting SEO rankings, lowering bounce rate and or increasing customer’s time on site is mentioned.

Luckily for them, there is a simple tool that can improve every one of these categories and is easy to implement: a curated blog.

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Facebook is now the largest traffic driver

Google is still the most-viewed website in the world. But when it comes to driving traffic to media sites, Facebook is now the clear winner, according to analytics firm Parse.ly.

Facebook accounted for nearly 43% of traffic to its network of media sites — a network that includes over 400 outlets such as Mashable, Reuters and The Atlantic — according to new numbers from Parse.ly. It sends 6 billion page views and over 1 billion unique visitors their way.

Google, meanwhile, drove a mere 38% of traffic to media sites.

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Millennials Overspending

Hard to believe, but ten years ago, following someone you just met might have earned you a night in a holding cell. Today, thanks to social media, it’s apt to lead to overspending.
While it looks like voyeurism is going to be the modern world’s natural resting state for the foreseeable future, it’s having some unintended consequences – specifically on Millennials – according to a study from PR firm Citizen Relations.

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Build Business Relationships From Casual Meetings – Harper Media

Building a strong business network can be quite an art, one that is often built over years of trial and error, largely resulting in learning through many mistakes.

There are, however, an abundance of opportunities to garner help, building business connections and support from many of the people around you or that you have the chance to casually meet. You just need to open your eyes and learn to step outside your comfort zone to take advantage of these opportunities.

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Canada falling short in online sales

Statistics Canada’s latest figures on Canadian online sales point to troubling signs that too many companies, especially smaller ones, are missing out on the advantages of Internet-based business.

At first glance, the numbers look encouraging. Canadian businesses sold over C$136 billion worth of goods and services online in 2013, an 11 per cent increase over the $122 billion sold in 2012. Online sales also accounted for a greater proportion of sales, with companies that sold online reporting almost 25 per cent of overall revenues came from Internet-based customers.

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Google+ isn’t dead

Many marketing folks have started throwing Google+ by the wayside as they create online marketing strategies in favor of greener pastures over at Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Vine.

This is partly because Google+ simply does not have as many users as the other huge social platforms out there. There have also been well-documented concerns going back years about strength of click-through and visitor referrals from Google+.

However, while G+ may not command an impressive piece of the social media community overall, it does include elements that provide companies measurable value, especially in increasing organic traffic.

“Google is making changes to its algorithms and how it ranks web pages with the goal of pushing people away from tactical SEO behavior toward a more strategic approach,” says Scott Langdon, Partner at HigherVisibility.com. What does he mean by that? By the very fact G+ exists, certain search scenarios exist that can help a business. Here are some of the best around.

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8 Free Services That Can Help You Find New Music

 

It’s about time to find your song of the summer.

Luckily, the Internet provides us with plenty of tools to do just that. Below, Yahoo Tech has compiled a list of some of the best places to dig up some fresh tunes. Let us know what you find. In the meantime, Mariah Carey’s leading our list.

SoundCloud
SoundCloud seems as pure as any music space can get these days. The site and iOS/Android app is a social media network dedicated to the free distribution of music, podcasts, speeches, comedy series, and whatever else fits into the endless realm we call “audio.”

It’s become a hotbed for emerging artists, DJs, and electronic musicians, who pay a yearly subscriber’s fee to submit their work into the heavily trafficked social network. It’s a great place for a new artist to gain recognition, or for a well-established one to test tracks of new sounds he’s trying out.

But there’s something particularly unique on SoundCloud. When a new pop track comes out, the site rallies to create its own musical conversation around it. Take Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love.” Just as YouTube parody after YouTube parody of the video tumbled onto the Internet, so did SoundCloud tracks. Up-and-coming female hip-hop artist Angel Haze rapped over it. The super-popular deejay Diplo remixed it. And R&B heat-seeker The Weeknd made his own rendition. And that’s just three of many.

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It’s Official: Apple Adds Dr. Dre With $3 Billion Beats Deal

Rap is coming to Cupertino in a big way.

After weeks of rumor, Apple finally announced it has acquired headphone maker Beats Electronic for $3 billion, including $2.6 billion cash up front and approximately $400 million in stock that will vest over time. As part of the deal, Beats co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine will join Apple AAPL -0.26% in undisclosed roles.

“Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple,” CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “That’s why we have kept investing in music and are bringing together these extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world.”

This acquisition is Apple’s biggest ever, and largest since it brought back Steve Jobs in 1997 though a $400 million purchase of NeXT. However, the $3 billion price is still just a tiny fraction of the company’s $150 billion cash reserves, and Beats’ estimated annual sales of $2 billion represents barely over 1% of Apple’s $171 billion revenue last year.

“I’ve always known in my heart that Beats belonged with Apple,” Iovine said. “The idea when we started the company was inspired by Apple’s unmatched ability to marry culture and technology. Apple’s deep commitment to music fans, artists, songwriters and the music industry is something special.”

The $3 billion purchase price includes Beats Music, the sister company that runs a subscription streaming music service. In fact, Apple’s press release mentioned that before the more well-known headphone business. While some analysts have wondered why Apple doesn’t simply build its own streaming service within iTunes, Cook must believe this deal gives him a quicker way to catch up with Spotify and others.

“The addition of Beats will make our music lineup even better, from free streaming with iTunes Radio to a world-class subscription service in Beats, and of course buying music from the iTunes Store as customers have loved to do for years,” Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue said.

Apple shares fell slightly on Wednesday in trading before the announcement, but remain up over 17% since April 23rd. Shares have crested $624, the highest mark Apple has traded at since October 2012.

Three Reasons to Invest in Content Marketing

For companies to communicate successfully with clients, it is vital that companies produce messages which compliment that general marketing strategy. Although it may sound relatively easy, dealing with content marketing can be quite complicated at times, causing much stress and uneasiness in the business.

No matter how frightening the thought of content marketing may sound, it is imperative that you invest in quality content. This is because it communicates with prospective customers and has the power to either attract or repel. Websites are the online representation of companies and the first port of call for many initial clients.

The content conveyed on your website is just as important as the conversations you may have on the phone or in person. The benefits of good content marketing can really help, yet it is often overlooked. The following three reasons highlight the reasons why you should invest in content marketing.

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How to Develop Your Social Media Voice

You can set up a social media account in a few minutes, but finding your social media personality and voice is going to take a little longer. Social media is all about engagement, having conversations and connecting with others, but have you worked out how you are going to come across to your followers?

Will your tone by irreverent and high-spirited? Fun and light-hearted? Cheeky? Provocative? “Hey guys and gals we’ve got a blockbuster of a blog post that will blow your socks away!” “Don’t miss today’s blog which has some valuable tips and tricks.”

The above sentiments convey roughly the same message, but what makes them different is their tone. When you are writing online, every comment, post and article reflects on your business, and getting the tone right is of the utmost importance.

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Samsung’s Answer to Google Glass Coming in September – Samsung Glass

Samsung will launch a connected headset similar to Google Glass in September, a new report says. The device will reportedly run on the Tizen operating system, already on some of Samsung’s Gear smartwatches, and the company plans to unveil it at the upcoming Berlin IFA technology show, Samsung Glass.

As noted by SamMobile, Business Korea quotes a Samsung “associate” who discusses the company’s plans for a head-mounted device. The source even goes so far as to call the device “Gear Glass,” although it’s unclear if that will be the official name.

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Will.i.am: Beats is the answer to a growing void in music industry

According to media reports, Apple (AAPL) is in talks to buy Beats Electronics — the company founded by rap icon Dr. Dre that makes premium Beats headphones — for $3.2 billion. A video featuring Dr. Dre seems to confirm the rumor. It would be Apple’s biggest acquisition ever, and the deal would include Beats’ new streaming music service, according to The New York Times.
We spoke to Black Eyed Peas frontman and Beats early consultant and equity shareholder Will.i.am on the sidelines of the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles last week, about why he’s so bullish on the product.

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The Social Media Difference Between Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, YouTube, & Pinterest

 

The difference between FacebookLIKE this, Pin that, Re-tweet this, +1 that. Social Media these days is looked at as just the newest craze and people use it to document every second of their lives, which is a little much if you ask me. But that’s on a personal level, business level is a

whole different ball game. With so many social media sites out there, where do you begin? What’s the difference between Facebook and the rest of the social media platforms?

Social Media Marketing is an outstanding tool for promoting your business. It’s a great way to market your services, products, and help boost your brand. Not only that, it gives your customers easy access to anything your business has to offer (instead of waiting for that crumbled up postcard in the mail). At Harper Media, we often find that some businesses have a hard time diving into the sea of social media. Let me break down each tool and I know you’ll want to get your feet wet.

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Twitter Launches New Web Profiles, Pinned Tweets, Timeline and More

Twitter bio Channing Tatum

Your Twitter bio is about to receive a redesign profiles for the Web that bring a whole new feeling to your account.

The new Twitter bio changes up how you express yourself as well as some of the new tools you can use. Taking more of a cover photo approach akin to what we see on Facebook, your profile will now have a large banner image across the top of the page that can be anything you like. The changes, however, don’t stop there.

Have a tweet you want to make sure people see when they come to your Twitter bio? You can now pin one tweet to the top of the timeline so that your followers have a better idea of what you’re about or what you’re promoting. And if you have a tweet that has had a high engagement rate it will now appear in bold in your timeline so that visitors can see the things you discuss that interest the most people.

When browsing Twitter via the Web you will also have new filtering tools. You will be able to view timelines by tweets, tweets with photos/videos or tweets along with their replies.

For now the new Twitter bio is limited to people just joining the site and a selected handful of celebrities and prominent figures. It will begin rolling out to all other users over the coming days and weeks.

Considering that the majority of Twitter users access the service via mobile devices, it’s nice to see that the company hasn’t completely forgotten its roots. We imagine that these features will be making their way to mobile apps as well, but nothing has been mentioned at this time.

To check out the new profile, the following Twitter accounts received first crack at trying it out.

Twitter bio Weezer
Source Twitter

Canadian small businesses dragging their heels online – Harper Media

We had seen the chandelier in the store, and liked it, but back at home a few days later I wanted to double-check on the price. I went online. I searched for the company’s name. Nothing.

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry,” the store owner told my wife a few days later. “We don’t have a site yet. I keep meaning to get around to it.”

Such is the state of online business in Canada. Although I had thought this was a rare example, data released this week by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) suggests the problem is widespread. According to CIRA’s Internet FactBook, only 41 per cent of small businesses have an online presence, even though the average Canadian visited 3,731 web pages per month last year and three-quarters of us use the Internet to research purchases.

“What I find striking is simply that technology still, frankly, scares a lot of people.”

Although small Canadian business owners probably do their own web surfing at home, Fowler said, the process of establishing an online presence may seem intimidating. I’ve spoken to a few who have asked me about whether they need a site or a blog (and if those are the same thing). They’re not always sure whether or not they need to host a site themselves with a server or how to register a domain name.

“People need to be educated. It isn’t really that hard,” Fowler said.

Although there are probably many small Canadian businesses that could benefit from establishing a solid website of their own, one thing these statistics may overlook is the rise of third-party sites and services that aggregate and streamline the online research process for consumers.

Yelp is just one example of an easy-to-search database for all kinds of local products and services. HomeStars does something similar for real estate. Given how many Canadians tend to use Facebook on a monthly basis, I’ve seen some small businesses whose sole online presence consists of a Facebook page.

These de-facto sites, as I’ll call them, will obviously lack some of the advantages of creating a distinct portal with product and service details, a compelling “About Us” story and customer testimonials. That doesn’t mean they can’t be effective, though. Just as some retailers decide it’s better to be part of a strip mall or shopping mall than relying on their own free-standing structure, there are advantages to be had in going where the traffic (online or otherwise) is already congregating and spending time trying to earn good customer reviews.

As much as the technology industry has been celebrating the last 30 years of the Internet over the past week, Canadian small business with an eye on the future might be better served to start thinking about their presence on smartphones. It’s mobile sites and particularly mobile apps where many consumers are increasingly doing their research and comparisons before shopping in stores.

“That’s even further behind in most of their minds. It’s another layer of complexity that is not understood for most people,” Fowler said.

Maybe so, but it’s not a layer Canadian small businesses can avoid forever. Websites are an important tool, but if I were running a company today, getting moving on mobile would be Job 1.

The Best Time to Use Social Media Platforms (Infographic)

Almost every small business, 81 percent, is on social media, and 94 percent of them use these social platforms for marketing purposes (attracting clients and building a brand), according toresearch from LinkedIn. As social media usage becomes ubiquitous, the rate will only continue to grow, as more small businesses use Facebook pages and Twitter as their main platforms for communication, even more so than their websites.

Related: What Day of The Week Will Your Company Be Mentioned Most? (Infographic)

 

The LinkedIn study and SumAll data further find social media’s importance to “hyper growth” companies (those with significant year-over-year growth). Ninety one percent of these firms said social media grew awareness, and nearly three quarters grew their social media budgets in the past year. The small businesses using social platforms must be doing something right.

Once small businesses are on social media they need to then figure out how to leverage each platform to meet their goals. These types of companies don’t have the luxury of spending too much time on any facet of their business. Small businesses want to be sure their content is engaging and impactful, and will have “legs” throughout the network in terms of additional sharing.

What many small business owners and managers overlook is the “when” of social media posting, not just the “what,” “where” and “why.” Having the right content is great, but knowing the time of day when people are most receptive to posts is invaluable for companies that need to run efficient campaigns.

SumAll.com is a startup firm that provides data analytics for companies ranging from small businesses to large enterprise-level players such as Starbucks and Pandora. The company analyzed large amounts of customer data to determine the most opportune times to send out posts to various platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest and Google. The “best time” metric was calculated for each social media platform by measuring the responses on hundreds of millions of different posts, representing companies in various industry verticals. The measured “responses” were likes, comments, reposts and other similar activities that represent a specific action taken by the recipient.

Related: Contrary to Popular Belief, These Popular Social-Media Habits Are Bad for Your Brand

The SumAll.com research found the platform-specific times illustrated in the below infographic were generally optimal for sending posts. Some thoughts on the likely reasons for the popularity of the specific timeframes will follow.

 

Click to Enlarge+

Post Smarter: The Best Times to Use Social Platforms (Infographic)

 

Twitter: People have a chance to share their own thoughts or retweet in the afternoon.

Facebook: The work day is slowing down and people have more time to do a Facebook check.

Tumblr: Reading micro-blogs on Tumblr takes more time and thought than other platforms, so non-work hours are often ideal.

Pinterest: Weekends are best, as the craft and collection emphasis of Pinterest lends itself to weekend projects.

A common trend with the optimal times is you want to catch people during their downtime. You might need to get them early in the morning during their commute or “settling in” time at work, during lunch or in the evenings.

Small businesses should try to follow these times but also need to understand the timing may be different for their specific customer base or industry. If they are trying to reach college students, the normal 9 to 5 workday doesn’t apply. Experimentation is still recommended, and small businesses can use various tools to automate the sending of posts and tweets at various times throughout the day and over the weekend.

Big Win for Blackberry

Sorry, iPhone users: Your dreams of having a real keyboard on your cell phone just got a little less plausible.

Typo Products LLC will not be allowed to make a keyboard attachment that mimics they iconic BlackBerry keyboard, The Toronto Star reports, after a judge ruled it would infringe on two of BlackBerry Ltd.’s patents.

[ Related: What do new BB phones, desktop BBM mean for the company? ]

It’s good news for Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry, who has run into countless problems in recent years as it continues to lose market share despite its efforts to reinvent itself. Die-hard BlackBerry users have long touted features like the physical keyboard and BBM as the reasons they’re so dedicated to the brand. Had Typo been allowed to continue selling its keyboard, it could have made a serious dent in the loyal BlackBerry fan base.

 

typo-iphone-keyboard

 

But that’s not going to happen now, at least in the U.S., after Judge William Orrick ruled BlackBerry had a “likelihood” of proving that the Typo keyboard violates intellectual property rights, and that BlackBerry would be likely damaged if sales of the keyboard case for iPhone were allowed to continue,AP reports. Following the ruling, sales of Typo’s $99 keyboard accessory have now been banned in the U.S.

BlackBerry filed a lawsuit against Typo, which was co-founded by Ryan Seacrest of American Idolfame, back in January, requesting a court order blocking the sale of the Keyboard Case for iPhone 5/5S. They’ve now been granted that injunction.

In a statement issued after the ruling, Typo said: “Typo will continue to make and sell innovative products that people can’t live without.”

BlackBerry’s statement, unsurprisingly, was much more upbeat: “BlackBerry is pleased that its motion for a preliminary injunction against Typo Products LLC was granted. This ruling will help prevent further injury to BlackBerry from Typo’s blatant theft of our patented keyboard technology,” a BlackBerry spokesperson shared with Reuters via email.

7 Vital Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses

Think you’re too busy for social media? Think again. The fact is, if you don’t use social media, you may find yourselftwitter-birdiestruggling to stay connected to customers, which in turn can lead to declining sales. And then you may find yourself not so busy any more.

You don’t have to spend hours on Twitter or Facebook to get results. What many small business owners fail to understand is that it’s not the time you put into social media that matters. It’s how smart your strategy is. Here are some proven social media strategies that will help boost your business without sucking up all your time.

1. Go for Quality Over Quantity

Maybe your competitor has hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter while you have only a few thousand. It’s easy to get discouraged, but don’t do something silly like paying for followers just to keep up. What matters is that the followers you have are engaged. You will reap far more rewards from 20 active followers who retweet your information than 2,000 bot-followers who never interact with you.

2. Let People Get to Know You

 

 

7 Vital Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses image sm friends

Consumers follow companies on social media sites not to get the latest deal, though that’s a nice benefit, or hear a load of sales talk. No, their real purpose is to get to know the company and decide if they want to give them their business. Allow them to get a glimpse of who you are. Highlight your employees on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Show them your personality. Demonstrate what’s important to you. This can be more effective than a big sales push.

3. Outsource If You Need to

Many people look at “outsourcing” as a dirty word. But that’s an outdated belief. In truth, outsourcing can save you valuable time and even money on social media, when you know exactly what you want. If you struggle with posting and take 45 minutes to craft a tweet, it’s more cost-effective to pay a freelance writer to take care of the task, freeing you up for other important work.

Just make sure you choose someone experienced and trustworthy; this is your brand’s reputation on the line, after all.

4. Follow Other People & Follow Up

Sometimes businesses get so wrapped up in producing their own social media content that they forget they also need to follow others in order to gain notice. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest you should be following your competitors as well as people you want to sell to, for two main reasons. One, social media networks suggest people for others to follow, and aligning yourself with a common interest increases the chance you’ll come up as one of those suggestions. And two, you can keep abreast of what your competitor is doing and whether you should be considering similar strategies.

When fan/follower building is natural, small businesses can target nearly every individual for personal and public convos. For example:

7 Vital Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses image maxwell tweet convo

This example from Maxwell Systems shows how a business can follow-up with unique voice. It’s a relaxed comment because it’s a relaxed platform. Don’t make Twitter out to be strict corporate chatter – it’s a friendly and laid back environment. They’re even hitting their target customers with fun content, simply by hitting that share button. I think a lot of people make social media out to be some complex, tactical battleground when small businesses really just need to focus on being themselves. Share content that your target customers like, or even content that your friends like. Start up convos, take pictures, and just prove that your business is active on social media (not just a one-way message board).

5. Offer Incentives for Following

People love to win things, and you don’t have to shell out a ton of money on prizes to reap the rewards from this strategy. Even giving away a branded pencil will draw people in. Experiment with different contests on all your social media sites. Have fun with it; people can tell when you’re just doing something to benefit your company and when you’re really enjoying yourself.

6. Join More Social Networks

7 Vital Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses image social networks

You most likely already have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+ and Instagram. But it’s worth expanding beyond these sites to newer, more experimental social networks that may be niche to your company. For instance, if you have a fashion business, try a fashion-focused social media site. You’d be surprised how many of these places exist, and they’re a great place to connect with people who may eschew the traditional social networks as too broad.

7. Reassess Your Goals

Social media is a means to an end. You should be holding monthly goal reassessment sessions, even if they’re only five minutes long, to make sure you know what that end is. Perhaps you want to grow sales of a particular product or you’re looking to increase your Twitter followers to spread the word about an upcoming trade show. Whatever your aim, make sure that you are furthering your goals through your social media strategies instead of simply tweeting or Facebooking without a purpose.

More Than 3 million Teens Leave Facebook!

Facebook (FB) has lost more than 3 million U.S. teenagers in the past three years, according to a new study, adding to fears the social networking site has become uncool with the younger set.

The study, by market researcher iStrategy Labs, reviewed Facebook’s social advertising platform and calculated the company had 3 million fewer users aged 13 to 17, a 25% drop, than it did in January 2011. The site lost another 3 million users aged 18 to 24, a group which obviously includes some older teens, representing an 8% decline. Still, thanks to increasing use by older Americans, Facebook’s overall U.S. membership base increased by 33 million, or 23%, to 180 million users over the three years, the study found.

That could be the root of the issue — teens don’t want to reveal much if they know grandma is watching. And it’s easier to avoid adults’ prying eyes on less-complicated services such as Twitter (TWTR) or Snapchat, which is rumored to have turned down a $3 billion takeover offer from Facebook last year.

The adolescent issue

Facebook’s $1 billion purchase of photo posting service Instagram in 2012 was aimed at attracting more younger users. But Facebook has since admitted it might have a problem keeping teens interested. “Our best analysis of youth engagement in the U.S. reveals that usage of Facebook among U.S. teens overall was stable,” CFO David Ebersman said on an October 30 call with analysts. “We did see a decrease in daily users, specifically among younger teens.”

The admission caused a minor sell-off in Facebook shares, though they have since recovered. Trading at $57.44 on Thursday, the stock has more than doubled over the past six months.

Analysts and advertisers have been split over the significance of the possible teenage user decrease, with some dismissing the teen market as less valuable than that of young adults. But teens eventually grow up and become adults, so a drop in younger users could foreshadow bigger problems in the future.

Shares of Twitter have climbed 37% since it went public in November, in part on excitement that the short-messaging service was becoming more popular than Facebook with young people.

After rejecting Facebook’s overtures, Snapchat, a message and photo sharing service that allows its content to disappear, has sought to raise venture capital at a price valuing the company at $4 billion. An initial public offering could follow later this year.

Tumblr Looks for Gold in Hollywood Hills, Hires First Director of Media – Harper Media

Tumblr has hired its first director of media in a bid to tap the deep pockets of Hollywood’s marketers.

Sima Sistani, who recently led the mobile growth division at Yahoo, has been appointed to the newly created position at Tumblr in hopes that the blogging platform can attract entertainment dollars, which have proven surprisingly difficult to do in the digital realm.

SEE ALSO: 11 Tumblr Tips for Power Users

Sistani will not be the only fresh face representing a social network to entertainment marketers. Facebook recently hired a head of entertainment partnerships, and Twitter hired away a Google employee to take on the role of director of entertainment industry sales.

While Twitter may be the go-to social network for celebrities to communicate with fans, Tumblr has also attracted attention for notable names who are active on the platform, like Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Anthony Bourdain.

The appointment of Sistani is one of the more prominent additions since Yahoo bought the blogging platform for about $1.1 billion.

Since the acquisition, Tumblr has suffered the departure of various executives. In Yahoo’s most recent earnings report, Tumblr was not mentioned aside from Yahoo’s corporate blog.

Tumblr has also seen a sharp decline in comScore user growth.

If Sistani is to help Tumblr become the media platform that Yahoo had hoped, Hollywood might be a good place to start. If Sistani is to help Tumblr become the media platform that Yahoo had hoped, Hollywood might be a good place to start.

Entertainment marketing represents a major piece of the larger advertising pie that Internet companies have yet to tap. While Internet advertising has matured in recent years and begun to attract larger ad spends, entertainment dollars tend to stay with traditional outlets.

The motion picture industry alone spent $3.2 billion on ads in 2012, but a whopping 86.5% of that went to television, according to Adweek. To make matters worse, Internet spending (2% of total ad spend) actually falls behind newspapers (6%) and outdoor ads (3%), edging out radio and magazines to avoid last place.

These numbers are far more skewed than the total ad spending split between mediums. Television accounted for 39% compared to 22% of the total ad industry in 2012, according to eMarketer.

‘Calvin and Hobbes’ Creator Bill Watterson Publishes First Cartoon in 19 Years

Bill Watterson went back to the drawing board for one more round.

The celebrated but reclusive Calvin and Hobbes creator agreed to illustrate the movie poster for a feature-length documentary about comics titled Stripped. The film tells the story of the decline of newspapers and how it’s affecting the medium of strip comics. Watterson also gave a rare audio interview for the film.

SEE ALSO: 9 Clever Comic Artists to Follow on Tumblr

Watterson’s characteristic style is evident in the poster with his iconic touches splashed throughout. The cartoon is his first since the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip ended its storied run in 1995.

Stripped was born out of a Kickstarter campaign and describes itself as a “love letter to comic strips.” The documentary is now available for preorder on iTunes.

If Watterson is on board, count us in, too.

4 Keys to Building a Great Startup Team – Harper Media

In many cases, a startup is only as good as the people behind it. The success of a business can heavily depend on whether the people involved are doing their jobs well.

As the founder of two tech startups, entrepreneur Lynn LeBlanc has learned that a successful business needs a strong, highly skilled team right from the start.

“A good startup team needs to have [experience that] spans most of the core functional areas of a successful company,” said LeBlanc, the CEO of IT management platform HotLink. “This way, you’ll have predictable outcomes from the combination of each member’s knowledge and skills.”

 

 

To put together a winning group for your business, LeBlanc advised seeking individuals who fit the following criteria.

  • They have experience in areas that you and the rest of the team don’t. Hiring people with similar backgrounds might seem like a good idea initially, but in order to truly flourish, your company needs dedicated experts in all core areas of business. If you have a strong technical background but no experience with sales and marketing, hire someone who knows that area inside and out, and vice versa.
  • You know them well (or they know each other). Many entrepreneurs learn the hard way that hiring unqualified family members and friends based on a close relationship is a bad idea. However, it is important that the people you do hire for your startup are ones you know well. You should feel confident in their background and expertise, and know that they’ll make a positive contribution to your business. If you don’t personally know a potential hire well, someone else on your team should so he or she can vouch for the candidate.
  • They can afford to work for a limited salary at first. Look for financially stable people with enough savings or another source of income to live on a limited salary for the first year of the business. It may be a tough sell for some, but if you can save money on payroll upfront, you’ll have a lot more flexibility when it comes to yourbusiness finances.
  • They want to use your product. This may seem obvious, but the people you hire to work with your startup can and should serve as early evangelists for your product or service. LeBlanc said that some businesses make the mistake of not having their target-end users participate in the product development process, which can lead to issues you never thought of once actual customers begin using it. Your team shouldn’t just want to help you create a great product; they should want to provide feedback as potential customers before it goes to market.

You Can Finally Block Those Annoying People on LinkedIn – Harper Media

LinkedIn users can now block anyone pestering them on the the platform.

After the company received repeated requests for a blocking feature, the company announced Thursday that users will now be able to block or report those on LinkedIn they don’t want contact with, according to a company blog post. If a user blocks another LinkedIn member, the two will no longer have access to each other’s profiles. If the users were connected, the connection will be broken, and neither user will be able to message the other.

“We know members have requested a blocking feature on LinkedIn,” wrote Paul Rockwell, head of LinkedIn’s trust and safety team, in the blog post. “I come to you today to assure you that your concerns were heard loud and clear. We built this feature not only because it was a feature our members requested, but because we also knew it was the right thing to do.”

The feature works on Premium users as well, who typically have more tools like the ability to message a handful of non-connections for free each month. Members are not alerted when they are blocked. You can easily block someone by selecting the drop-down arrow to right of the “send a message” button on that person’s profile page; one of the options is “block or report.”

Screen Shot 2014-02-21 at 11.21.07 AM

 

LinkedIn members can now block others by using the drop down menu at the top of their profile page.

IMAGE: LINKEDIN

The block feature doesn’t make you entirely invisible, however. Anyone you block can still view your pubic profile and any public content you share. Users can edit that information using the site’s public profile settings.

If a mutual connection re-shares information from the person you blocked, it will still appear in your feed — although you can choose to hide these updates.

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Will WhatsApp Reach 1 Billion Users Faster Than Facebook Did? – Harper Media

It appears that the billion-user club is about to get a new member.

Facebook announced the acquisition of messaging app WhatsApp on Wednesday, a deal worth up to $19 billion in cash and stock that puts serious muscle behind Facebook’s international reach.

In a call with investors to outline the acquisition, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum hinted multiple times that they expect WhatsApp to become a billion-user platform, a milestone that Facebook eclipsed less than 18 months ago.

“WhatsApp is the only widely used app we’ve ever seen that has more engagement and a higher percent of people using it daily than Facebook itself,” Zuckerberg said on the acquisition call Wednesday, noting that WhatsApp has doubled in size over the past year. “Based on our experience of building global services with strong growth and engagement, we believe WhatsApp is on a path to reach over one billion people in the next few years.”

WhatsApp has already over 450 million monthly active users (320 of which are daily active users), and the company claims it is adding more than one million new users per day. For comparison purposes, Twitter added nine million new users in the entire Q4 2013; Facebook did better, adding 40 million in the same three month period, but growth is slower for a company with a billion-plus users already under its belt.

Facebook reached one billion in October 2012, roughly eight and a half years after launch. Could WhatsApp hit one billion even faster?

Assuming the company continues to add one million users per day, then yes. Much faster, actually.

WhatsApp is on pace to reach one billion users in August of 2015, approximately a year and a half after being acquired by Facebook. At that time, WhatsApp will be a little more than 6 years old, achieving the billion user milestone more than two years faster than Facebook did.

Of course, WhatsApp’s trajectory is likely to change over time. Just like other consumer services like Facebook and Twitter, growth may slow as the user base gets larger and new users are harder to find.

Regardless of the timing, Zuckerberg seems poised to own two separate billion-user brands in the near future, and he’s understandably excited.

“Services in the world that have a billion people using them are incredibly valuable,” he said.

For $19 billion, we’d certainly hope so.

The Digital Era – Harper Media

In this digital era, you need to be online! We have all needed to establish ourselves online, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin. We help you accomplish that, by great quality design, affordable pricing, and making sure you’re satisfied with your results!
If your not online your missing out on jobs, business opportunities, and your ability to stay current!

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