Companies have taken different sides on the debate on social media in the workplace. Some allow the use of social media freely, while others have created social media use policies to help guide HR through tricky issues. More traditional companies ban social media, just like the use of corporate email for personal use. More recently, [...]

Posted on 27 January 2012 | 4:42 pm - Read More...

Social Media is everywhere now in our lives. There's Facebook for networking with your friends & Family, Twitter for broadcasting all of the latest news, LinkedIn for connecting professionals with one other, and even newer Social Networks like Pinterest which allow you to share interests with the world. Social Media is plainly put, the present and future of networking and social interaction. Now that mobile technology has advanced, we're constantly connected with the digital world. One trending way in which Social Media and the real world are fusing together is through television - call it Social Television if you will. Several shows like the X Factor allow you to vote for you favorite contestant through the popular social network, Twitter. American Idol lets you vote for your favorite person by using their Facebook application. Other shows like Bones and Breaking In posted on-screen hashtags to promote their shows through Twitter. Since these Social Networks have a huge presence on both desktop and mobile, you can virtually do these tasks from anywhere. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Shows like Project Runaway let you vote via Twitter"][/caption] So what difference does all of this make if you can still text in your votes, for example? Since the major Social Media networks contain hundreds of millions of people, integrating voting allows you to share exactly what you're doing with your peers to create interaction - something you can't do when you text in a vote. Interaction is one of the most important key elements of Social Media and the real world, so things like voting through social media are thrived upon. Posting hashtags on twitter to your favorite show while it's premiering lets you show the world what you're watching, and you can search that same hashtag to check out others who posted it, and possibly connect with them because of common interests. Technology is starting to adapt to this connection - now there are literal Social Televisions being released. They are also called Smart TV's and function just like a regular Television, but are equipped with a chipset and operating system so that the user can interact with widgets and applications while browsing their favorite shows. With Smart TV's, you no longer need to visit twitter on your mobile or tablet to vote, you can do it all in one cohesive unit without the need for middleware and third party peripherals. Will this be type of television be more successful than the 3DTV? The Intergration with Television and  Social Media is bringing everyone and everything much closer together in terms of interaction, networking, and marketing. Technology is changing with this trend, and it will be interesting to see what companies pick up on Social TV throughout the year.

Posted on 25 January 2012 | 6:11 pm - Read More...

There are thousands upon thousands of apps available in the App Store – so many that it becomes overwhelming to choose just a top few – but I’ve selected 3 popular and relevant apps for the new year. First off, is the ever popular Facebook that has over 800 million users. Since the majority of [...]

Posted on 20 January 2012 | 5:26 pm - Read More...