Grab LinkedIn by the horns on Social Media Edge radio 11/2

Look, I'm no guru of anything. But with LinkedIn I'm even sub-non-guru (is that the name of a band?)

Amplify’d from socialmediaedge.com

Viveka von Rosen @LinkedInExpert November 2, 2010

Admittedly the entire staff, with the exception of Mike Mueller, has a tendency to treat LinkedIn.com as a long lost cousin. We were excited to meet then the interest waned.

But that’s about to change …

Join us on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 for our special guest Viveka von Rosen who will change our relationship with LinkedIn forever. Or until Wednesday! No, seriously this is one you don’t want to miss if you have any hope of building an online community or joining an online community of business professionals.

See more at socialmediaedge.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/e7ya

Does Microsoft have the horsepower to kill banner ads for good?

I agree that banner ads can be annoying but not nearly annoying as pop-unders, pop-overs, AJAX and DHTML floaters and ... you get the picture. If it makes a noise or obstructs my view *that* is annoying Carolyn. Banner ads? If they don't flash lime green and yell about occasionally having diarrhea I'm probably okay with them.



Reinvent that.

Amplify’d from www.adweek.com

Microsoft Looks to Reinvent Display Ads

Gobal ad sales chief Carolyn Everson has conclusion: banner ads stink.

Oct 19, 2010

- Mike Shields, Mediaweek

After her first 100 days on the job, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of global ad sales Carolyn Everson has reached this conclusion: banner ads stink. With this in mind, she’s planning to reach out to a partner less familiar to the software/media giant -- the creative community -- for help. Indeed, Microsoft is planning to set up a series of meetings with creative agencies and executives as part of an Everson-led effort to reinvigorate online creative and to attract more traditional brands in the process. Everson, previously COO and evp of U.S. ad sales at MTV Networks, wants to sit down with the current generation of Don Drapers and spark nothing short of a revolution. “We have to completely reinvent display advertising,” she said. “The digital industry faces [the] challenge [of convincing advertisers] that the Internet is a good place to build a brand. That’s why I want to reach out to the creative community. That’s priority No. 1.” Read more at www.adweek.com

 

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Turn $1 into $4400 with Iraqi Dinars ... ORLY?

I remember when some very close friends bought into the "German bearer bonds scam" from Jim Gilmore on the back of an SBC Chorco - Les Chorlton designed scam that did not end with Chorlton's killing. Supposedly $1000 invested was to return $10,000,000 or some equally ridiculous number.



Research it yourself: http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/InPerson/MajorPerson/Prime/komax-chorco.htm



The thing about a scam is that it is seasoned with the truth. Sometimes they are statements that simply cannot be disproven and therefore "must be true". The dinar scam is not immune. "Bush signed a contract", "the dinar is powered by Iraqi crude investments" and similar pepperings exist in this story.



Read on, this is not a new story but it is picking up new "investors" every day:

Amplify’d from bizcovering.com

The Iraqi Dinar Scam

Published on April 4, 2007 by Ender">Ender in Investing

Are you thinking of investing in the New Iraqi Dinar? Make sure you know all the facts. This article covers the scams associated with the Dinar, and a comparison of the prices of online sellers.

If you bought 1 million New Iraqi Dinars at the current exchange rate (costing you $677), and then waited for the dinar to climb back to the Saddam exchange rate, your million dinars would now be worth 3 million US dollars. You would have turned 677 US Dollars into 3 Million US dollars.

Then why does the Utah Division of Securities, list the selling of the New Iraqi Dinar as number two in their list of the Ten Most Common Scams? Read more at bizcovering.com

 

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From the mind to the canvas - amazing illustrations

Amplify’d from designerscouch.org

Jaw droppin' illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

This is some of the best stuff I've ever seen! I'm stunned by these illustrations! Tiago Hoisel is an illustrator based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

See more at designerscouch.org

 

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Over sensitization leads to lunacy

Seriously. It is lunatic. NPR thinks Juan Williams expressing what the majority of people think is worse than the obviously left bent obsession much of their reporting displays. Though heralded as the "just the facts" network we've all heard NPR reporting melt into commentary - at least in undertones.

Amplify’d from mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com

Mr. Williams said he was being honest when he said on “The O’Reilly Factor” Monday night that he worried when he saw people in “Muslim garb” on an airplane. “I have a moment of anxiety or fear given what happened on 9/11,” he said in an interview on Fox News, where he is employed as a paid contributor.

He said he asked if they could meet in person to discuss the issue: “We don’t have that chance to have a conversation about this? And she said, there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind. This has been decided above me and we’re terminating your contract.”

Though he said he suspected that “the powers-that-be at NPR pretty much think what Juan thinks,” Mr Kristol wrote: “The standards of political correctness must be maintained. Pressure groups speaking for allegedly offended Muslims must be propitiated. And so Juan had to go.” Read more at mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com

 

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Starbucks getting hungry for your dollars

Starbucks. Remember how anti-capitalist they were supposed to be? There were supposed to be the cool, social coffee spot embracing European fluffery and serving coffees with funny names and sizes you've never heard of. Well, seems they are tired of losing your capital, and significant amounts of it, to MacDonald's.



I have a real capitalist idea for Starbucks: start serving coffee that doesn't taste like it came from the bottom of a 3 year old fry-daddy then tossed into a grass fire, set a reasonable price and tell your employees to smile and serve instead of being so condescending (reference to my only visit to a Starbucks this year in Cary, North Carolina.)

Amplify’d from www.rdmag.com

Starbucks hopes free songs, e-books lure customers

Starbucks is adding a venti-sized dollop of free books, news and entertainment to its Internet offerings starting Wednesday.

The coffee chain's new digital network promises customers free e-books, movies and other exclusives, including free access to some paid Web sites such as The Wall Street Journal, is meant to get customers spending more on drinks and content they buy through the site. Read more at www.rdmag.com

 

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Your number's up

Seriously. We're almost out of IP addresses - at least the version most of us have known for a couple of decades. The familiar 192.167.111.111 format (IPv4) is coming to an end. What next? So glad you asked - and we'll be talking about that on http://SocialMediaEdge.com tomorrow at noon eastern!

Amplify’d from www.zdnet.com

The final stages of the squeeze are arriving: of the 4.3 billion Internet addresses possible with today's Net mainstream technology, 95 percent are gone. Read more at www.zdnet.com

 

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Choosing a mobile phone getting more difficult?

These are serious questions which need answered for people who depend on their fleet of mobile phones and mobile devices to power their business. Hopefully we will be answering these and other questions on Social Media Edge radio.

Amplify’d from socialmediaedge.com

Which phone do you chose?

With the announcement the Windows7 phone is heading for the market and with multiple manufactures in the game the field is widening, again. At first it was pretty much Palm. Then RIM, then Apple, then Google, now Microsoft. There is a hint at Facebook which may involve Skype.

Which phone will be viable long enough to justify the investment?

Who is developing the most effective applications for my business needs and on which phones/OS do they function? Read more at socialmediaedge.com

 

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The Text Generation

Amplify’d from www.technewsworld.com

Teen Texting Fever May Rage On Into Adulthood

U.S. teenagers are sending or receiving an average of 3,339 text messages a month, more than six every hour they're awake, according to a study released Thursday by Nielsen. Teen girls aged 13 to 17 were the most-active users, receiving 4,050 texts per month. Teen boys outpaced other male age groups, receiving an average of 2,539 texts per month.

One question that arises is whether this generation will give up its high-texting behavior as it leaves its teenage years behind. Read more at www.technewsworld.com

 

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Are you talking about a home appraisal or home inspection?

There is a difference. One is very useful to the lender the other is most useful to the buyer or owner.

Amplify’d from kennycook.com

While eating dinner with my wife at one of our favorite Mexican Cantinas, which also happens to be less than a mile from home, we overheard two other diners discussing something we know quite a bit about. What caught my ears was when one of the ladies said to the other, "So she pulls into my driveway in her Porsche and gets out in a tight black dress and heels and I think to myself, 'this girl is not dressed to crawl around in my attic and crawl space'."

It was at that point I realized she, like countless others, likely does not know the difference between an appraisal and an inspection. Chances are more people do not know the difference than do. In fact I run into it regularly in my own work when people say things like, "the guy didn't check the outlets or water pressure or anything". Read more at kennycook.com

 

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@Skype changes - ho hum or golden?

Kind of not really excited yet ... maybe I need a rep from Skype to come on http://SocialMediaEdge.com and wake me from my slumber.

Amplify’d from thekencook.com

Skype 5.0 – has a Facebook interface. Big whoop?

Imagine pitching this to a group of investors, “So you see there’s this tab here that says Facebook. What that will let you do is see your friend’s Facebook updates inside of Skype.”

Investors, “okay, what else?”

You pitching Skype 5.0, “well you can have your Facebook update be your status update on Skype.”

Investors, “wow. Not.”

You pitching Skype 5.0, “wait, wait! I read this in Information Week: ‘Along with the newsfeed, users can also view a Facebook phonebook from within Skype, which displays a list of all of their friends who can be called through phone, SMS or Skype. This was a nice feature for quickly contacting a friend without having to dig elsewhere for call information.’”

Investors, “okay, better.”

Image via Wikipedia Read more at thekencook.com

 

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Android, iPhone, Blackberry - who's in the lead?

Amplify’d from thekencook.com

A couple of weeks ago I was proud to host the first Atlanta Small Business BarCamp where I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Cauble @briancauble from AppsoluteGenius.com down here in the un-wired southeast. Brian provided stats and numbers and his estimation that, at the current rate, there would be more Androids in use than iPhone within just a couple of years. It looks as though, left unchanged at the current growth and decline rates, Android may overtake iPhone even earlier.

Here are the Neilsen numbers:

See more at thekencook.com

 

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It's election time, sober up, turn off Dancing and pay attention

It is obvious there are millions who still do not see the perilous imbalance of government versus small business and the America citizen tax payer. There are those who truly believe, or to borrow their term "feel", I am wrong in stating capitalism with freedom to start, grow and profit is what made and would continue to make America great.



If you are one I do not forgive your foolishness.



My 10 year old small business and 14 employees are gone because of reckless abandon masterminded by Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. Disagree all you like the facts are the facts and voting records and history of introduced legislation are accurate.



I'm more than a little disgruntled at "both sides of the isle" yet I am outraged at the left and their very successful power grabs and damnation of the business people who provided jobs and benefits. I don't go by D or R or even L. I go by voting record and hell bent on socializing America.



We are no longer on the road to socialism, we have been greatly socialized over the last several years, >>including during the Bush years<<, with a massive crescendo of fraud perpetrated on the inattentive sheeple under the current administration.



In fact the last 2 years under Obama, Pelosi and Reid has seen a wholesale assassination of free enterprise. Again, disagree if you insist but you're dead wrong.

Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.com

If we tried to start The Home Depot today, it's a stone cold certainty that it would never have gotten off the ground.

Stop Bashing Business, Mr. President

If we tried to start The Home Depot today, it's a stone cold certainty that it would never have gotten off the ground.

Although I was glad that you answered a question of mine at the Sept. 20 town-hall meeting you hosted in Washington, D.C., Mr. President, I must say that the event seemed more like a lecture than a dialogue. For more than two years the country has listened to your sharp rhetoric about how American businesses are short-changing workers, fleecing customers, cheating borrowers, and generally "driving the economy into a ditch," to borrow your oft-repeated phrase.

My question to you was why, during a time when investment and dynamism are so critical to our country, was it necessary to vilify the very people who deliver that growth? Instead of offering a straight answer, you informed me that I was part of a "reckless" group that had made "bad decisions" and now required your guidance, if only I'd stop "resisting" it. Read more at www.wallstreetjournal.com

 

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What happens when everyone is "in" the social media pool?

Zuckerburg youthfully uttered (paraphrased), "One day we won't call it social anymore, everything will be social." Interesting coming from a child who never knew a world without computers and barely remembers a world without cell phones. Hint: it was already social long before you or even I came into this world. Be that as it may it begs the question, "What happens when everyone is already into social media?" What's next? How does the game change when everyone who is going to enter has joined?



Thanks to Mike Elliott for this link ...

Amplify’d from www.mpdailyfix.com

What Happens at the End of the Social Media Adoption Curve?

Some of you are still working with a Late Majority or Laggard organization, I get that. Here are a few final ideas for working with them to move them along the social media adoption curve. Read more at www.mpdailyfix.com

 

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Mobility under fire

Seriously, you've got to read this. It really let's you see, young folks, corporate law isn't going anywhere soon. Oh, you may be one of the ones only making $65k sitting in a cubicle doing research, writing reports or crunching numbers - but you'll be a lawyer by Jimminy!

Amplify’d from www.guardian.co.uk

Growth of a meme: how a mobile lawsuits visualisation evolved

In March, Nick Bilton over at the New York Times had a brilliant idea: why not do a diagram showing who's suing who in the mobile business?

See more at www.guardian.co.uk

 

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I-75/I-575 toll lane? How about, "no".

GA DOT if you do not understand no, how about, "no, no, no, no, no, no, no". First of all, if I'm correct, I-75 is a federally funded highway. Second of all tolls are taxes. If businesses south of this proposed toll and north of this proposed toll think it won't affect whether or not casual buyers visit you ... think again.

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Toll lane proposal for I-75, I-575 to get public input

Reversible lane plan envisioned instead of major interstate expansion

Traffic that clogs I-75 and I-575 from Canton and Kennesaw through Marietta to the rest of metro Atlanta every rush hour isn’t getting the major architectural surgery once envisioned, but plans won’t proceed until the public has a chance to weigh in.

The DOT will be looking to gather public reaction to the new proposal at open houses later this month.

The DOT will be looking to gather public reaction to the new proposal this month.

DOT estimates show traffic in the corridor continuing to rise. In 2008, 95,310 cars a day used I-575. That is expected to rise 15 percent to 110,000 a day over 25 years. Increases on the part of I-75 that the project would affect will be more significant. The 238,500 cars using it is expected to grow 36 percent to 325,000 a day during the same time.

The DOT will hold two open houses laying out the newest proposal and asking for feedback. The first will be at Woodstock High School's cafeteria, 2010 Towne Lake Hills South Drive, from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 21. The second will be at the Doubletree Hotel ballroom, 2055 S. Park Place in Atlanta, from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 26. Read more at www.ajc.com

 

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So if I GPS someone's car, that's legal?

News flash for the federal courts: If I ever find a GPS device on ANYTHING that belongs to me (other than things I know have a GPS device) and I didn't give permission to put it there you can expect a lot of action to follow.



Look, I'm all about the safety and defense of America. In most ways more than anything I have seen come out of DC. The act of placing a GPS device on anyone's car without a warrant, however, is a totally different story ... read on.

Amplify’d from www.msnbc.msn.com

Several days ago a 20-year-old student discovered a GPS tracking device hidden on his car. After his friend posted a picture of it online, speculating about its ties to a secret FBI investigation, the feds themselves came a-knockin', according to Wired.com. They wanted their toy back.

The question of whether or not sticking a GPS on a car is legal is actually in the middle of a hot debate right now. One federal court recently said that it was legal, while another said that tracking for an "extended period of time" would in fact require a warrant. (For more on this, here's a great piece in Time written by lawyer and tech journalist Adam Cohen.) Read more at www.msnbc.msn.com

 

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Oh how nice, Arabians to keep Blackberries

The challenges of running a communications company in the digital dawn are a great incubator for international negotiations professionals. Now don't you wish you had changed that major to International Business with a minor in Communications?

Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.com

U.A.E. Goes Back on Blackberry Ban

DUBAI—The United Arab Emirates said Friday it has reached a "regulatory compliant" solution with Blackberry maker Research In Motion, averting a ban on key Blackberry services that would have come into force Monday.

Blackberry services in the UAE won't be suspended on Oct. 11 and will continue to operate normally, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, or TRA, said in an emailed statement.

In August, the regulator said it would suspend key Blackberry services—including instant messaging, email, and web browsing—as of October 11 over national security concerns if an agreement wasn't reached. Read more at www.wallstreetjournal.com

 

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Employment numbers - read carefully and skip down

That's right, you have permission to "skip down" to the last sentence in this clip - make sure you read the full article at Bloomberg because that's where the details are made a little clearer. These are just snippets from there ...

Amplify’d from www.bloomberg.com

Employers in U.S. Cut More Jobs Than Forecast in September

The U.S. lost more jobs than forecast in September, reflecting a decline in government payrolls that shows the damage being done by rising budget deficits.

Employers cut staffing by 95,000 workers after a revised 57,000 decrease in August, Labor Department figures in Washington showed today. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a 5,000 drop. The unemployment rate unexpectedly held at 9.6 percent.

A job seeker, right, speaks with a consultant from Kelly Service Business Development, at the JobLink Career Expo in Raleigh, North Carolina. Photographer: Jim R. Bounds/Bloomberg

The jobless rate has equaled or exceeded 9.5 percent for 14 consecutive months, surpassing the 13-month period from mid 1982 to mid 1983 as the longest span of elevated joblessness since monthly records began in 1948.

The so-called underemployment rate -- which includes part- time workers who’d prefer a full-time position and people who want work but have given up looking -- increased to 17.1 percent from 16.7 percent. Read more at www.bloomberg.com

 

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I'm no fan of American Express but ...

I'm also no fan of Big Government taking on private enterprise when it is available as a CHOICE to consumers. Especially consumers who qualify for the services that not just anyone qualifies for.



My personal beef is that AmEx closed my line (no maximum limit) with no warning because of the business I am in. I had been a faithful "member" for quite some time and had a ship load of points left to spend for Christmas and that was going to be a significant part of my gifting. But that's personal and why I'll never intentionally support AmEx again.



This story is completely different and I probably side with AmEx so long as they are not stiff arming (thugging) businesses who choose to accept the card. When I was in businesses that accepted cards I never accepted AmEx because of the high cost of doing so.

Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.com

U.S., AmEx in Antitrust Suit

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department slapped American Express Co. with a civil antitrust suit after the credit-card company refused to join an industrywide agreement to allow merchants to steer customers toward cheaper forms of plastic.

AmEx's decision to fight the issue of steering means most consumers won't see any immediate difference when using cards. Many merchants will still be bound by American Express's rules that prohibit them from discouraging customers from using AmEx cards.

The case is the latest to take aim at the credit-card industry, which is struggling to recover from record delinquencies and defaults. Banks that issue cards are under fire for raising fees and cutting credit lines during the financial crisis; now they are subject to a new law that curtails some of the industry's practices. Read more at www.wallstreetjournal.com

 

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Tuesday 10/5 @ShaneGibson live on Social Media Edge

Listen, when it comes to talking social business Shane wrote the book. No, I'm serious, the man wrote the book called "Guerrilla Social Media Marketing". He'll be joining us live at about noon eastern and to get there all you need to do is go to http://budurl.com/jckc - and be sure to read the article, too.

Amplify’d from socialmediaedge.com

Shane Gibson Live 10/5

Shane Gibson who’s new book, forward by Guy Kawasaki, “Guerrilla Social Media Marketing: 100+ Weapons to Grow Your Online Influence, Attract Customers, and Drive Profits” and co-written with Jay Conrad Levinson is in stores and on Amazon today, is joining us for his second appearance on Social Media Edge.

From Amazon on the listing page for Shane’s newest book:

Shane Gibson is an international speaker, and author who has addressed over 100,000 people over the past sixteen years on stages in North America, Southern Africa and South America. He is in high demand as a keynote speaker on the topics of social media and sales performance. With his background in sales performance Shane brings a unique results focused approach to social media marketing. Read more at socialmediaedge.com

 

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Still talking about QR Codes, yes I am!

I'm still talking about them because I have some really cool stuff in my pocket and it has a lot to do with QR Codes, location based social and location based marketing, and you! In fact, join the Tuesday Thunder chat on the topic at http://tuesdaythunder.com and listen to http://socialmediaedge.com Social Media Edge Radio, too! We're going to talk QR for sure!

Amplify’d from activerain.com

In 1994 DENSO, a division of Toyota, created a 2 dimensional scanner code to replace the single plane barcode. Over the last 16 years a lot has happened but the biggest effect on the proliferation of this code is the number of hand held scanner units in daily use across America. This refers to, of course, your smart phone.

Having bee in use for decades the standard U.P.C. (bar code) symbol encodes 14 numeric digits. Obviously in an era when all inventory is digitized for fast scanning and control this is a very limiting number especially as we switch to a more global system of tracking. The challenge was to come up with a quickly recognizable image which could hold many times more information and still fit on a small inventory sticker.

Developers at DENSO introduced the QR Code (a registered trademark of DENSO-WAVE Corporation) and it has been seen on shipping labels, packaging labels, parts, inventory items, and more for a decade and a half. It was the advent of scanning applications like ScanLife and Google Goggles which rapidly accelerated their use into a new world of opportunity.

The QR Code holds a much higher amount of information. In fact it can hold up to 4,296 characters of alpha-numeric data. That's a good page of information!

<Learn more about QR codes> Read more at activerain.com

 

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Foursquare and Health Month - new badge

Like many other things in the Net 2.0 world what starts as a game matures into life changing continuum. Health Month is just one more piece in the changing, immensely engaged culture in which we are living.

Amplify’d from healthmonth.com

Health Month, the game

You want to be healthier. You even know how to do it. If you had to.

It has just never quite become important enough to be prioritized over all the great, fun, and tasty reasons to be a little less healthy (oh sweet unhealthiness). That, and changing habits is not only difficult, but sometimes scary, right? You wonder if people will still like you if you say no to that 6th drink or that office cupcake.

The formula for living healthier has 4 ingredients: 1) the information (you have most of that, and we can help fill gaps), 2) the ability (you have that too), 3) the motivation (who doesn't want to be healthier, at least a little bit, right?), and 4) the fun and sustainable trigger. The reason. The self-challenge. The game that helps you live healthy, not because you have to, but because it's fun.

The game starts on the first of every month. Feel like living healthy, just for fun? Read more at healthmonth.com

 

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@ReggieRPR @ShelIsrael @CathyWebSavvyPR featured in the Daily

Got to love Paper.li and some of the great minds I follow. Check out these great articles at the Daily SocialMediaEdge.com on paper.li

Amplify’d from paper.li

Daily SocialMediaEdge.com

New Silverlight Map with Dynamic Search Areas

blog.narrpr.com - If you’ve been following RPR lately, then you probably already know we went live with version 1.0 two weeks ago. As of today, we’ve launched 7 MLS’s representing 5% of the total REALTOR® population...

Podcamp Philly — Digital Media Community UnConference - Philadelphia PA - October 2 & 3, 2010 - Temple University

podcampphilly.com - PodCamp Philly is a New Media Community UnConference catering to new media, podcasting, blogging, and social media education and community building.

Google's new VP8-based image format could replace JPEG

arstechnica.com - In an effort to speed up page loading, Google has introduced an experimental new image format called WebP. The format is intended to reduce the file size of lossy images without compromising the qu... Read more at paper.li

 

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