Here's what you've missed this week in the world:

• Weekend iPhone 5 Sales Top 5 Million - It's predecessor, the iPhone 4, grossed 4 million sales its opening weekend and now the iPhone 5 topped that record.
• Google Stock Hits All-Time High - Google stock peaked at $747.28 in morning trading on Monday, passing the company’s previous intraday trading high of $747.24 a share, which occurred almost five years ago.
• Apple Wants Ex-Google Maps Employees - Source says Apple is aggressively recruiting ex-Google maps staff to build out iOS maps.
• A New Myspace is Coming - Yes, I'm just as confused as you are.
• Live Twitter Feed Featured in Print Edition of Upcoming Entertainment Weekly - The October 5th edition of Entertainment Weekly will feature an LCD insert that displays live tweets, updated in real time about their new show.
• Instagram Beats Out Twitter In August - For the first time in history, Instagram saw more daily users in the United States accessing its app on mobile than Twitter did.

On this episode of Social Media Meltdown we discuss the dangers of mobile media... the literal dangers of using media while being mobile (i.e. while walking, while driving and while going about your daily life). What do you think? Is this all just being blown way out of proportion?


Click here for the show notes and to joint the conversation!

Myspace (yes, that's right... I'm talking about Myspace) is undergoing an entire makeover and it doesn't look half bad. On their site they say:

We’re hard at work building the new Myspace, entirely from scratch. But we’re staying true to our roots in one important way—empowering people to express themselves however they want. So whether you’re a musician, photographer, filmmaker, designer or just a dedicated fan, we’d love for you to be a part of our brand new community.

Here is the video they provide as a sneak peak:


So visual! I kind of love it. Sort of a Pinterest feel, yet different. It seems to be optimized for tablets which, if true, will really set it apart from its competitors.

I feel weird saying that I like it, but I do. And honestly, I think I'll be checking it out when it debuts. All I need to do is remember my Myspace login information. Hmm...

It looks like the new Myspace is going to be invite only at least in the beginning. You can request an invite at new.myspace.com.

What do you think? Once you're known as the uncool club can you rise back to the top? Is it too late for Myspace?

Today I found out that my application for TEDxDetroit was accepted!

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The big trend in 2012 social media has been, and will continue to be, visual media. This trend makes perfect sense when you think about the way humans are hard-wired. According to a study conducted by 3M, we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text! That speed may seem hard to grasp but if you think about the current obsessions on the internet, all of them include a visual element.

• Blog Images - It's no secret that images sell newspapers (just look at what's getting your attention about the front page) and this recipe for success has been transferred to newspapers' digital counterpart, the blog, with the same undenying success.
• Facebook - With the introduction of Timeline earlier this year, brands (and the average user) are now having more visual experiences on Facebook. The Timeline itself, framed by the Cover Photo, gives a visual storyboard of a brand's evolution (and of a person's life). If you play your cards right, this is visual storytelling at its best.
• Memes - You no longer need a witty comeback up your sleeve, just grab something from the internet's arsenal of memes and you'll be sure to make a point without having to say anything at all.  This images are worth a thousand words.
• Instagram - The mobile app Instagram allows anyone to take beautiful photos with their smartphone. Over a billion photos have been uploaded and posted through Instagram by both individuals and brands. It's a newer platform but brands are starting to use it more and more to capture the still beauty of their company. Instagram was recently acquired by Facebook, which means we should be seeing even more visual integration into Facebook.
• Pinterest - The latest (and greatest) of social media is one of the most visual social networks out there. Pinterest is the fastest growing independent social network and sends more referral traffic to other sites than Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined. Its quick growth and addictive qualities points toward the desire to consume visual content.
• Infographics - An infographic is basically a visual representation of a story, typically featuring data. Its rise in popularity across all networks shows that people want visual content and want to interpret data differently.

The Future of Visual Social Media?

• Mico Video Blogging - In addition to still images that are all the rave right now, I believe we will see the increase of micro video blogging through platforms like Viddy--the Instagram of video editing.
• Google+ - In addition to its spring closing in acquiring Picnik, Google has just acquired Snapseed. As a competitor of Instagram, Snapseed is a photo editing tool that could transform Google+, along with Picnik, into a visually stimulating social network, which it is currently lacking. Google+ already has photo editing tools available but they are not widely utilized.

Not just today. Make all week amazing. Make every day ridiculously amazing.

Here's what you've missed this past week in the world of social media, technology and other cool stuff:

• Back-to-School iPhone Case Giveaway Winner Announced - This past weekend I announced the winner of my bamboo iPhone case giveaway. Was it you?
• iPhone 5 preorders topped 2M in 24 hours - Apple says iPhone 5 preorders topped 2 million in 24 hours, more than double the amount of iPhone 4S preorders. Most preorders will be delivered on Friday, however demand for the iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply so some of the devices are scheduled for delivery in October.
• Apple Stock Hits $700 for the First Time Ever - Apple finally joined the elite 700-club on Monday.
• New Twitter Profile Page - What do you think of the new Twitter profile page layout that was rolled out this week? Strangely like Timeline?

And don't forget, Social Media Meltdown has a new home on Facebook, "like" us to stay in the know!
www.facebook.com/socialmediameltdown
Click here for show notes and to join the discussion.

Twitter unveiled new profile pages today which features a larger image, separate from the profile picture, in which the user can customize to express themselves and what they're tweets are all about.

It looks a little something like this:


To change your cover photo:

Go to your Twitter settings
Click "Design" in the menu on the left-hand side

Then under "Customize Your Own" you will see where you can upload and edit your header image

Ta-Da! That's it!

What do you think about the header image? Does it seem a little too similar to the Facebook Cover Photo? What did you do creative with your header image (I have to be honest, I didn't take too much time when choosing mine)?

It's about time Joe and I start practicing what we preach on Social Media Meltdown and fully integrate our show into social media. Until now, we have been leveraging our existing networks and contacts to promote the show but it's time we give the show its own space to grow and evolve.

Instead of going from LiveStream, to YouTube, to our blog on Just Cool Enough or on my site, you can now access EVERYTHING "Social Media Meltdown" by going to ONE place:


That's right, we've moved exclusively to Facebook. Here you will be able to watch the livestreaming show or archived shows and access all the show notes and discussions. It's a one-stop social media shop!

Don't worry, you'll still see our updates about shows here but you'll need to "like" our FB page for an all access pass!

In addition to our new home on Facebook, we have also swapped LiveStream for Google+ streaming and we've started a Twitter just for the show. All of these changes should dramatically improve the audience experience and make the show much more interactive.

We're excited and nervous about the changes. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to share them. Email us at socialmediameltdown@justcoolenough.com.

I've been running into a lot of obstacles lately. This might be the pep talk I need to overcome them...

Have a great week!

Thank you all for entering into my Back-to-School Bamboo iPhone case giveaway! I could give this long speech, but let's cut to the point!

And the winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway Kevin, I will contact you early this week to arrange shipping.
Like I said before, this was the first giveaway that I did on my blog. I really enjoyed talking to people when they entered and meeting new followers as they found out about the giveaway. I had fun! I'll definitely have to do something again like this soon... Stay tuned!

Here's a quick catch up on what has been happening this week in the world of social media and tech:

Image: Mashable

Yesterday was, what was known as, the iPhone 5 Keynote at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. However, in addition to the iPhone 5, Apple also unveiled new iPods, a revamped iTunes and brand-new earphones, called EarPods that will ship with every Apple portable product.

I could write this lenghty piece about everything that happened yesterday, however Mashable did a fantastic job of live-blogging the entire day--complete with quotes, pictures, polls, and more--so why reinvent the wheel! It was great to follow along with yesterday while I was at work but if you're not trying to watch the extremely long keynote then scrolling through the live blog would be a great resource.

But if you want to spend a few hours watching it then more power to you! Apple posted a recording of the September 2012 Keynote, it can be viewed in its entirety here.

What did you think about the announcements? Did the event live up to the hype? I was expecting more of a wow factor with the iPhone 5 but I was pleasantly surprised with the updates to the iPods. I'm curious what everyone else thought!

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Tonight we broadcasted our very first show live through Google+. In the past we were using LiveStream but in attempts to shorten the duration you have to wait to watch each week's show, we made the switch to Google+. There were a few glitches but it seems to already be working out in everyone's favor... the show went live about 4 hours ago and now the video is ready for you to watch! This definitely beats the old 4 to 5 day wait. Enjoy!

This week on Social Media Meltdown we're answering a question from one of our Facebook fans on how to get more blog readership by utilizing social media. Such a great topic, keep 'em coming guys!


For show notes and to join the conversation, click here. What do you think about the new show format?

Just after I ohh-ed and ahh-ed over Wayne State University's Communication and New Media graduate program, I've been blown out of the water again... this time by Stanford University.

1. Machine Learning with Professor Andrew Ng, starting August 20 
2. Cryptography with Professor Dan Boneh, starting August 27 
3. Introduction to Mathematical Thinking with Professor Keith Devlin, starting September 17 
4. Probabilistic Graphical Models with Professor Daphne Koller, starting September 24 
5. Human-Computer Interaction with Professor Scott Klemmer, starting September 24 
6. Introduction to Logic with Professor Michael Genesereth, starting September 24 
7. Organizational Analysis with Professor Dan McFarland, starting September 24 
8. Writing in the Sciences with Professor Kristin Sainani, starting September 24 
9. Algorithms: Design and Analysis, Part 2 with Professor Tim Roughgarden starting in October 2012
10. Technology Entrepreneurship with Professor Chuck Eesley, starting in Fall 2012
11. A Crash Course on Creativity with Professor Tina Seelig, starting in Fall 2012
12. Designing a New Learning Environment with Professor Paul Kim, starting in Fall 2012
13. Finance with Professor Kay Giesecke, starting in Fall 2012
14. Startup Boards: Advanced Entrepreneurship with Professor Clint Korver, starting in Fall 2012 
15. Solar Cells, Fuel Cells and Batteries with Professor Bruce Clemens, starting October 8 
16. An Introduction to Computer Networks with Professors Nick McKeown and Philip Levis, starting October 8

What are you doing today that will get you closer to a better tomorrow?

Here's what you've missed this week:

• Hackers Allegedly Leak 1 Million Apple Device IDs - The AntiSec hacker group claims it has in its possession more than 12 million Apple iOS Unique Device IDs, as well as other personal info from device owners. Click here to learn how to check if your UDID has been comprised.
• iPhone 5 Confirmed - Apple sent out invitations to the media regarding their September 12 event and although the words iPhone 5 where no where to be seen the accompanying image does not lie!
• LinkedIn Adds Notifications - LinkedIn now notifies you in real-time when someone likes what you’ve shared on LinkedIn, views your profile, accepts your invitation, and much more.
• No iPhone for T-Mobile - This T-Mobile training link pretty much confirms the iPhone 5 is a no-go for the carrier.
• Pinterest Now Sending More Traffic Than Yahoo - According to Shareaholic, Yahoo’s decline continues with recent news that Pinterest is now sending more traffic to publishers than organic Yahoo search results.
• Facebook Has No Plans to Launch in China Anytime Soon - Don’t hold your breath for Facebook to break into China’s market anytime soon.
• Twitter Offers New Features to Advertisers - In March, Twitter announced self-service advertising, giving small businesses an easy way to use Promoted Accounts and Promoted Tweets. Now they're releasing two new enhancements: follower growth reporting and manual Promoted Tweet selection.

It's time for us die-hard T-Mo customers to face the music and move on if we ever dream about owning a fully functional iPhone. According to this leaked T-Mobile employee training memo, it looks as though the phone carrier will not be graced with the new iPhone 5.


T-Mobile is training its employees to "sell against the iPhone" with special emphasis on the date of September 21, which has been the rumored release date of the long-awaited iPhone 5 (does T-Mo have inside information or are they just speculating like the rest of us?). This doesn't actually come as a surprise to any one, however those of us who have still stuck with T-Mobile were hoping for a miracle.

For quite some time now T-Mobile has offered its customers the ability to use an unlocked iPhone and it looks as though they will continue to provide the microSIM cards needed to support T-Mo service according to TmoNews.

Is the effort to compete against the iPhone a little too late? Shouldn't T-Mobile focus on what they CAN offer their customers rather than what they CAN'T? No one is going to go into a T-Mobile store wanting an iPhone and expecting someone to sway them in another direction... especially on the day of the (expected) launch of the iPhone 5. T-Mobile has some great phones and (I can't believe I'm saying this) there are other great phones besides the iPhone, so why are they so hung up on this one?

I do have to admit that I have been using a factory unlocked iPhone 4 for over a year on the T-Mobile network and I am less than satisfied. Despite not being able to send picture text messages to anyone that doesn't have an iPhone, not having visual voicemail, and only being able to access the 2G network, I am still the happiest I have ever been with T-Mobile in the 8 years I've had service with them. It's this realization that has lead me to believe that is was not T-Mobile that caused me to fight with them weekly over the entire duration of my contract, it was the phones that caused me to be unhappy.

I went to T-Mobile 8 years ago to live out the Sidekick dream, I moved from one crappy SK model to the next, until some T-Mo rep in shining armor told me about a wondrous land called Android where I could run free with a cute little green fellow to lead the way. I tried several models and was still unhappy. Androids are great, I just don't have the patience for them. My life is complicated enough and I just wanted something simple. Straight forward. At any cost!. I'd loathed iPhone users out of pure envy until I finally realized I could have one too!

I am waiting for my contract with T-Mobile to expire so I can move on to greener pastures... pastures that include the highly anticipated iPhone 5. I thought there might be a chance they were able to get a deal with Apple for the new device, however this training memo crushes any hope of that. I'm thankful T-Mobile has been so accommodating to those of us who have iPhones on their network now but it's time to live the dream.

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I recently hit up Downtown Detroit Days with some of my girl friends in support of Detroit's new shopping scene, pioneered by Somerset Collection's CityLoft. Downtown Detroit Days (DDD) runs a few weekends throughout the summer (there's no more scheduled this year) and has been a Detroit tradition since the 1950s. DDD transforms an empty lot, once home to J.L. Hudson's, an outdoor marketplace featuring the best Detroit and Michigan based brands, local artists and entertainers. We shopped and had a great time all while taking in the sights of downtown and the heart of Woodward.

For awhile now I had been in search of the perfect bamboo iPhone case so I was pleasantly surprised to find one at DDD in the Eye Zig Zag booth. And since there was a "buy two" deal going on and I wanted to support a local startup, I figured this would be a great "Back to School" giveaway!

The real bamboo brings balance to your high-paced tech life with its natural grain and texture and it also makes for a perfect autumn accessory! The hand-made case slides apart into two pieces for easy application and features a felt internal panel to keep from scratching the backside of your phone. Cutouts in the wood allow for access to all the phone's components.

As everyone gears up for school and mourns the end of summer, I thought my followers might need this back-to-school, fall-is-upon-us pick-me-up!

To enter this contest: Use the widget below to win. Your options include leaving a blog comment, becoming a follower of katelynshelby.me on Blogger, tweeting the giveaway link and mention me (@katelynshelby) in the tweet, and/or entering the mailing list. Contestants may enter more than once for this contest. The winner will be announced Friday, September 15, 2012 at midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What new features are you expecting to see in this new iPhone model? Let me know in the comments...

Other posts on this blog about the iPhone 5:

• Rumors & Concepts Roundup (May 2012)
• New iPhone Concepts (June 2012)

The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs told a graduating class at Stanford:

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Make the most of your week... year... life! Do you deserve a change?

Here's what you've missed in the world of social media, tech, and the internet at large:

• Apple identifies which Samsung products it will try to ban in US - With the trial stage just completed Friday afternoon, Apple wasted no time filing a notice with the court identifying which Samsung products it will now seek to have banned in the US.
• Sony to Shut Down Optical Drive Business - Sony is planning to close its optical drive division Optiarc, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reports.
• IBM Takes on Salesforce With $1.3 Billion Acquisition - IBM is acquiring Kenexa, maker of cloud-based recruiting and talent management software, for $1.3 billion in cash, the company announced Monday morning.
• Prince Harry Leaves Facebook - After his naked Las Vegas party pictures publicly leaked last week, he’s decided to take a break from using Facebook.
• Twitter Apps No Longer Let You See Where Tweets Came From - Not being able to identify the source of tweets might sound like a small issue, but taken in the context of Twitter’s other changes, it doesn’t bode well for the developer community.
• Google Puts First Animated Ad on Homepage - It’s only been six weeks since Marissa Mayer left Google for Yahoo, and already the company is violating some of the tenets she established there.
• A Blue-Collar Michigan Town Goes Green - I live in Wyandotte, a city featured this week in Bloomberg's BusinessWeek celebrated for generating 30 percent of their energy from renewable resources. 
• Zuckerberg’s No Longer a Top 10 Tech Billionaire - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seeing tough times as his company’s stock continues to plummet and now he has dropped out of the top 10 tech billionaires list.
• Kindle Fire Sells Out — Just in Time for Kindle Fire 2? - Amazon dropped another hint that it’s planning to introduce the next-generation Kindle Fire at its press event next week: The company said Thursday morning that the original Kindle Fire has “sold out” on its website.
• Twitter’s Promoted Tweets Are Now Targeted Based on Your Interests - The move allows those with Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts to set a list of interests that those accounts and tweets specifically target.