It's that time of year where the internet is crowded with "best of 2013" and other end of the year lists. Here are some of the best 2013 wrap ups to close out the year!

Here's what you may have missed if you weren't paying close attention:

• Facebook Brand Pages Suffer 44% Decline in Reach Since December 1 - Facebook’s December newsfeed algorithm change is so far punishing brand pages, regardless of how interested fans are in that page’s content. Analysts reviewed 689 posts across 21 brand pages and found that, in the week since December 1, organic reach and organic reach percentage have each declined by 44% on average, with some pages seeing declines as high as 88%.

This week TIME released their annual "Person of the Year" edition, an award given to Pope Francis for 2013. Since the announcement there has been a lot of buzz about the number of female awardees since TIME started this tradition in 1927, 89 years ago. Sadly you can count the number of female award winners on both hands.

Every year a person is given the namesake "Person of the Year" by, for good or bad, most affecting the news and our lives. Past winners include almost every president, international political figures, and business figureheads—but these are seldom every women. The women that have won usually made the cut due to their status by marriage (Madame Chiang Kai-Sheck shared her "Man and Wife of the Year" award in 1937 with her husband) or by hereditary (Elizabeth II in 1952). "American Women" as a whole also won the award in 1975 but that felt a little patronizing.

To address the backlash TIME has been receiving about being behind in the times by not recognizing the efforts of individual women around the world, Radihika Jones, Deputing Managing Editor of TIME, published an article to address the gender imbalance of the magazine's Person of the Year award. Her statements, however truthful and blunt, are a harsh reminder of what women are up against:

"It seems like too few women, over the course of nearly nine decades. But it’s a fair reminder that for much of TIME’s history, women seldom held the kinds of positions of power that would set them up for Person of the Year status. But we still haven’t seen a female President, nor are our corporate ranks exactly overflowing with female CEOs—two job categories that often feed the Person of the Year machine. As long as those imbalances exist in the real world, it would be wishful thinking to try to balance them on an annual cover of a magazine."

Love it or hate it—it's the truth.

I find this statement especially interesting considered the timing. Jones published this article one day after General Motors named Mary Barra as its new CEO succeeding Dan Akerson. This change in leadership makes her the first woman CEO in automotive.

In September I had the pleasure of hearing Akerson, then Chairman and CEO of GM, speak about the gender imbalance in automotive at the 2013 Michigan Automotive Summit—an event that change my perception of the industry. Akerson admitted:

"Right now they're car guys. Someday one of the Detroit Big 3 will be run by a non-car gal."

I think a lot of us saw this as foreshadowing to Barra's rise, she was already one of the highest ranking women in the industry, but I was surprised by how quickly this statement became a reality!

What do you think the new big trends in social media will be? Do you have any predictions for 2014? See how your predictions stack up against what the pros think with Social Media Today's Social Media Predictions for 2014 webinar...

In January 2013, a 6-second video app debuted as a free iOS app on the iPhone and iPod Touch; 11 months later, Vine is the most-used video-sharing app on the market, available for Android and the Windows Phone as well. Instagram video also came onto the scene this year. Facebook introduced hashtags, photos in comments, and followed up on its promise to cut the privacy setting “who can look up my timeline by name.” LinkedIn recently announced members can follow brands’ Showcase Pages.

We’ve seen many more social media leaders and changes emerge in a matter of months – and we should expect no less in 2014. As varied as the social platforms are, they are taking social media into deeper, more focused directions.

In a webinar hosted by Social Media Today, panelists will ring out old trends in social media, and ring in their predictions about where social media is headed in the new year. Join the webinar to hear about:



• Empowering your team with social media and the necessary skills as the need for social media managers continues to decline
• Leveraging the growing use of mobile with mobile friendly content and social ads
• Getting on board the fastest-growing social platforms as a necessity—not an option
• Communicating with your audience with more cutting-edge photo and video messaging
• Dedicating time and resources to a measurable social media strategy

Here's what you've missed:

• Amazon Announces Amazon Prime Air - Packages at your door within 30 minutes? Amazon testing drone delivery
• HBO Go Finally Comes to Google Chromecast - Big news for fans of Game of Thrones and Girls: HBO Go will finally offer support for Google's Chromecast device, which plugs into any HDTV to stream online videos and music, controlled from your tablet or smartphone.
• UPS Also Said To Be Testing Drone Delivery - UPS is also looking into getting flying robots to deliver packages, according to The Verge, along with Internet ecommerce giant Amazon.
• Computer Driven Cars Will Convulse the Automotive Industry - You’ll have to rethink everything you thought you knew about cars when they start driving themselves.
• Apple Purchases Topsy - So Apple bought Topsy, a social media analytics firm looking at conversations on Twitter, for a rumored $200m. But why?
• Cards Against Humanity’s Sales Increased During Black Friday Price Hike - Even though it brazenly advertised itself as costing more than it normally does, the game outperformed its sales from both the previous Black Friday and the week of normally priced days before the “sale.”
• Facebook Tweaks News Feed for More 'High Quality' Content - Facebook updated its News Feed algorithm yet again, this time with the hope of presenting users with more "high quality content" like news articles and current events.
• SpaceX to Make Third Launch Attempt Tuesday - The private spaceflight company SpaceX is counting down to launch a critical commercial satellite mission from Florida Dec. 3 after two delays due to technical glitches, and you can watch the liftoff live online.
• Google Wants to Build a "New Generation" of Robots for Same-Day Delivery - Forget Amazon and UPS drones; Google is working on robots that could one day deliver items to customers.
• Snapchat Snaps Up Instagram Director Of Business Operations - Photo-messaging application Snapchat turned down a $3 billion-plus acquisition offer from Facebook last month, and now the company poached Instagram Director of Business Operations Emily White, who was named its new chief operating officer.

I always come across these really great webinars online and most of the time they are free. Social Media Today continues to always put out some of the best. So if you have the time and you're interested in new customer service models for the digital age, I totally recommend this one.

Customer Service for the New Customer: Transitioning to a Real-Time Service Model 
An exclusive, live webinar from Social Media Today 
December 5th at 12pm EST / 9am PST

The difference between the “new” and “old” customer centers on relationship control. As GetSatisfaction's Wendy Lea notes, the new customer engagement model is the “opposite of cold calling. Your customers decide if and when to communicate. Your job is simply to give them the tools that make the interaction and communication easy and natural.”

The transition to real-time service means being there when your customers decide to engage. This is much more than manning a Twitter account - it requires a psychological and strategic shift in how your corporation views customer engagement.

Join in to learn how to:

• Create new channels of communication between you and your customer
• Develop a holistic view of your customer
• Leverage analytics to track your customer service
• Set best practices for your employees to respond in real-time to your customers
• Utilize customer service to develop business leads

Click here to register for free!

I have a really hard time shopping for others at Christmas time. Blame is on being a selfish, only child but I just can't resist the deals and the sparkly marketing!
Pebble Smart Watch - $150
Mophie Backup Charger Keychain - $26
Power Strip with USB Ports - $60
iPad Projector - $250
Portable Solar Panels for Device Charging from Voltaic

CLICK HERE TO ENLARGE

Here is what you may have missed this week:

• Facebook Stirs Controversy, Allows Graphic Content - Reversing a ban on graphic content, Facebook is again allowing users to post violent images or videos if the intent is to condemn, not glorify, the acts depicted, the BBC reported Monday.
• Vine, Fastest Growing App - Vine grew 403% this year alone, making it the fastest growing app worldwide. See what else made the top 10 list.
• Netflix Now Has More Than 40 Million Members - Netflix revealed in its third quarter earnings report that it had 29.9 million paid subscribers as of the end of September, up from 28.6 million at the end of June. By comparison, HBO has 28.7 million subscribers.
• #LastToTheParty Instagram Officially/Finally Coming to Windows Phone - "Our ultimate goal is to bring Instagram to everyone who wants to use it," Instagram co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom said in a statement. "We're looking forward to watching the Windows Phone community use Instagram to capture and share beautiful moments in the coming weeks."
• Microsoft Reportedly Testing Google Glass Competitor - The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft is testing prototypes for a device similar to Google Glass, which includes a camera and Internet capabilities. Microsoft has reportedly been in contact with Asian manufacturers to supply components for the device.
• Americans Use the Most Mobile Minutes in the World - Americans spend more time on their mobile phones than anyone else in the world. The average American logged 356 monthly minutes of outgoing calls in 2011. The average German only logged 78 minutes of outgoing calls each month.

I can't lie. I want a pair of Google Glass.
I really want a pair, but I also don't want to pay the price tag to have them. There are some developers out there giving them out so that would be a great option. They want you to test their software in return for having a pair of Glass. I'm okay with that, I'll be a guinea pig. Google is/was giving them out too... but only to the select few. (They had this #ifIhadGlass campaign going for awhile to choose a lucky few recipients but it appears that contest has since been closed.)

As some sort of show of worthyness these people ask, "Why do you want Google Glass?" and "What will you do with Glass?"

These are such loaded questions. I feel obligated to give them this long, monumental speech about how I believe the technology behind Google Glass will change the world... bring world peace... end hunger. I feel like I need to dazzle them with the extensive research I've done on augmented reality and what this technology means for society. Or I feel like I need to pitch to them some software I created and want to test (which I haven't done and don't have the knowledge or skill set to even attempt).

But truthfully, here is Why I Want a Pair of Google Glass:

1. AR is pretty sweet
2. I like technology, but I'm not techie
3. I don't look too terrible in glasses

LET'S CELEBRATE THIS BLESSED HOLIDAY WITH SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS (AKA THE INTERNET)!

CLICK TO ENLARGE

This new(ish) app was recently brought to my attention called Pulse by BioBeats, which makes music based on the tempo of your heartbeat to generate music based on your bio metrics.

Summary by Healthworks Collective:

BioBeats and the app, Pulse, use Adaptive Media and want to help the people that use the app live more engaging, healthier lives.

Pulse uses the optical sensor in the iPhone camera to detect the changes in color in your finger as the blood flows through it. All you have to do is hold your finger over that sensor for a minute and the app determines the heart rate and makes music off that tempo.

BioBeats was formed in 2012 when two classically trained musicians met with Nadeem Kassam, an entrepreneur who got interested in heart rate and stress following a burnout that forced him to pay more attention to wellness and healthy living. Kasaam believes that healthcare needs a revolution to make it fun and entertaining so that more people will engage in the idea of lasting wellness.

The app recently teamed up with pop group Far East Movement and invited users to stream their heartbeats in to the studio. 1.5 million fans responded to the invitation and the event was a massive success.

Kassam explains, “In the consumer space it’s really about awareness – the fans hadn't thought about monitoring their heart, but the app might turn more and more people onto self-monitoring and working towards prevention.”

They recently won the IC Tomorrow Digital Innovation Contest for Clinical Excellence award for improving digital health innovation. The prize consisted of a grant to work with the University College of London to develop a clinical application for Pulse. They will be working on producing a waveform a bit like an electrocardiograph, or ECG. This can provide clinicians with information about the way the heart is functioning, how much blood is being pumped and the distance between the beats.

From the BioBeats website: "BioBeats believes everyone should have the opportunity to learn about their health and have access to healthcare. Modern technology is enabling our visions. BioBeats builds technologies that respond not only to heart beats, breaths and movement, but also to our evolving lifestyles. We will help power the digital health revolution."

My Review

I've been feeling particularly stressed out lately due to normal life things and I decided to give Pulse a try--mainly as distraction.

I opened the App Store and searched for Pulse. Bad idea. Do you know how many apps are named Pulse that come up before this one? A lot. But eventually I found it and it was free so, so far so good.

Once I opened Pulse I arrived at the first navigation screen:


I immediately had to make a decision between "Single" and "Event." There was no explanation or distinction between each choice so I arbitrarily choose "Event" because that sounded more fun and I was ready to party with this app.

I clicked on Event and my camera flash came on with a prompt to place my finger over the camera. I kept my finger on the lens for a few minutes and nothing happened. I took it off and the prompt came back up to put my finger back on the lens. So I did. And I waited. Then I saw this screen.

The second screen shows what I'm assuming are genres-ish of the music you can create. Let's be honest, I tried them all. I recommend Dubstep.

Once you click on a genre, your flash will turn on and you will be prompted again to place your finger over the camera lens. After a second you'll start to hear a digitized version of your heartbeat which will then start to transform into a techy song with a twin tempo to your heartbeat.

Your screen will display a biometric chart showing your vitals in real time.


So you may be looking at the above picture and thinking, "Cool! But what does it mean?" And you're not alone.

Once I listened to my personalized beat, I referred back to the screen to see my biometric output but all I could find was this circle chart that I really couldn't tell what any of it meant. I thought this was supposed to be part of some healthy lifestyle revolution?

Let's read their statement from their website again... "BioBeats believes everyone should have the opportunity to learn about their health and have access to healthcare. BioBeats builds technologies that respond not only to heart beats, breaths and movement, but also to our evolving lifestyles. We will help power the digital health revolution."

How is this app helping me to learn about my personal health so I can make changes to live a more healthier lifestyle if it doesn't give me interpretations and conclusions drawn from my biometrics? Does that just make the data useless? Yes, it gives me a catchy song to listen to for a few minutes but how am I supposed to "self-monitor" like Kasaam  says they're going for? There's no long term data collection for comparing and there's no explanation of your data or inferences. This makes self-monitoring a little unrealistic.

For the entertainment value, Pulse is pretty cool for about 10 minutes... until you've exhausted your six song options and the app sucks your battery dry. But as a healthcare tool, it's just not useful. They talk a big game and it sounds really cool--who knows maybe there are going to be some updates in the future--but it's pretty disappointing and lackluster.

I don't think there is any question that we are at the dawn of smart cars. Soon the frustrations of forgetting where you parked, unknown car troubles, and poor driving habits will be in the past thanks to new advances in automotive technologies--including vehicle locators, fuel efficiency tracking, and mobile car care.

Mobile technology is driving auto innovation, from Android-powered cars to augmented reality.

With most manufacturers making connected cars by 2015, what are drivers looking for in auto tech? They want their vehicle to be an extension of themselves--an extension of their smartphone and all generations and both genders show high potential to purchase connected and app-linking technologies but safety must always come first.

Augmented Reality can now deliver important information to drivers in a way that’s accessible and consumable, but also less intrusive or distracting than previous methods. And the dawn of the “Android Car” might not be as far off as you think – we could be buying cars running entirely on Google’s mighty mobile OS before the end of the decade.

To read about these future of automotive technologies plus cyber attacks on cars, automated driving, and more, check out this trend report by Mutual Mobile you can ready about how car manufactures are using mobile to drive auto advancements and what that means for your future.

This trend report is really a broad overview and crash course into automotive tech. It's pretty simple and not too technical. I highly recommend it for people who just have a general curiosity for technology but don't know much about cars.

Click here to download Mutual Mobile's Automotive Trend Report: Volume 1.

And if you enjoy this report, look out for the follow-up issue coming soon. The future issue will go even deeper, covering advances like how you'll use your smart phone to buy a car, how Mercedes-Benz is using scannables to aid first aid responders, and why Ford is moving away from touchscreens.

Lately I've gotten into the habit of sharing all of these great resources I find on the internet that I think other people would also find useful--everything from ebooks to webinars! Here is another free webinar that I think will be great for understanding how to use your fans to do your marketing for you...
Consumers' increasing aversion to social advertising by brands is forcing marketers to shift the way they create content and market to consumers. Instead, the leading marketers are turning to their advocates to help them more effectively create content and share the brand's stories.

Advocates create high-quality content that performs better – it is more trusted (92% trust advocate content), receives more engagement (up to 10x), and reduces marketing costs significantly (by 100x). Marketers also have opportunities to leverage this rich content by repurposing in paid and owned channels where it performs up to 10x better than content generated by companies.

In this webinar, they aim to share the best practices you need to effectively empower power advocates to create high-performing content.

Register to learn:

• Why advocate content is 100x more effective than brand-created content 
• How to find passionate brand advocates and power them to create content that tells your brand story 
• How to measure the effectiveness of an advocate-based content strategy

Click here to register for this free online webinar.

In case you might have missed it, here are all the top stories of the week:

• New Twitter Feature Lets You DM Those Not Following You - The social network is rolling out a new option in settings that lets you opt to receive direct messages from anyone who follows them, even if you don't follow them back. The feature, which was first spotted by users Monday night, is not yet available for everyone.
• iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 Rumor Roundup - Apple sent invitations to members of the press for an event to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco on October 22, 2013, which will mostly cover the iPad.

Apple sent invitations to members of the press for an event to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco on October 22, 2013, which will mostly cover the iPad.