Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Ford App at NAIAS
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the invite-only 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Preview Week, which includes two Press Days where OEM unveil the newest and greatest vehicles during massive press conferences and two Industry Preview Days where industry professionals gather, inspect, and observe the next generation of automotive.
Detroit's NAIAS is in the top 5 automotive showcases in the world and the industry pulls all the stops to make sure every attendee has the best experience.
Face it, not everyone that goes to the Auto Show is interested in cars--some are dragged there by parents or significant others--and I bet the thought of someone not be interested in their new car is unfathomable for an OEM. But Ford thought ahead and found a way to not only make the Auto Show a game but also boost sales of their vehicles through a fun and interactive mobile app called Ford at 2013 NAIAS.
I downloaded it and I thought it was great!
After downloading the app, enter the Ford Motor Company section of NAIAS to get the fun started!
You will notice QR codes on the windows of display Ford vehicles throughout the expo area, these are key to the moble app.
Using the mobile app, position the QR code in the box on the screen and let the app do its thing!
By scanning a vehicle's QR code, you've unlocked all kinds of extras including car specs, videos, and badges. The unlocked cars are added to your virtual "My Ford Garage" where you can later access all this information or even find and contact a nearby dealer.
The badges have to be my favorite part because they turn your NAIAS experience into a scavenger hunt! Trying to achieve them all becomes pretty addicting and I found myself spending way more time in the Ford exhibit than I probably would have otherwise because I was trying to scan to find which vehicles I missed scanning in order to achieve all the badges. I'm assuming that keeping people in their exhibit as long as possible was one of the main objectives of this app--along with education, social sharing, and increasing sales.
I'm a Ford-girl anyway but this app was just an awesome twist to my NAIAS experience and I give them two thumbs up for trying something new and making a game out of attending an event!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Social Media Meltdown #29: Social Media in the Corporate Workplace
What should companies have social media policies? What do social media policies mean for employees? How do companies and their employees benefit from social media policies? Where do you start when writing a social media policy? We'll answer all these and more!
Click Here to See Show Notes!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
What You're Missing By Not Following CES 2013
2013 started off strong with the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). If you've never heard of it, or didn't follow it this year, CES is where all the big tech news and developments are released for us nerdy folks to drool over.
Here are some of the big trends I noticed this year:
Wireless Charging
The tech world really seems to be getting behind the trend of wireless charging platforms for devices. It was announced on Monday at CES that 30 companies across the smartphone industry are joining the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) organization, which consists of government leaders and major companies such as Starbucks, AT&T and Google working to get rid of cable-based charging plugs and embrace wireless power. How cool would it be to be able to walk into Starbucks grab a coffee and place your phone down on a table to charge while you recharge? People are saying this could very much be a reality in the next year or so.
Gigantic Smartphones
Remember when our mobile devices were tiny little flip phones--smaller the better? Now we're seeing the trend of bigger is better when it comes to the newest and greatest mobile phones on the market. I'm sorry but this is a trend I can't get behind. The screens keep getting better, which in theory sounds great, but eventually I'll have to buy a purse to fit my mini HD TV/Phone. Fashion and functionality have me here.
Wearable Tech
Watches and wristbands were all the rage this year at CES. The Pebble Watch had to be one of my absolute favorites (and a wish-list item)! Pebble raised $10 million on Kickstarter for its smart watch before it became a reality. The Pebble syncs to Android phones and iPhones, and displays incoming messages and caller information. Users can also program it to send custom alerts. The e-ink style LCD display makes it easy to see in bright sunlight, and you can customize the way you want the time to display
Here are some of the big trends I noticed this year:
The tech world really seems to be getting behind the trend of wireless charging platforms for devices. It was announced on Monday at CES that 30 companies across the smartphone industry are joining the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) organization, which consists of government leaders and major companies such as Starbucks, AT&T and Google working to get rid of cable-based charging plugs and embrace wireless power. How cool would it be to be able to walk into Starbucks grab a coffee and place your phone down on a table to charge while you recharge? People are saying this could very much be a reality in the next year or so.
Remember when our mobile devices were tiny little flip phones--smaller the better? Now we're seeing the trend of bigger is better when it comes to the newest and greatest mobile phones on the market. I'm sorry but this is a trend I can't get behind. The screens keep getting better, which in theory sounds great, but eventually I'll have to buy a purse to fit my mini HD TV/Phone. Fashion and functionality have me here.
Watches and wristbands were all the rage this year at CES. The Pebble Watch had to be one of my absolute favorites (and a wish-list item)! Pebble raised $10 million on Kickstarter for its smart watch before it became a reality. The Pebble syncs to Android phones and iPhones, and displays incoming messages and caller information. Users can also program it to send custom alerts. The e-ink style LCD display makes it easy to see in bright sunlight, and you can customize the way you want the time to display
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Weekly Wrap Up: January 6 - 12
Here's what you've missed this week:
- Instagram Users Reporting Profiles Directed To Facebook-Hosted Page - When Instagram users opt to report profiles on the photo-sharing application, they are being directed to a page hosted by its parent company, Facebook.
- Timeline Changes Are On Their Way - Changes appeared to be rolling out for all Facebook users in New Zealand starting on Wednesday.
- LinkedIn Surpasses 200 Million Members - LinkedIn now counts over 200 million members as part of their network, representing more than 200 countries and territories, serving 19 languages around the world.
- Facebook Stock Hits $30 - For first time since July, Facebook's stock hit $30 a share on Wednesday after several consecutive days of hovering around the $29 mark. The stock opened at $29.63 a share and climbed above $30 in early trading, a gain of more than 3% on the day.
- We Never Look Up by an anonymous Finnish mobile researcher is a new Tumblr catalog that captures beautiful black and white photography of people, heads down, on their mobile devices.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Social Media Meltdown #28: Facebook Friend Requests, To Accept or Not to Accept?
Are you (or your mom) ever in the position of not knowing whether or not to accept a particular friend request? Maybe it's a distant relative, an estranged friend, the kid with the locker three down from yours in middle school, a coworker, or just a complete stranger. At some point in our digital lives we all have this moral dilemma: to accept or not to accept.
Click Here for Show Notes!
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