E-Marketing Associates

Pure Calendar Widget For the Organizer In All Of Us ( Review )

David Sotelo by
on April 27th, 2011

A calendar is a core function for a smart phone whether it is for a business user who needs to be on top of his or her schedule or just your average consumer who wants to organize his day. As of now, there is no shortage of calendar and agenda applications but I wanted to introduce you to one on the android operating system by developer Francois Deslandes called Pure Calendar Widget. This application is a calendar widget that allows you to view and mange your daily agenda, tasks and to do list. You can sync with Google calendars and select multiple calendar applications to launch on widget tap as well as show tasks from Astrid, CalenGoo, gTasks, Got To Do, Touchdown and many more.

There are quite a few options and features on the application that make it both functional and pretty to look at. As far as being functional, you are given the option to change the update frequency, the size of the text and the number of lines used to describe the event or task. You also can specify exactly what you want your events and tasks to display on your calendar such as location, duration, description, times, whether you want events in progress to show as important by a certain color and much more. Creating your customized look for the app is fun as well. There are a number of skins and widget sizes to choose from so finding one you like should not be a problem. For example, you can change the date text color, calendar events text color and the task text color to your liking. The calendar can also scroll if you have a launcher such as ADW, Go launcher and Launcher Pro.

The best part about the calendar widget is how it makes my life more organized. The widget I use is 4 x 4 and takes up one of my screens entirely and I love it. It’s easy to read, adding a task is very easy and I often use the voice feature to say my task and it creates it effortlessly. I can set the reminder frequency, time, duration and it all syncs up with my Google Calendar. Pure Calendar is a paid application but it is relatively inexpensive for what you get out of it. It is from a developer outside the United States so the price may vary a little based on your location but you’re more or less looking to spend around $2.00. If you want to stay organized and manage your busy schedule this is a great choice!

Categories: App Reviews,Blog,Dr. App — Tags: , , , , , , ;

Facebook Launches Send Button. Sounds More like a Spam Button!

Jacquelynn Mendez by
on April 26th, 2011

Just over a year after the release of the ubiquitous “Like” button, Facebook has launched yet another feature to add to the top of our articles, listings and blogposts… I guess receiving a “Like” just wasn’t enough.

For those of you who haven’t heard, Facebook just launched the “Send” button, a feature that is expected to improve the functionality of Groups and eliminate the need for an “e-mail” button. This means that users can now choose to send a link publicly or privately via a Facebook feature.

How it Works
You’ll immediately notice that the “Send” button is given the same look and feel as the “Like” button, which was purposely done to make it both easy to implement and easy to use. And as you will see in the image below, this new Facebook feature works very much like most social media buttons. When you click “Send”, a pop up will appear, allowing you to enter friends’ names, e-mail addresses or a Facebook Group. Then, you can add a quick message and instantly send the link to the appropriate parties though a private message, a private e-mail or a Group wall post.

Most importantly, in case you were wondering, a “Send” will count toward an article’s overall “Likes”. This means that a post’s overall “Like” total is now a combination of the number of Likes, shares, comments and inbox messages containing that URL.

Could this be a Spam Button?
Although there are a few obvious benefits to the new “Send” button, this is just one Facebook update that I can’t stand behind. From a user point of view, I fear that this button will lead to a mass of unwanted messages, giving all of us another reason to be even more selective about who we choose to add as Facebook Friends. And from a business point of view, I think it’s time for content providers to start thinking twice before adding any new button to their websites. With new platforms popping up every day, share sections will eventually start looking like clutter, preventing easy sharing.

How many of you think that the “Send” button will follow in the footsteps of the “Like” button?

Categories: Blog,Facebook,Internet Marketing,Social Media,Social Media Marketing — Tags: , , , ;

Turn Your Smart Phone Into a Lean Mean Work Machine with Documents To Go

David Sotelo by
on April 20th, 2011

Smart phones are closing the gap between phone and computer with what seems like each and every model that comes out. Blackberry and Microsoft have for some time allowed business users to view, edit and create Microsoft Office programs on their mobile devices. Android has several applications that allow you to do the same tasks and I will be reviewing the one by DataViz, Inc called Documents To Go. DataViz is a company that develops Office products for various platforms including all the major smart phone operating systems such as Apple’s Iphone, Research in Motion’s Blackberry, Microsoft Windows and Google’s Android system.

Documents To Go has two versions. One is the free version that allows you to view Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. The full version key is their paid version and let’s you to create and edit documents in Excel, Word, PowerPoint as well as Google docs and Adobe pdf. The full version also adds some other nice features such as password protected Word & Excel 97-2007 files, Google document support which allows you view and edit your files from your Google Docs account directly in Docs To Go. They have also recently added a new desktop application for bi-directional synchronization with your device’s USB cable. They also allow you to mark your favorite documents and retrieve them quickly through a starred file folder, and give users the option to access recently viewed files which comes in handy.

Connecting to your pc is a breeze. I had no problems transferring documents to and from my laptop and they all came up without any errors. Although the android version currently does not support Office 2010, this version can create documents in office 2007 and then you can bring them up on your desktop with Office 2010. There is a small learning curve with figuring out how to use all the functions such as the keyboard, copy and paste, bold, and inserting breaks, but once you get used to the functions your efficiency will increase greatly and you will be a productivity machine.

The most important function to me when it comes to a productivity application is that it is stable and just so you know Documents To Go is very stable. It works and it works well which is good since the application is on the expensive side. The full version is $14.99 which is quite expensive for a smart phone application but I will admit it is well worth it if you want or need to use Microsoft Office for a mobile device. If you are ready to turn your smart phone into your mobile computer then this is a great app to start with.

Categories: App Reviews,Blog,Dr. App — Tags: , , , , , , , ;

Don’t Judge an Expert by the Number of His Facebook Friends

Jacquelynn Mendez by
on April 18th, 2011

“Social Media Intern Wanted: Must have at least 1,000+ Facebook friends to be considered.”

Does this qualifying criterion look familiar to you? Because I’ve seen it far too many times to count. In today’s Facebook friendly world, it seems like every business is looking for social media interns to help them leverage this underutilized resource, but without proper knowledge, it’s easy to mistake a rookie for an expert. This is why I am here to advise businesses to stop using an individual’s number of Facebook friends as criteria when looking for social savvy interns. Although there are exceptions, a large majority of Facebook friend frenzied users can usually fall into one of three categories: overly friendly, socially popular or Facebook stalker… all of which don’t add up to, “Social savvy!”

Business vs. Personal
In the world of social networking, what works on a personal level does not always work on a business level, which is why it’s important to look past the profile page and into the knowledge behind the numbers. There are plenty of people that have the potential and ability to help your business build the social presence it needs, but you will not find them by just checking candidates’ friends, followers and fans. These are all numbers that can easily be faked using robots, money or spam. Instead, you want to check criteria that counts, including quality content, fan feedback and business level knowledge. Of course, this is all said with the assumption that you are not hiring an intern to head your entire department.

I understand that for many business owners, managers and HR directors, social media feels like a foreign subject, but that doesn’t mean it’s a job that can be handled by anyone with a profile page. That said, the last thing any business should do is blindly leave its social reputation in the hands of an intern. Remember, most individuals seeking out intern positions are usually doing so with the hopes of gaining real world experience and growing in the field. So as a word of advice, if you are hiring an intern, there should at least be a manager, consultant or director with working knowledge of social media to guide your team into the right direction. I think the cartoon below by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne explains this very well.

So the next time you’re searching for a social media intern, be sure to look past the friends, and dig a little deeper into the skills, knowledge and potential behind the profile.

Categories: Blog,Facebook,Social Media,Social Media Marketing — Tags: , ;

Go SMS Pro for Android (Review)

David Sotelo by
on April 13th, 2011

A good text messaging application can be hard to come by. Smartphone users appreciate a good text messaging application that is simple to use, dependable and has the features to make any hardcore texter happy. Go SMS Pro is a free application developed by a company called Go Dev Team for users of the Android operating system and has been really standing out from the crowd. The crowd I am referring mostly consists of either the Android’s stock application, Handcent and ChompSMS. All of these have their strengths and weaknesses but having used all of them I must say that Go SMS Pro has become my go to text messaging application.

Go SMS Pro’s biggest strength is their user interface. It is user friendly and their theme selections are great. You have quite a selection to choose from including an iPhone theme, DIY theme, Go theme, Dark theme and the developer is very good on providing seasonal and events themes. The newest update added the option to change the performance of the app based of how fully loaded you want it. You have the pro version which gives you all the features of the application but can run a little more slowly, the normal mode is basically the original GO SMS version and has all the basic features most users will need and there is also the lite mode which is a slimmed down version and runs the fastest. This brings me to what makes Go SMS my default text application, the customization. You have so many options to customize your text messages it’s sometimes can seem like overkill. I guess it’s nice to have the choice and Go Dev Team is pretty good at keeping the size of the application down. The user is able to customize the font, animation effects, language, time format, notifications, signatures, security settings and colors, contrast, backgrounds and style of message just to name a few.

Go SMS Pro is not without its faults. For example every now and then I experience incorrect time stamping on certain text messages even after I have inputted the correct time adjustment offset. This is when the time of the text received is not the actual time. Overall Go SMS Pro is a solid short messaging service application that is backed up by a good development team that are prompt to address any problems and listen to their user reviews. I personally would pay for this application but surprisingly enough it is free so get on the Android app store, download and start texting away.

Categories: App Reviews,Blog,Dr. App — Tags: , , , , , ;

Are you ready for a New Challenge? Try A Google A Day!

Jacquelynn Mendez by
on April 12th, 2011

The minute I heard about Google’s new A Google A Day trivia game, the nerd in me lit up with delight! Being a fan of mentally stimulating games like Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and Cranium, and an even bigger fan of Google, this new challenge seems to be the perfect daily dose of trivia that has been missing from my life.

For those of you who haven’t heard, Google, in conjunction with the New York Times, has developed a new program that puts a fun spin on traditional trivia games of the past, called A Google A Day. The catch for this particular game is that you are encouraged to cheat! And of course users’ number one resource is likely to be Google itself. With everything turning digital, this is an excellent way to integrate an old concept, like the daily crossword puzzle, into a 21st century pastime.

According to the official Google blog, the riddle for this new challenge will be posted everyday on AGoogleADay.com and above the New York Times crossword puzzle. The questions are expected to increase in difficulty as the week goes on, making Thursday and Friday the most challenging days, and giving all of us another reason to look forward to the weekend. In addition, each answer will be revealed the next day, and to prevent any spoilers, there is a special version of Google that excludes real time updates that are likely to include that day’s answer. Yes, they have thought of everything!

The overall concept of A Google A Day seems like a lot fun, but I think it will only catch on if the questions are difficult enough to make the search for the answer an actual challenge. This is also assuming that spoilers will not be easy to come by. One thing is for sure though, this game will be especially entertaining for those of you who pride yourselves on being exceptional Google searchers…You all know who you are.

 

Categories: Blog,Google — Tags: , , , ;

What Businesses Can Learn from Conan O’Brien’s Live Blogging Disaster

Jacquelynn Mendez by
on April 8th, 2011

On April 4th, when popular talk show host Conan O’Brien announced that he would be “live blogging” his program on Facebook for a night, the last thing fans expected was the annoying overflow of updates that flooded their newsfeeds that day. I caught word of the insanity immediately after it began because my friends, who used to be fans of O’Brien’s page, were fed up with his never ending posts and voiced their opinions through updates of their own, eventually displaying their anger with the ultimate sign of rejection, unliking his page. By the end of the night, thousands of fans followed suit and abandoned the comedian’s business page, further proving that it doesn’t matter who you are, if you violate the rules of social media, people will rebel.

What we can learn from Coco
In social media, it’s important to know your fans and to know each platform because what works for Twitter, does not always work for Facebook. Each website is used to extract and share information in different ways and users visit each platform with certain expectations from those that they choose to follow so any violation of that trust can turn even the most loyal fans away. One O’Brien fan who blogged about the disastrous live event said, “Facebook is not Twitter. People don’t like their feed being filled up by one person, even a celebrity.” After taking a look at the comments from the aftermath, it was clear that many of his other fans felt the same way, saying that this was an event more fit for a micro-blogging website.

This should be a clear sign to businesses that it’s important to differentiate between social media platforms and treat each one as a separate entity. Just because they are all used to ultimately reach one common goal, doesn’t mean that they all work the same way. More importantly, businesses should also keep in mind that in today’s social friendly world, everything happens instantaneously, so it is essential to research opportunities before engaging because you could hurt everything you’ve built up in seconds with one bad move, no matter who you are…

 

Categories: Blog,Facebook,Internet Marketing,Social Media,Social Media Marketing — Tags: , , , , , ;

Pulse News Reader (Review): The Next Evolution of News Consumption

David Sotelo by
on April 6th, 2011

Smartphone’s have been growing at a blistering pace ever since Apple introduced the iPhone back in 2007. When Apple introduced the iPhone it immediately opened the gates for a whole new way of accessing and consuming information with the introduction of their app store. One of the most requested and utilized applications was a news reader that could bring the news to you rather you having to go and search for it. I have had a chance to test out the Pulse News Reader by Alphonso Labs for Android and I must say it is one of my favorite and most used applications.

So just to give you an overview, pulse reader is a news reader that allows you to browse all your favorite news and websites in an elegant, attractive and easy to use format. I used to use bookmarks which I still do at times for certain websites but the majority of my content comes to me on the pulse reader. The layout is excellent. It organizes all your sites in a grid format that you can swipe both horizontally and vertically. Each row represents a news source and each square within the row represents an individual story or article. You simply tap on the article that is of interest to you and it will bring up the story in full screen with the option to go the actual website. They recently updated their application to include multiple pages so you can organize all your websites and news by category. For example, on page 1 you can have all your technology and gadget news, on page 2 you can have all your hotel news, page 3 will be your finance news and so on.

At its core pulse reader is a news feeder and because it is you can easily add all your rss feeds through Google reader. They also have a featured section that allows you to discover some really cool and interesting websites that you just might get addicted to. Ok, ok so I found a few I like. There is a search option where you can search for any website you want and simply subscribe and add it to your page with one click. There is a bump feature that allows two pulse users to “bump” and share their lists but I have not used this feature yet. Pulse has moderate setting options such as changing the font size, use of a dark mode or power saving mode and background updates.

I’m not one who criticizes every little thing in an application. I’m fairly tolerant with some force closes and some bugs here and there and pulse for the most part performs very well. There are a few negatives I have experienced lately, most noticeably are constant updates that seem to tinker with the features. It’s as if they are trying to test too many features and making changes to get the application just right. The good part is that the core product itself is left relatively untouched. It is also available for the iPhone and iPad. All in all this is one of the best and most useful apps I have used.

Categories: App Reviews,Blog,Dr. App — Tags: , , , , , , ;

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