The Twelve Secrets of Social Media Success

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Several years ago, a friend told me about this great new network that was going to eliminate my need for going to network meetings. He said he could go online and connect with people. I decided to join that network to see what all the hoopla was all about. At the time my friend was talking about LinkedIn. A year later I also joined Facebook and then followed that up by joining Twitter. Later, I also joined FourSquare, Stumbleupon, YouTube, Ecademy, MerchantCircle and Google+ (just to name a few). I soon learned that using social networks was very different than most forms of online marketing. I quickly realized that social networking was very much like face to face networking. Both were a form of word of mouth marketing. Both had fairly ridged rules of how you could build credibility, specific rules that would endear you to followers and rules that would get you un-followed or un-friended very quickly.

Are Google Glasses the Great Game Changer or a Passing Fad?

By Carl Weiss

As a kid, I remember the ads in the backs of magazines showing cool gadgets and seemingly magical devices. I remember the ad for X-ray Glasses, Space Helmets, hand held communications and other futuristic promises that were yet to come. Jump 50 years forward and we have space helmets, smartphones and Google Glasses. I know, they are not X-rays Glasses but they have stirred a hornets nest of controversy even though they can see through your clothes.

There has never before been such controversy over a technology that has yet to reach store shelves.  This wearable computing device is going to take technology to a whole new level… literally.  The device itself sports nothing radically new.  All the devices and operations performed by Glass are available on any Smartphone or tablet PC.  Voice actuated, record video, take pictures, run apps etc… What seems to be causing all the anger is the fact that Google Glass is a camera/video platform that can start snapping pictures and make video recordings without being noticed.  This has caused a number of institutions to ban their use and has spawned a number of legislators to consider legislation to limit when and where people can use Glass.

Using Video as a Social Media Platform

Courtesy of Pixabay

By Carl Weiss

Everyone is talking about social media today. Network TV stations tell you to follow them on Twitter. They ask you to like them on Facebook or ask you to upload your pictures to their Facebook page. Radio stations are doing the same thing. As a matter of fact, even newspapers and magazines are getting in on the act. All of these old players (established networks and communications conglomerates) all are moving towards social media communications. However, there is a new sheriff in town that most people never even think of as a social media giant!

How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century - Take Two

By Hector Cisneros 

Courtesy of Flickr

The last 50 years have seen sweeping changes in our society. We have gone from people having a face-to-face relationship to a society that prefers social networking. We have cyberfriends we have never met in person. Younger people today would rather text you than actually speak to you n real-time..  Facebook is now running commercials showing that people would rather be on their Facebook phones, reading their news feed, than interacting with their families at the dinner table. The fact is, we live in a cyber-enabled world. So, if you want to build strong relationships and get ahead, you need to learn how to make friends and influence people in the 21st century.

The Ever-Changing Faces of Facebook

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay

More than a billion subscribers use Facebook. It is the most widely used social network in the world. Facebook tells us that they are working hard to improve the user experience. They also say that they are working to provide a business friendly advertising medium. Facebooks' founder makes new promises every year about upgrades and added features. In fact, they add new features so often that it makes me wonder why they feel they need this constant tweaking. They are currently twice as big as their nearest competitor.

When Will Computers Out Think You?

By Carl Weiss 

Courtesy of pxhere.com

As I sit here thinking about artificial intelligence, I am reminded of all the amazing motion pictures that predict the evolution of computer to thinking and self replication machines. Some of my favorites are "Terminator," "iRobot," "War Games," and "Battle Star Galactica." In all of these movies, the computers become more powerful than the people who created them. Some have happy endings, other not so much.

Spring Cleaning Means Taking Out the Cyber Trash

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Flickr

It's spring time and that means time for Spring cleaning. I don’t mean wiping down your desk or even your computer screen. I’m talking about getting rid of undesirable followers in your social media, cleaning up your website, blog and Social profiles so they are current, accurate and devoid of sensitive personal information. I’m talking about taking the time to scan all your internet-enabled devices for malware, viruses, trojans and the like. Yes, it’s Spring-cleaning time and you had better get to it!

Browser Wars – Then and Now

Courtesy of Flickr

By Carl Weiss

Are browser wars real? Are the Internet giants really fighting for the hearts, minds and eyeballs of computer users worldwide? Does it matter which browser I use? Aren’t they all the same? Who cares which browser is used the most? The real answer to this and other important internet questions are raised and explained in this telling tale of Browser Wars, the ongoing saga of the fight between Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Google's Chrome, Mozilla's Firefox, Apple’s Safari and Opera.