Flickr announced on Monday that they have redesigned their website for desktop users, and have also introduced an updated Android app. Flickr, which is one of the largest worldwide photo communities, used Monday’s event to show users that the new Flickr is “biggr,” “spectaculr” and “wherevr.”

“Everything that we’ve done in this new redesign has been about putting the photo front and center,” Flickr VP Brett Wayn said, according to WIRED.

In addition to sprucing up the site (see screenshot at the top of the page), Flickr has also promised to provide all users with one terabyte of space.

Another newly designed part of the site is the “Explore” page, which allows users to view photo after photo thanks to an infinite scrolling option. In addition to viewing the most recent photos, users can also choose to search galleries and photos found under a Commons license.

More information on Flickr’s redesign can be found on their blog.

A boring, old business card just doesn’t quite cut it anymore.

Whether you want to promote your social media agency or simply spread the word about your brand’s social accounts, you’ve got to get creative. Sure, you could go nuts and launch television, radio and print ad campaigns. But if you’re a small business with a modest budget, that’s probably not an option.

Have you considered offering promotional gifts? Before you dismiss the idea, consider this: According to the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), a whopping 83 percent of people say they like receiving freebies from companies.

No, I’m not just talking about imprinted pens (although those are pretty darn effective). The key is to build something that will really stand out, especially in the fast-paced world of social media.

I’ve scoured Motivators.com for the best giveaways relating to social media. Here are my top three choices:

1. WeeBeans Blue Bird Toy

If you don’t think this Twitter bird look-alike is adorable, you might not have a heart. These super-cute toys closely resemble Twitter’s mascot, Larry, making them ideal for promoting your account! Just imprint the stuffed animal’s tag with your company’s info (including your Twitter handle, of course) and BOOM! Brace yourself for an uptick in followers.

2. Cell Phone Accessories

Looking for something a little more grown-up? These days, it seems like everyone’s got a smartphone. And every true social media addict has all the necessary apps: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram — you name it. That’s why sending out customized cell phone accessories is a smart way to promote your social media company or social accounts.

Great ideas include:

• Phone stands & holders
• USB car chargers
• Stylus pens
• Microfiber cleaning cloths
• Cell phone sleeves and cases

Not convinced? Watch this video on just how eye-catching a smartphone case really is.

3. Thumbs Up

You see Facebook’s like button everywhere — status updates, blogs, articles and more. If you’re looking for a unique way to get more followers, try printing your URL on a ‘thumbs up’ promotional product. Everything from foam fingers to key chains can be customized with your company’s info. Include a call to action, encouraging your recipients to give your page a like!

There you have it, the top three giveaways for promoting your social media agency and profiles. There are plenty more where they came from, too. For more fresh ideas, visit www.Motivators.com or call (800) 525-9600 to speak with a promotional consultant. Let’s take your social media campaign to the next level!

Photo credit: Flickr user IvanWalsh.com

Google+ announced on Wednesday that they would be updating and overhauling the social media platform.

The update will feature significant changes to a user’s stream, Google+ hangouts and photos. New features and changes were all explained in concise YouTube videos, each being embedded into the post and having tens of thousands of viewers.

“When we started the Google+ project nearly two years ago, we aimed to bring real-life sharing to software,” a post on the platform’s blog said. “Today, we’re taking another step towards real-life sharing with enhancements in three key areas.”

The updates to streams of users include a layout of multiple columns – users will see content expanded upon two or three columns depending on screen size and orientation. Pictures and videos can also fit across the entire screen to be more appealing visually.

The stream upgrade also features related hashtags that are determined by the platform, and can be browsed by the user. Users have the unique ability to view related hashtags without leaving their stream, to find even further content relevant to their interests. For example, if a user is watching a movie and hashtags it in a post, Google+ can determine other related topics such as actor names, the movie’s genre and much more, with the user not having to leave their stream to discover the content.

Google+ Hangouts have also been packaged into a standalone app that is accessible on Android, iOS and Web devices. Photos, emoji and live video complement message chats, and an optional history feature can allow a user to trace past conversations. Hangouts allow for free video calls to be made between users; regardless of how many users are participants in the call.

Photos have been upgraded to include several automatic features. One such feature is Auto Backup, which automatically uploads photos to a user’s page with permission. Users can store an unlimited amount of photos at standard size (2048 pixels) and up to 15 GB of full-size photos. Another feature is Auto Highlight, which chooses the best photographs taken while ruling out duplicates and photos that did not turn out too well. Auto Enhance modifies any changes that could be made in effort to improve the photo, with the user having to make no effort. Lastly, there is Auto Awesome, which looks to create a brand new image based off of a set of related photos.

Google+’s new updates are expected to roll out over the course of the week. While 193 million people use the platform, that number may potentially rise in the wake of these newer, more simplified changes.

The highly publicized Graph Search from Facebook is still in its beta format and only released to select users. LinkedIn, the professional social network, has taken advantage of the Graph Search delay and put out their own new and improved form: a search called Unified Search.

Unified Search allows LinkedIn users to find professional content quicker and easier than ever before. With a live search suggestion toolbar at the top of the page, your search query begins to form from the first button you press. A great factor for this search is the ability for the search to be grouped into different categories, such as this:

Facebook’s Graph Search has been in the beta version almost as long as the opossum from my neighborhood as been evading all the wild animal traps – since January 2013. Those of us who aren’t some of the lucky few to be able to try Graph Search have been put on the waiting list ever since.

Both search tools make it easier to find exactly what the user is looking for. From the videos on Facebook’s website, it shows a simple fill-in function as their suggested search tool, but this differs from LinkedIn’s because Unified Search offers more than one suggestion per search.

Personally, I feel like Unified Search is more intuitive and will work better in the long run. It makes it easier to extend your network beyond your own connections. With the Facebook Graph Search, searches generally will be limited to your friends, because when you search for “people who like construction machinery” you may get a wide variety of odd balls that you will never end up talking to. It seems like this goes hand and hand with the Facebook being for person benefits and LinkedIn being for professional networking.

The LinkedIn search also takes into account some information about their users (200 million and counting) that they’ve put to use in the search. Results use who you are, who you know, and what your network is doing to generate your search results.

When Graph Search first came out, marketers all over were screaming about the new release and how they can use it to promote their clients. While that seems great and all, marketers aren’t the general public.

When it comes down to it, those users of each site who are basic users will find more to love about the Unified Search that LinkedIn has to offer. Those in the population who know what they’re doing with the search will more likely enjoy what Facebook has brought to the table with Graph Search.

Photo Credits: Flickr user TheSeafarer and Flickr user Sights of the City Travel

Caili Birdsall is a recent graduate from Temple University and a travel, social media and research guru. She is the founder of American Hotel and Lodging Association Student Chapter at Temple University and just finished an internship with bloglovin.com as their Community Manager. Follow her @cailibirdsall or hire her at Cailirbirdsall@gmail.com.

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If you have ever given thought to what it is exactly that makes your blog or any blog so successful or unsuccessful, you have rummaged through the blogging toolkit. Living in this digital age, it is difficult to go through the day without someone telling you about a great website or blog they found.

Branding

As bloggers we already know the difference between unique users, visitors and loyal members or return visitors. We also know who we are and how we want to be perceived by the rest of the Internet. Boom, without knowing it you already are familiar with the toolkit factor branding. For those bloggers who might not be as familiar with branding, it is simply your vision for your blog. It is your purpose and needs to correlate with your title and the rest of your blog’s theme.

Driving Traffic

Once a blogger has a strong and stable brand that is easily recognizable and relatable, they have to be able to drive traffic to their blog. Driving traffic can be correlated to the way a company obtains their loyal customers and maintains partnerships. It is also the infrastructure that will create opportunity for more links to your site. The amount of times a reader comes to the blog and clicks on the pages and links throughout the blog counts as impressions. As a blogger you want to obtain as many impressions as possible. You can achieve this goal through partnerships, collaborations and promotional swaps.

The difference between collaborations and partnerships is the length of time the two parties work together. When a blogger collaborates with a company or another blogger they generally are working on only one big project together to help drive traffic to their sites. A partnership is when both parties work together long term and support one another in events, sponsorships, giveaways, etc. Promotional swaps can be done through either partnerships or collaborations. A promotional swap is simply when a blogger will promote a company and a company will promote a blogger; therefore, driving traffic to both parties involved. The length of time a promotional swap will be carried for varies and the best part about a promotional swap is that it’s free!

Revenue 

Now that a blog is successful with its branding and traffic driving, there are many choices on how to generate revenue.  With the right strategy, a blogger can potentially generate revenue in a matter of minutes. The original strategy was traditional banner advertisements. Bloggers would embed an advertisement banner for a product and the company of the product would keep track of the traffic the blogger generated for their product. The company would then send small amounts of money to the blogger for the traffic they helped drive. Facebook is a company that still utilizes these traditional banners.

Another method and one to be found most popular with bloggers who have large audiences is called affiliate marketing, or affiliate programs. In simplest terms an affiliate program is a contract with a blogger and a company to once again promote products. Bloggers feature a promotional post about the product with the link to the company’s website and where to purchase the product. Within the contract of the affiliate program is an agreed percentage of how much the blogger will be paid based on the amount of traffic they produce for the company. However, the most straightforward way to monetize a blog is with direct sponsorship swaps. What this entails is both parties contributing; the blogger features a post promoting a company or product with specific guidelines and the company pays the blogger a set amount of money. The paycheck depends on the category of the sponsorship for the company.  But remember, monetization is not mandatory for a blogger but rather a luxury.

We’d love to hear about what you deem to be the best practices for bloggers! What other branding, traffic and revenue tips do you have for your fellow bloggers?

Authenticity brings to mind behavior that can be described as genuine and being real, which leads to trustworthiness. It’s about being who you really are. Companies that want to gain loyalty and trust need to be who they say they are. They are offering themselves to their customers, claiming to be or do something specific. If they portray themselves as being one way, and then act differently on their social space, they will put off their followers.

Social media and online communities are about connecting with followers and developing relationships with them. It’s about showing genuine interest in their customers. The type of content your business posts, the way your respond to user-generated content, and how you engage with your followers will tell them who you really are. And if that doesn’t match up with who you say you are, they will know and either will ignore you or won’t engage in a positive manner.

So what can you, as a business, do to be authentic and genuine on your social media platforms, blogs and other online communities? What steps do you need to take in order for your followers to see the real you?

Let’s picture a wide river. On one side is your business and on the opposite bank are your followers and potential customers. How do you get them to come over to you? What will entice them? If you have firm stepping-stones in place it will guide them across the river. You know that it’s a good place to be, but they don’t, so it’s up to you to show them the way. Here are four stepping stones that will let them know you are trustworthy and authentic:

• Tell them who you are.
  Your business has a personality and a voice. The voice your company uses will depend on the product or service you offer and who your audience is. Clearly defining what you stand for and what you have to offer is an important first step. You should combine both words and images to tell and show who you are.

• Know who your followers and potential customers are.
  Knowing your target audience is essential in order for you to tailor your voice and content to them and their interests. Understanding them and developing a relationship is necessary if you want to relate to them and produce content specifically for them. You must connect on an emotional level with your followers if you want them to see your company as authentic and genuine.

• Produce interesting, engaging and enticing content.
  The type of content you post is very important and must be suited to your audience. You need to inform, address their interests and needs, and even entertain them. Your content is where your audience will get to know your business. Your voice needs to be consistent throughout your social media sites and anywhere else you have an online presence. As you do this, your audience will get to know you and you will gain their trust.

• Let them know they are important to you by interacting with them.
  Just as important as your content, is your visibility on your sites. Pay attention to what your followers are saying. Make sure you have a consistent presence on your sites with both content and interaction. Listening and responding is key in social media for developing relationships. It will give you insight to your audience and how they are reacting to your content, which will help you tailor it to meet their needs. Listening and interacting with your followers will gain you loyalty and advocates.

As your business speaks in its own unique voice and develops authentic and genuine relationships with its followers, you will be rewarded with an audience that has the potential to develop into a strong, loyal online community. The word will spread. It takes consistent work on your part but the payout is worth it.

Photo credit: Flickr user amateurblogger

The bloggers here at Bad Rhino have a feeling that this summer is going to be all that and a bag of chips and we want all of our readers to be well equipped when they hit the beach or trail. I’ve scoured the Apple and Android marketplaces for the quintessential apps for whatever your  calling may be this season. Here’s your green light to dump the Doodle Jump and pick up one or all of these top picks.

The Outdoorsman – Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder (Free)

Category: Travel
Updated: Apr 11, 2013
Version: 1.2.7
Size: 58.1 MB
Seller: American Park Network

Need your fix of fresh air or frisbee golf this summer? Look no further. Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder app for iPhone and Android will get you to the country’s favorite national parks and public lands in no time. The app was developed by the American Park Network the leading publisher of visitor guides for national parks for more than two decades. App Store | Google Play

The Concert and Festival Freebird- Banjo (Free)

Category: Social Networking
Updated: Mar 06, 2013
Version: 3.3
Size: 15.9 MB
Seller: DPSquared Inc

You better tie that bandana tight my dear Deadheads, because Banjo is bound to blow your hair back when you get access to all of the top images, videos and posts from the biggest events this summer. Can’t make it to Firefly, because you already broke the bank on Bonnaroo? Missed Petty, because you were too busy being wooed by Wilco? No prob! Banjo aggregates the top content right to your mobile device and has a stellar search function for finding Fatoumata Diawara. App Store | Google Play

The Photog – Aviary (Free)

Category: Photo & Video
Updated: May 06, 2013
Version: 2.0.1
Size: 35.8 MB
Seller: Aviary, Inc

We know that this is the summer you unleash your inner Ansel Adams, but you’re going to need one of the most robust and recently updated photo editing apps on the market. The team at Aviary released version 2.0 in April delivering users faster loading and enhanced effects for prepping the perfect pic. Now get out there and start snapping and sharing! App Store | Google Play

The Boardwalker – Fast Camera ($1.99)

Category: Photo & Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2013
Version: 5.2.1
Size: 7.3 MB
Seller: ESS International Corporation

Let’s face it, summer moves fast and you’re going to need an app to snap it all. Fast Camera enables your phone to shoot rapid fire, high res photos and select which frames you want to store on your Camera Roll and which ones to discard. Never miss those firework show gems ever again. App Store

The Weekend Warrior – Beat the Traffic (Free)

Category: Navigation
Updated: Apr 12, 2013
Version: 2.5
Size: 38.4 MB
Seller: Beat the Traffic

Every second of your weekend counts as the weather begins to warm up, so why waste it eating up exhaust on the freeway? Beat the Traffic by Pelmorex Media displays detailed information on traffic jams occuring in your area. Save your most traveled routes inside the app to insure you can get from your desk chair to your beach chair more efficiently. App Store | Google Play

The Every Person Ever – Accuweather (Free)

Category: Weather
Updated: Mar 22, 2013
Version: 6.0.1
Size: 50.9 MB
Seller: Steven Mesko

Let’s not beat around the bush here. I love good weather.  You love good weather. The Accuweather app is really good at weather things. App Store | Google Play

The Beef Boss – GrillTime ($1.99)

Category: Food & Drink
Updated: Feb 20, 2012
Version: 1.5
Size: 3.4 MB
Seller: WEAGLE LLC

Can you smell it? That’s the smell of you boss hoggin’ the propane pony on your patio this summer. GrillTime hooks you up with the perfect grilling times and temperatures for prime cuts and veggies. Don’t worry about over roasting your rump, with GrillTimes custom timers you’ll be sure to deliver dazzling dogs and sizzlin’ squash. App Store

The Gamer – ScoreKeeper XL (Free)

Category: Sports
Released: Sep 30, 2011
Version: 1.0.0
Size: 10.7 MB
Seller: Matt Rix

There is no “fun” in corn hole or ladder golf, so make sure every toss counts this summer as you defend your title from those dastardly opponents you call “friends”.  This bare bones app will allow you to give streaking a whole new meaning this summer. App Store

The Fit Freak… darn you, fit freaks! – Workout Trainer (Free)

Category: Health & Fitness
Updated: Mar 26, 2013
Version: 2.8
Size: 35.0 MB
Seller: Skimble, Inc.

It goes without saying, that getting fit is it during summertime. Break out of your winter waller with Workout Trainer. While typing this post is about as close as I will get to breaking a sweat this season, you can all do much better with this all encompassing fitness app/community. App Store | Google Play

The Traveler – Lonely Planet

Category: Travel
Updated: Dec 13, 2012
Version: 5.0.2
Size: 37.4 MB
Seller: Lonely Planet

Make like Magellan and get your exploration game on this summer. Drill down into the top city, country, and regional guides as you plan your next great escape. Whether you’re the foodie type or just itching to see some sights, Lonely Planet will help you calibrate your compass. App Store | Google Play

Which of these apps will you download first? Share your thoughts on these apps (and please give us some more recommendations) in the comments section below!

It’s no secret; mobile browsing commerce is on the rise.  Mobile devices are being used more than ever, almost doubling last year’s usage.  Thus, your customers are most likely accessing your brand and its social sites using a mobile device.

Are your company’s efforts optimized for a mobile audience?  Aside from establishing a mobile site, you need to optimize your social media strategy for mobile viewing as well.  There are many ways to go about doing this, but here are three ways to get you started:

Alter Your Content

Whether you’re viewing copy on a desktop or mobile device, copy tends to translate the same.  However, this isn’t the same for visual content (such as images).  Mobile screens, as well as tablets, render image and video sizes differently than originally posted.  Thus, some of your content may need to be altered or it will be cropped by the mobile device.

For example: on a Facebook business page if you have not resized your images correctly, they may not fully show up on mobile.  In this case, I’ve found the best size for an image post is 403 x 403px.  Highlighted posts on your business page are shown larger when viewed from a desktop.  It’s important to note that these images will be cropped in the mobile view.

The mobile redesign of Facebook’s business pages has fixed most of these image resizing issues.  However, images that are too wide or highlighted will be chopped.  Here’s an example:

The main thing to remember about your mobile viewers is that they want their content quick and to the point.  Try to remember this when writing copy and keep it short and sweet to avoid losing viewers.  For the most part, video translates relatively well on a mobile device.  Videos should also remain short and to the point.  A great option for creating videos for social on desktop or mobile is Vine.

Target Users With Mobile Ads

Chances are you’re working hard to get your brand noticed.  Your advertisers are working hard online and off.  One area some businesses are missing out on, or unaware of, is mobile advertising through a social platform.

Facebook now allows ads to be purchased that specifically target mobile users.  As of May, 30% of Facebook’s ad revenue is from mobile ads.  Ads you can choose from to feature include sponsored stories, promoted posts and app promotion.  This is a relatively recent roll-out, but so far these ads are proving quite effective for businesses.

If you decide mobile advertising is the way to go, your ads will need to be optimized for a mobile audience.  As with posts, keep your copy simple and to the point.  Make sure it is interesting enough to grab the attention of someone quickly scrolling through.  A big aspect of this is to concentrate on choosing the perfect image to compliment this copy.  Does it stand out on a mobile device?  It should.

Here’s an example of how a sponsored story may show up:

Test, Test & Test

Publishing altered content and mobile ad campaigns are great ways to start optimizing your marketing efforts for mobile.  After completing these steps (and others), always check to see how they look and work.  To do so, start testing.

For ads, try A/B testing as you would for any offline campaign.  Which is getting the most clicks?  What is converting better?  Which image is attracting more page likes?  This is the best way to see which efforts are working the best.

The same goes for social media content.  After you publish a post, check it within several browsers on desktop, different mobile phones and a tablet.  The look of the post may vary, depending on the device you’re using.  It is also crucial to check all links in a post.  Most likely, you’ll need to create a specific mobile link for users to see certain URLs.  For example, Facebook promotional apps usually can’t be seen using the regular URL on a mobile device.

Social media and mobile devices are always changing.  Two rules to always follow when dealing with optimizing items for mobile include:

• Know your audience.  Mobile users tend to respond best to shorter posts and eye-catching images.
• Never stop testing - in any aspect of your campaigns.  Testing is really the only way you’ll be able to prove what’s working and what doesn’t.

I’m curious to learn what you’ve experienced with the rapid growth of mobile usage! What have you found out is the biggest disconnect between viewing posts on a desktop or mobile device?  What advice would you suggest for optimizing content for mobile? Leave a note or tweet me @JesKorn!

Photo credit: Flickr user qiaomeng

Hey guys! My name is Megan Okonsky and I am SUPER excited to intern for Bad Rhino this summer. I’m about to be a junior at Temple University, and after switching majors, trying to switch back, trying to double major, having an identity crisis, and finally figuring out a schedule that gets me out of school in the spring of 2015, I’ve made my final decision to major in strategic communications (public relations) and minor in digital media technologies.

My decision to enter the strategic communications field came with no set goals or career paths; I knew it involved writing, and that was enough to interest me. My involvement in social media began when I was in middle school, jumping on the Xanga, MySpace, and eventually Facebook and Twitter bandwagons. The constant need to express myself was satisfied in 140 characters or less way too often. The summer before I started attending Temple University, I was venting on Twitter about how poor I was and how much I wanted to go to the Popped Music Festival in Philly that September. I got a tweet back; the festival’s page gave me a person to contact if I wanted to volunteer and get free tickets. All I had to do with update my Facebook and Twitter once a week about the festival and the artists I was most excited to see, along with hand out a few posters and fliers. I was hooked, and knowing I could benefit from something as easy as tweeting about my favorite artists led me to positions on various street teams and then internships with companies like EMI, Capitol Records, and Ropeadope Records.

I currently work on the social media team for the Temple University Honors Program. I write occasionally for their blog (my most recent article being about social media) and am also the director of the Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. The Associate Director of the program, Amanda Neuber, introduced me to Rich DeMatteo in the spring and I immediately became interested in working for Bad Rhino. While I’ve enjoyed the freedom of mainly virtual internships, being able to attend the Bad Rhino offices and work side-by-side with the team will take everything I’ve been doing for the past few years and step it up to the next level. I’m excited to learn from the professionals and gain experience in a broader range of things related to social media.

This summer I will be balancing Bad Rhino with classes, another internship in social media for singer/songwriter Meghan Cary, (hopefully) a summer job and various music festival-related shenanigans. I still try my best use social media to get free concert tickets, but with Bad Rhino I can use social media to gain so much more.

Feel free to get in touch with me by sending an email to m.okonsky@badrhinoinc.com.

Hello world and all who inhabit it. My name is Jesse Gaunce, a senior communication major at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa., and Bad Rhino’s newest social media intern. I’m a pretty laid back person for the most part and I like to keep everyone around me upbeat by joking around and having a good time. But there’s obviously a place and time for that.

I am originally from Boston, Mass., but have lived in Philadelphia most of my life. Aside from taking classes like a normal college student, I also currently intern with The Main Line Chamber of Commerce in Wayne, Pa., and I’ve been working there for almost two years. My role with the chamber is to aggregate and summarize roughly six to nine local business/government related stories into an email that is sent to their members every morning around 11 a.m. In the summer I also work part time for my father’s pest control company, Atlantic Pest Control, as an “exterminator in training” as we like to call it. I’m currently working on obtaining my core pest control license. It’s always nice to have some sort of fallback plan, right?

When I started at Cabrini in the spring of 2010, I had no idea just how many opportunities I had waiting for me. I learned quickly that this was not just your normal college. In just my second semester I became involved with The Loquitur, Cabrini’s student-run newspaper. I eventually worked my way up and was awarded a position on the editorial staff as a copy editor for the 2011-2012 school year. Being in journalism for two years was easily one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Not only did I learn how to become a better writer, I also learned how to promote my work and engage people in conversation on social media, which is now second nature to me.

While my time with The Loquitur has come and gone, I am still very active on Cabrini’s campus and in the communication department. I was just recently named the assistant sports director of the college’s radio station, WYBF, and I am a classroom coach for two classes on campus (a classroom coach is basically a teacher’s assistant).

After realizing how much I use social media for fun and to talk to and engage with my friends, Bad Rhino seemed like a natural fit. Being a part of the social media marketing team, I hope to learn aspects of social media I never knew existed, while also being able to help our clients grow and entice people to want to give their business to these clients. Social media is going to keep growing and become a more driving force for not only the social aspect, but for businesses as well. The team at Bad Rhino certainly knows this, as do I.

My talents have gotten me this far in life, and I know they will get me to where I want to be. But with talent also comes hard work. I’ll never stop working as hard as I can to get where I want to be, and I know Bad Rhino will help me reach my goals.

Feel free to get in touch with me by sending an email to j.gaunce@badrhinoinc.com.