i3m Blog

‘The Simpsons,’ LMFAO, sports, BlueStacks, more on this week’s top 20 growing Facebook pages

Internet News, Your Brand 351 Responses »

Apr 042012

“The Simpsons” topped our list of the fastest growing Facebook pages this week. There was also “Titanic,” the band LMFAO, several sports stars, a few blog-related pages, Miracle-Gro and Android app player for Windows PC BlueStacks.

Pages on our list this week grew from between 285,000 to 1.9 million Likes. We compile this list with our PageData tool, which tracks page growth across Facebook.

SEE LIST:

via ‘The Simpsons,’ LMFAO, sports, BlueStacks, more on this week’s top 20 growing Facebook pages.

Get a DataJack MiFi Hotspot for $49.99

interface, Internet News, Tech News 237 Responses »

Apr 042012

For frequent and infrequent travelers alike, nothing beats the convenience of a mobile hotspot.

Folks who travel a lot will probably want something with unlimited data and 4G service, but occasional users may want to consider a more affordable solution.

Here’s one: DataJack has the MiFi 2200 mobile hotspot for $49.99, plus around $10 for shipping, when you use coupon code DEALNEWS1.

That purchase also entitles you to a free month of service, albeit with DataJack’s low-end, 200MB data plan. Thankfully, there’s no contract here, so you can let your service expire if you want, then reactivate it as needed.

McDonald’s Addresses Twitter Critics

Marketing, Your Brand 506 Responses »

Apr 032012

Few brands have tested the sometimes scurrilous terrain that is Twitter advertising more than McDonald’s. The brand has occupied the Promoted Trend spot nine times since November 2010, buying an ad unit that Twitter says costs $120,000 per day.

And whether it’s social media users questioning the “meatiness” of the McRib sandwich, turning #McDStories into ugly tales, or having urban dictionary fun with #Shamrocking, the burger chain has earned its social media stripes. Through the events, it’s appeared impervious, as consumers have at times run wild with its Twitter conversations.

In the blogosphere, the campaigns have stirred discussion on whether or not all social buzz is created equally. So ClickZ News interviewed McDonald’s social media director Rick Wion to get his behind-the-hash-tags take on Twitter.

“As a brand,” Wion said, “we know that sometimes critics will take shots, but our primary focus will always be on fans and engaging with customers.”

Here are highlights from the recent email interview:

Create an interactive liquid metal ball with WebGL

Design, interface, Web Design 435 Responses »

Apr 032012

So you want to create an interactive WebGL liquid metal ball? Glad you asked, programming wizard Paul Lewis has got just the thing!

Making websites is tons of fun, but sometimes you need to break free and do something a bit unusual. That’s what we’ll be doing today. We’ll be using the excellent Three.js engine to create an interactive metallic ball. As you click and drag the ball distorts and then slowly settles back to its original shape.

To do this we’ll be covering spring physics, 3D vectors and ray casting (and a few other things besides) all in an effort to create a compelling and fun interactive experience. Let’s start by looking at what we’re going to make.

The thing about experiments like these is that on the surface they don’t look to have direct commercial applications. You’d be forgiven for thinking the same about this one as well, and perhaps you’re right. But my philosophy is that as a developer you learn techniques and solutions to problems in these experiments that can help you in your day-to-day work. There have been many times where this has proved true for me, and I’m certain it’ll work out for you as well. In any case this is going to be tons of fun, so let’s get started on creating our scene.

LEARN THE CODE:

via Create an interactive liquid metal ball with WebGL | Tutorial | .net magazine.

4 smart tactics for brands on Twitter

interface, Marketing, Your Brand 245 Responses »

Apr 032012

And yet, while nearly every brand has its own Twitter account and regularly tweets, many brand messages get drowned out in the constant fire hose of tweets. To make themselves heard above the noise, brands are now racing to reach consumers in social feeds via paid media — using several marketing tactics to make sure their messages are heard. At my company, weve seen brands double their paid social stream advertising in 2011, and large brands have actually increased spend by more than four times.

But getting paid media on Twitter and other real-time social feeds right is no easy task. Which paid media strategies can brands adopt today to reach targeted audiences on Twitter? How can they reach these audiences in a measurable, scalable way — but also ensure consumers experience their messages as rich, engaging content instead of intrusive ads?

Since paid social stream advertising is so new, many brands are learning as they go. To get started, here are four concrete strategies to use social advertising to deepen your brand impact on Twitter.

Apple building fuel cells to help power N. Carolina data center

Tech News 374 Responses »

Apr 022012

Apple plans to build a massive fuel cell facility in North Carolina to accompany the data center that powers iCloud. The company revealed its plans as part of a filing with the North Carolina Utilities Commission and was first reported by the Greensboro News & Observer, which noted over the weekend that the project will be the “national’s largest such project not built by an electric utility company.”

The fuel cell project will be built in Maiden, NC, near the company’s existing data center and in the same complex as Apple’s 171-acre solar farm. “[Apple’s] facility will consist of 24 fuel cell modules. It will extract hydrogen from natural gas supplied by Piedmont Natural Gas,” wrote the News & Observer.

How MTV Got to 100 Million Facebook Likes

Internet News, Marketing, Your Brand 333 Responses »

Apr 022012

In February 12% of all cable TV related social actions were MTV related and in a breakdown of Fall 2011 MTV shows and characters comprised 14% share of Voice in the Cable Industry. In August 2011 the VMA’s helped MTV dominate the cable category with 51% voice share which inlcluded a tweet per second records of Beyonce baby bump and a 30 year ratings , which was a record for the network.

SEE ACTIVITY CHART:

via Online Marketing Trends: How MTV Got to 100 Million Facebook Likes.

Draw Something, Rotten Tomatoes, Yahoo, TripAdvisor, Yelp, more on this week’s top 20 growing Facebook apps by MAU

Internet News, Marketing 393 Responses »

Apr 022012

Draw Something topped our list of growing applications by monthly active users this week, among a handful of other games. Timeline apps from Rotten Tomatoes, BranchOut, Tripadvisor, Yahoo and others gained a significant number of new users.

Titles on our list gained the most MAU of any apps on the platform, growing from between 600,000 and 5.1 million MAU, based on AppData, our data tracking service covering traffic growth for apps on Facebook.

SEE THE LIST:

via Draw Something, Rotten Tomatoes, Yahoo, TripAdvisor, Yelp, more on this week’s top 20 growing Facebook apps by MAU.

LG’s Flexible E-Paper Display Is Coming to Europe in April

interface, Tech News 471 Responses »

Mar 292012

LG has announced it has started mass production of its electronic paper display (EPD) product, with a planned launch in Europe next month.

LG’s EPD is a 6-inch, 1024×768 e-ink plastic screen. It’s 0.7mm thick, it weighs 14g, and LG claims it’s resistant to scratches and drops from a 1.5 meter height.

Of course, its biggest claim to fame is its flexibility: LG claims the screen allows bending at a range of 40 degrees from its center.

via LG’s Flexible E-Paper Display Is Coming to Europe in April.

First batch of $35 Linux computers arrives in UK, awaiting CE compliance testing

interface, Tech News 470 Responses »

Mar 292012

The Raspberry Pi foundation issued a statement today with a status update on their much-anticipated $35 Linux computer. The first 2,000 completed units have arrived in the UK, but the devices aren’t ready to be shipped out yet because the foundation’s retail partners won’t distribute them to purchasers until they have been stamped with the CE marking.

The CE marking, which you can find on many consumer electronics products, certifies that a product conforms with the regulatory standards of the European Economic Area. In order to apply the CE marking to a product, it has to undergo a conformity assessment and the manufacturer has to produce certain documents.

The Raspberry Pi foundation wasn’t previously aware that it needed the CE marking in order to distribute its computer. Because the Raspberry Pi computer is a bare board and not a finished end product, the foundation assumed that it was exempt from the requirements. Similar products, such as the BeagleBoard, are legally distributed without the marking. Although the foundation still believes that the CE mark isn’t strictly necessary, they are pursuing the necessary compliance assessment in order to address the concerns of their retail partners.

Older Entries Newer Entries