Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Online Social Networking News: Why Facebook's Friends May Fade?


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This won't come as welcome news to the folks at Facebook, but its customer-satisfaction ratings aren't much to boast about.

Among its social-media peers, Facebook landed at the bottom of the keeping customers-happy list, according to the 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index E-Business Report. With a score of 66 out of 100, only airlines, subscription TV and newspapers fared less favorably with consumers.
If you're unfamiliar with it, the ACSI E-Business Report enables businesses to track customer satisfaction in three categories: social media, portals and search engines, and online news. And -- as in last year's report -- social media sites continue to be the redheaded stepchild when it comes to e-businesses that maintain consumer satisfaction rankings. The category earned a paltry 70 score out of 100.


While Facebook remains at the bottom of the heap, the social-networking utility did actually make a modest 3 percent gain over last year's score of 64. ACIS surmises that Facebook's size domination might be a factor in the improved figures. After all, Facebook is approaching one billion users. Wikipedia and YouTube scored 78 and 74 in the latest report, respectively.
So what does this mean for you and your business? 
In my experience, consumer dissatisfaction with e-businesses comes from user concerns about their privacy and security. They also appreciate when businesses understand the difference between social networking and social selling -- generally, consumers don't like hearing a sales pitch when they're not expecting it. 
Why Facebook Friends May FadeKeeping these and other concerns you're aware of in mind when developing and executing your business-communications strategy is key. And it's more important now than ever. If you're old enough to remember when email first emerged and then evolved as a marketing tool, you'll recall that similar concerns surrounding spam, phishing, viruses and formatting plagued consumers right from the get-go. My thinking is that as email evolved to include certain protections and standards, so too will social media-related platforms, but only you -- the business owner -- can set the tone surrounding the proper mix of social networking and social selling.
Even though Facebook remains the dominant player in the social-media spectrum, the ACSI study does suggest that they may need to worry, as users have few other choices for social interaction. In particular, the recent launch of Google+, a social networking platform that boasts an enticing video-conferencing feature, among other things, is expected to give Facebook a run for its money.


And, since Google routinely scores at the top of the ACSI report in the search engine and portals category -- climbing to an astounding 83 rating in customer satisfaction this year -- a continued poor showing by Facebook could give Google the leverage it needs to topple the social-networking giant.






Google+ for iPhone hits the Apple Appstore. iOS version of the service announced

google-gives-apple-a-plus-oneGoogle's new social network Google+ is now available for the iPhone, with the app finally getting approval from Apple.
While it isn't clear why the app wasn't released simultaneously with the Android version, it's now available on the App Store free of charge.
Sharing simpler
"Google+ for mobile makes sharing the right things with the right people a lot simpler," says the app's blurb.
"Huddle lets you send super-fast messages to the people you care about most. And no matter where you are, the stream lets you stay in the loop about what your friends are sharing and where they're checking in."
The app in its screenshots looks similar to the Android version but it is almost twice the size – the iPhone app weighs in at 5.3MB, while the Android version is 2.8MB.
Now that the app is available for iPhone, maybe the service will start to get the celebrity users Google seems to be courting.
The Google+ for iPhone app is available now for iPhone 3G, 3GS and runs on iPad in compatibility mode.



This post is sponsored byDr Mobiles Limited
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000
Web FaceBook - Localist Posterous - Twitter - Blogger - Flicker  - Map - Email 

Uploaded via Apple iPhone 4!
Why Dr Mobiles Limited?
The only professional repair centre who DOES NOT charge inspection fees on faulty phones.
> No inspection fee at all!
> 1 hour iPhone 4 repair
> Repair while you wait
> Free 30 min parking
> Free loan phone

Handy tips for Apple iPhone 4 Users: How to make your iPhone battery last longer


Recently, when standing in a field at Glastonbury, the idea came to us – was it really possible to make your iPhone battery last for several days? Well yes it is, as long as you completely strip down the power-sucking features and follow a few simple tips. Keep an eye on how long your iPhone typically lasts by going to Settings > General > Usage.
And, although this is not completely a power-saving tip, before you leave it's always best to make sure you have the latest software installed: Apple is always working on little fixes to improve your iPhone's power savings.
1. Keep it cool
Seriously. Don't put your phone in the sun. Don't leave it in a hot pocket. Battery life is lowered by heat and you should store your iPhone in temperatures less than 35 degrees centigrade – below 95F. As close to room temperature as possible is best for use.
2. Don't use power-sucking apps you don't need to 
Minimise your app use, especially if it's a game, stuff that sucks data (hello, Facebook) or uses GPS. Not only does some of the fun stuff suck power, it can also stop the auto-lock coming on.
3. Turn off 3G
So there we were, in our field, with little data coverage (thanks O2). So what did we do? Turn off data, that's what. If you haven't got it, there's no point in wasting juice looking for it. Settings > General > Network and slide Enable 3G to Off.
4. No to EQ
Who'd have thunk, but equalising your iPod playback can drain your battery pack. Settings > iPod > EQ is where to turn it off.
5. Don't fetch
Set the common apps to only fetch data when you want them to. Set Mail, Contacts and Calendars to only fetch data Manually. BE WARNED - if you have MobileMe, it's dangerous to set the auto-check to Manual, since the much-vaunted Find My iPhone won't work.
6. Don't make long calls
Or don't make any calls. Sounds like the stupid filler tip, but if you do make calls (and you probably do, as that's almost certainly what you're conserving battery for), just keep 'em short.
7. Lock it up
iPhone not in use? Make sure you lock the screen and set the auto-lock to a minute in case you leave it unlocked.
8. Don't use the GPS
Minimise use of it (such as in Maps or turn-by-turn sat-nav) and disable it: Settings > General > Location Services. If you're lost, ignore this advice.
9. Turn it off when you don't need it
Sleeping? With all your mates anyway? Then turn your phone off. Bit pointless if it's for 10 minutes, but if it's hours, it will add up.
10. Disable Wi-Fi
Nowhere near a wireless network? Go to Settings and slide Wi-Fi- to off. However, if you are going to be doing a fair amount of data browsing and you are near a wireless network, it will be better for your battery to use this than the thirsty cellular signal.
11. Turn off Bluetooth
Likewise, make sure Bluetooth is off. And keep it there unless you use accessories: Settings > General > Bluetooth and slide Bluetooth to Off.
12. Push off
Not many apps use push notifications, but in the future this will have more of an effect on your iPhone's battery life as more start to. Settings > Notifications and slide Notifications to Off – only visible if you have relevant apps installed. Apple says this won't stop the apps receiving data when the app is actually open though, so be careful, unless you've disabled data in other ways. Equally you need to turn off push mail (MobileMe, Microsoft Exchange). Go to Settings Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and slide Push to Off.
13. Turn it downRefrain from employing the speaker for music playback and turn down the volume - louder playback can make a difference, even with the headphones. Set the phone to silent on the side.
14. Dim your screen
Turn off auto-brightness and whack the brightness down as low as possible. Especially effective for many of us, as it's the supreme brightness that's one of the things that makes the iPhone screen look terrific, so it's usually very bright as a default.
15. Go airplane
If you've got very little coverage, you can't make calls anyway. If you're going to be in a coverage lowspot for a little while, turn on Airplane Mode. It makes a serious difference, since your handset won't be continuously searching for a network signal. This is one of the biggest drains of battery life on any handset.

This post is sponsored byDr Mobiles Limited
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000
Web - FaceBook - Localist Posterous - Twitter - Blogger - Flicker  - Map - Email 

Uploaded via Apple iPhone 4!
Why Dr Mobiles Limited?
The only professional repair centre who DOES NOT charge inspection fees on faulty phones.
> No inspection fee at all!
> 1 hour iPhone 4 repair
> Repair while you wait
> Free 30 min parking
> Free loan phone

Power user tips and trick: How to convert your normal SIM into Apple iPhone 4 Micro SIM card?


Despite the 3G version of the iPad being sold unlocked, both that and the iPhone 4 requires a whole new type of SIM card - the micro SIM.
Or does it? That's right, we've been trimming away the mystery of the new micro-SIM.
At first glance, the electronic contact area is no different to that of a conventional SIM, you know, the type that's small enough to fit into a tiny phone never mind the hulking iPad or iPhone 4.
As it turns out traditional SIMs measure 15 x 25mm and have that angled corner. The new micro-SIM is officially 12 x 15mm. That's effectively the size of just the normal SIM contact area.
Apple was just wanting to be clever or it just wanted everyone to be forced to buy new SIMs, either way it's a touch annoying, but with our mighty scissors we can cut them down to size and so can you. SIMples.
How to do it:
Future Publishing Limited provides the information for this project in good faith and makes no representations as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions in this project do so at their own risk.
1. Here's a traditional SIM and its measurements, the only working area is the metal contacts.
Make your own micro sim
2. This is the same SIM with the micro-SIM specifications overlaid. You can use this to trim yours down to size.
Make your own micro sim
3. Here we are cutting our SIM down to size...
Make your own micro sim
4. ...and now it's ready to activate in our shiny new iPad or iPhone 4.
Make your own micro sim
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This post is sponsored byDr Mobiles Limited
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000
Web FaceBook Localist Posterous - Twitter - Blogger - Flicker  - Map - Email Uploaded via Apple iPhone 4!
Why Dr Mobiles Limited?
The only professional repair centre who DOES NOT charge inspection fees on faulty phones.
> No inspection fee at all!
> 1 hour iPhone 4 repair
> Repair while you wait
> Free 30 min parking
> Free loan phone