 14 traits every successful social media manager should have
Apr 23rd 2015, 11:43
The days of getting by with simple knowledge of how to schedule tweets in advance or research hash tags are long over. Competent social media managers not only need to be on top of current events and trends, they need to understand what works and what doesn't, have an in-depth understanding of multiple channels, and have a vast toolkit for analyzing data.
To find out which skills matter most, I asked 14 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) which must-have traits will make every social media manager successful this year. Their answers are below. Read more...
1. In-person and online social graceMore about Traits, Social Media Manager, Yec, Media, and Social Media
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 The best islands in the world (according to travelers)
Apr 23rd 2015, 11:26
If you love the feel of the ocean — or maybe the taste of champagne — this is the destination list for you.
TripAdvisor this week released its list of the best islands for travelers, including more than 100 islands all around the globe, as part of its Travelers' Choice awards.
The top islands were determined by an algorithm, which took into account both the quantity and quality of reviews for properties on each island over the past 12 months, according to TripAdvisor. Scroll on for the top 10 islands worldwide to see where you'll want to take your next vacation. Read more... More about Travel, Tripadvisor, Destinations, Lifestyle, and Travel Leisure
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 Woman 'disappears' into a hole in the pavement in London
Apr 23rd 2015, 10:43
LONDON — A woman has reportedly fallen into a hole in a pavement on North End Road in London.
The unidentified women was seen "disappearing" by a passerby who posted photos of the hole on Instagram.
Kate Sissons posted several photos of the hole outside the Marrakech Express cafe in Fulham, adding that she'd seen a woman fall into it.
"OMG! Poor woman and pram just disappeared down this hole on North End Rd. She's stuck down there," Sissons said. "It just happened," she added. "Loud scream and all I could see was the pram."
More about Uk, London, and Us World
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 Jimmy Fallon gets Russell Crowe to sing 'Balls in your mouth'
Apr 23rd 2015, 09:04
Earth Day, celebrated on April 22 each year, roughly corresponds to one of the greatest environmental tragedies in recent history — the British Petroleum oil spill, which began on April 20, 2010
To mark the occasion, Jimmy Fallon got Russell Crowe to sing with him on Wednesday's edition of The Tonight Show and show everyone what happens if you try swimming in the polluted waters of the Mexican Gulf. That's right — you get (tar) balls in your mouth
"I think (the song) is great. I think it really gets to the heart of the matter. I think BP should come here, and get down on their knees right in front of you," exclaims Crowe, shortly before he grabs a guitar and joins Fallon in a ballsy rendition of the song Read more... More about Jimmy Fallon, Earth Day, Russell Crowe, and Tar Balls
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 iPet Companion is the 'purrfect' way to play with a real cat online
Apr 23rd 2015, 08:57
You can now play with a cat without having to actually play with a cat.
Chances are that no matter what you're doing right now you'd rather be playing with a cat- unless you're already playing with a cat (in that case, we congratulate you — you're living the dream). For those of us not lucky enough to currently be taking part in some feline playtime, iPet Companion is here to help.
iPet Companion is the new site that let's users play with cats through their computer. To reiterate, you get to interact with live cats through their website without having to leave your computer. Unless you're someone that has no soul or works at a factory that only produces explosions, using iPet Companion is the most fun you can have sitting at your work desk Read more... More about Cats and Watercooler
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 The $400 million home of Ukraine's greatest soccer club is empty
Apr 23rd 2015, 08:33
KIEV, Ukraine — Shakhtar Donetsk has for decades been one of Eastern Europe's premier soccer clubs. It has won Ukraine's premier league five years straight, and it's $400 million Donbass Arena played host to the Euro 2012 championships
But for nearly a year, as war rages in eastern Ukraine, the 50,000 seat stadium has sat empty, damaged by shelling, and the club has been displaced, along with more than 1 million residents of the regions. More than 6,100 others have been killed, many in Donetsk
A picture taken on September 16, 2014 in Donetsk shows the Donbass arena stadium, the home stadium of Shakhtar Donetsk football club, eastern Ukraine. More about Soccer, Us World, Sports, Ukraine, and Kiev
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 After a ruff week, Malcolm Turnbull lets his website go to the dogs
Apr 23rd 2015, 08:24
On Thursday afternoon, many were surprised to find a four-legged guest writer waxing lyrical on the blog of Australia's Communication Minister, Malcolm Turnbull — a known dog lover.
@TurnbullMalcolm at last, a sensible policy advisor
— Mike A.T. Edwards (@mikeATedwards) April 23, 2015
A kelpie named Dusty apparently had some strong views on the National Broadband Network, after the minister and the pup met in the town of Longreach, Queensland
Many pundits have suggested that Turnbull's NBN policies have been going to the dogs for awhile now, so perhaps a little kelpie-magic will do the trick. Read more... More about Dogs, Australia, Us World, and Malcolm Turnbull
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 EU holding an emergency summit on Mediterranean migrant crisis
Apr 23rd 2015, 07:57
European Union leaders are holding an emergency summit Thursday to find ways to tackle the rising numbers of migrants making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean.
More than 800 people drowned in a shipwreck on Saturday off the coast of Libya in the deadliest migrant boat sinking incident ever recorded in the Mediterranean
So far this year, 1750 people have died, while in one week alone 10,000 migrants were rescued from the seas between Italy and Libya
Multiple reports ahead of Thursday's meeting suggested that proposals included plans for a military mandate to destroy the boats used by people smugglers Read more... More about Europe, Italy, Immigration, Us World, and Lampedusa
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 Surprise, surprise: Australians are still pirating 'Game of Thrones'
Apr 23rd 2015, 07:50
Once again, Australians have proven beyond any doubt they are really, really into Game of Thrones.
On April 11, the day before season five of the HBO show was set to air, four leaked episodes began to appear on torrenting sites. Not long after, it seems, Australians began to pirate them.
According to TorrentFreak who shared data from online media analytics company, Tru Optik, Australia was responsible for 3.8% of illegal downloads during the season's first week. Although there were 32 million downloads across 18 million IP-addresses in that period, Australia had the most illegal downloads per capita. Read more... More about Piracy, Australia, Us World, and Game Of Thrones
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 Rare pod of 15 killer whales filmed in Australia
Apr 23rd 2015, 07:46
An Australian fisherman has captured a rare pod of killer whales on his phone.
Luke Burton and his mate were in the company of the beautiful beasts for 15 minutes, while they frolicked playfully alongside their fishing boat in Fog Bay in the Northern Territory. He said the small whales were two-metres in length while the larger ones were up to eight metres. There was also a bottle-nosed dolphin playing between them.
"She was pretty exciting, it got your blood pumping a bit. A bit of adrenalin," Burton told ABC News.
Carol Palmer, a senior scientist at the NT Department of Land Resource Management, in an interview with ABC News said the sighting is only the fourth time killer whales have been spotted in the Northern Territory in the last two years — and the other sightings were pods of roughly six killer whales. Read more... More about Australia, Us World, Videos, and Killer Whales
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 Check your order, Apple has announced it is sending Apple Watches early
Apr 23rd 2015, 07:36
If you are on the May or June list for Apple Watch delivery, we may have good news for you
Apple is sending out watch units prior to the stated delivery date on a bunch of orders. Eagle-eyed Apple obsessives and readers of 9to5Mac noticed their order statuses changing from "processing" to "preparing for shipment," the website reported on Wednesday. The readers also noted they had seen charges for hundreds of dollars being taken from their credit cards.
The launch date is April 24, and many lucky punters may have their watch closer to that date than first expected. The first round of noted delivery dates on order forms is April 24-May 8, and although some of these customers have been moved to "preparing for shipment" status and charged for the watch, others have not Read more... More about Tech, Gadgets, Apple Watch, and Apple. Preorder
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 Google gets some competition in the smartphone translator app space
Apr 23rd 2015, 07:00
It's not often that an app comes along just as you think of needing it, but that's exactly what happened this weekend when I stumbled upon a new app focused on language translation
I was in the middle of showing a friend how well Siri takes dictation in English and Japanese (my input) and French and Spanish (her input) when she asked if there was an app, other than Google's, that automatically translates your dictation in one language into another. I drew a blank. Hours later, I found the answer: Speak and Translate
The app allows you to speak into your iPhone or iPad in one language and automatic have that phrase translated into an audio replay of that phrase in your target language. As with many dictation apps, you need to speak clearly and not too fast, but when you do, the app renders a pretty good result. The app also works for text translations, with options that allow you to seamlessly email or text anything you've translated in the app Read more... More about Apps, Software, Translation, Ios, and Tech
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 Google offers virtual tour of prison where Nelson Mandela was held
Apr 23rd 2015, 05:14
The island prison where Nelson Mandela was held for nearly two decades during South African apartheid is now open for online tourists.
Google has launched a virtual tour of the infamous Robben Island prison colony off the coast of Cape Town, now a UN World Heritage site and one of South Africa's most visited landmarks. Viewers can now roam the drab cells, peek inside the guard towers and soak in the island's history from a computer or smartphone
The maximum security political prison was shuttered in the 1990s and converted into a museum shortly after. At other times in its history, it served as a leper colony and a mental hospital. Mandela, the prison's most famous occupant, spent 18 years behind its bars for his role in opposing Apartheid before going on to become the country's first back president. Read more... More about Google, Us World, and Nelson Mandela
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 Groupon Australia recalls counterfeit, holey Durex condoms
Apr 23rd 2015, 04:15
Dodgy condoms with Durex branding sold on the deals website, Groupon Australia, have been recalled.
The condoms, which include branding of Durex's "Extra Safe," "Thin Feel" and "Performa" product lines, are counterfeit, and may come with serious flaws such as holes in the latex, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) Product Safety Recalls website.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) also put out an alert on Wednesday, advising consumers and health professionals to be wary.
Anyone who bought the products off Groupon between 12 March, 2015 and 10 April, 2015 is told to get rid of them. As the ACCC helpfully points out, the faulty condoms "may not prevent pregnancy or protect users against sexually transmitted diseases." Read more... More about Australia, Groupon, Us World, and Condoms
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 Facebook photo comparing vaccinations to rape prompts severe backlash
Apr 23rd 2015, 03:59
An anti-vaccination group in Australia has been linked to an image posted on social media that compares vaccinations to rape.
The image, posted on Wednesday on a Facebook page related to the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network (AVN), has since been deleted after widespread backlash.
The black and white photo showed a man with his hand covering a woman's mouth and a description: "Forced Penetration: Really- no big deal, if it's just a vaccination needle, and he's a doctor. Do you really 'need' control over your own choices?" Read more... More about Australia, Us World, Vaccination, and Anti Vaccination
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 Google rolls out Box integration, improved videoconferencing
Apr 23rd 2015, 03:53
Google is ramping up its efforts to lure workplaces into using its Chrome browser and Chromebook laptops with a handful of updates.
The tech giant said at its first Chrome Live event on Wednesday that it wants to let companies more closely integrate office-focused services into the Chromebook as part of its Chrome for Work program. Chromebook users will now be able to access files saved on the cloud storage service Box just as they would any other stored file.
The company is also upgrading videoconferencing package, Chromebox for Meetings, to allow for bigger groups of people. The system will include a pan-tilt camera and hardware from Dell, Acer and Hewlett Packard. Read more... More about Google, Chromebook, Tech, and Chrome For Work
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 Why Box is going after startups
Apr 23rd 2015, 03:24
If Box CEO Aaron Levie made one thing clear during the company's second annual developer conference Wednesday it's that startup developers should be paying very close attention to the cloud-based company.
To sweeten the pitch, the company not only unveiled a suite of new developer tools — including a "Developer Edition" of the platform — but announced new partnerships with two venture capital firms, who have pledged $40 million in funding to startups with Box-enabled services.
While startups may seem like an unlikely match for the company, which is still trying to prove it can meet investors' expectations, Box is hoping that powering a new generation of business software startups will strengthen the relationships it already has with its Fortune 500 and other larger business customers Read more... More about Apps, Startups, Business, Tech, and Box
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