Mediaboss Marketing

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Nov 27, 2012) - Blurt, the app that lets you record and share 10-second audio updates with the world, launched officially today for iOS and Android mobile devices. With the touch of a button, users can now record, review and share voice messages called "Blurts" privately with friends and family, or publicly with the entire world.

Blurt allows users to express themselves with the authenticity and emotional richness of their own voice. They can quickly and easily bring experiences, such as vacations, birthday celebrations and holidays -- or just everyday happenings -- to life for followers near and far.

"The appeal of Blurt lies in its simplicity and utility," said Blurt co-founder Bob Bayne. "We've purposely limited blurts to 10 seconds in order to keep them clear and concise. Blurt users can tell people what's on their mind, invite friends to a great party, spread news efficiently to a group of people or simply voice their opinions. We're looking forward to hearing all the ways our users share and communicate with each other."

"Blurt is about giving social media users the power of voice and allowing it to enhance their social networking experience," added Blurt co-founder Clark Burgard.

Blurt's features include:

Blurt also provides a platform to help build and promote both commercial and personal brands.For instance, public figures can engage with their fans, and fans know that Blurts are coming straight from the mouths of their favorite personalities, not their social media assistants.

"Social media has been influential in allowing traditional media channels, in particular, to engage with their audiences in a constant, personalized way that once seemed unimaginable," said John McConnell, Head of Strategic Development for Blurt. "Blurt takes text-based social media tools, such as Twitter and Facebook, to the next level by adding the benefit of sound to the relationships between media channels and their viewers, listeners and readers."

Blurt is now available for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Android users, free of cost, in the Apple App Store or in Google Play. For more information about Blurt, please visit http://www.BLURTcast.com.

About Blurt Blurt is the app that lets you record and share 10-second audio updates -- called Blurts -- with the world.Blurt provides authenticity for users and allows them to express emotion to their followers, while brands can also benefit from the app by engaging their audiences and promoting customer loyalty. Developed by the InterNetwork Broadcasting team, which boasts more than 50 years of combined broadcast and social media expertise, Blurt is committed to providing users with the best, easiest-to-use platform to share personal audio updates. Please visit http://www.BLURTcast.com and http://www.InterNetwork.com.

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Blurt App Brings the Authenticity of Sound to Social Networking

Note (er, make that tweet) to job seekers who haven't been on the market lately: Have you updated your social media profiles?

A July survey by e-recruitment firm Jobvite found that 92 percent of recruiters now use social networking in the hunt; 73 percent say they've hired through these channels. And even firms that don't use recruiters will be checking you out online. "Hiring managers are eavesdropping on social media conversations, doing searches on key words, and seeing what is being talked about," says Jeff Lipschultz, founder of the Southlake, Texas-based recruiting firm A-list Solutions. Here's how to shrewdly raise your profile:

Google yourself. Companies and potential contacts will check you out before responding to your request to connect or offering you an interview, and ideally, you want to be found easily. People go online to check out your social credibility, aka people you know in common and interests you share. If you have no presence, or everything is marked private, people "can't get comfortable with you," says social networking expert Tim Tyrell-Smith, who writes "Tim's Strategy," a popular blog. "If you make it hard for me to find you, it is less likely that I will respond to a request," he says.

Get linked in. One place to help you come out of hiding: The professional social network LinkedIn, which will get indexed on Google as long as you allow that setting. "LinkedIn has transformed the extent to which you can cast a wider net and reach people through secondary or third and fourth degrees," says Howard Seidel, a partner at executive career management firm Essex Partners in Boston. Some 75 percent of LinkedIn visitors are college educated, according to advertising technology firm Quantcast. And 27 percent of visitors earn over $100,000 annually.

[Read: 10 Smart Ways to Use Social Media in Your Job Search.]

Before you update your profile, click on settings and turn off notifications. You don't want everyone in your network receiving an email every time you change a comma. And don't just paste in your resume; instead write a brief, interesting introduction to what you do and have done, and how it's relevant to the type of job you want to do.

If you're trying to change careers, executive coach Julie Jansen, author of I Don't Know What I Want But I know It's Not This, suggests strategically asking people for brief recommendations noting your relevant talents and what's so great about you, or to click a button on your profile "endorsing" a particular skill. If you're in IT but want to move into marketing, for example, note some related projects you've done in your spare time, and ask for a recommendation based on them.

Based on your history, the site will suggest people to reach out to, and also prompt some to contact you. Don't accept invitations from people with whom you've had no interaction, experts advise. Could you really ask them for a favor? When you receive updates about people, respond occasionally, advises Jansen. "Then when you need something you're not just appearing out of the blue."

[Read: 8 Ways to Amp Up Your Career Using LinkedIn.]

Consider Twitter. But if you don't have the time--about 15 minutes a day is ideal--it's best not to bother. "If you tweet once or twice and then leave it for weeks, that leaves an impression," says Jansen. You want your Twitter stream to project a unified message as someone who would be good to network with and someone other people can learn from.

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How to Raise Your Social Media Profile

We have been using social networking platforms for over a decade now, and even though the novelty of the concept wore off years ago, social media is still one the most powerful platforms out there. Despite reaching new heights on an almost monthly basis, there is a very real danger that Facebook accounts will start to be deactivated and Twitter profiles closed by their owners: arguably, social media is reaching an all-time low.

There are over 500-million Twitter users and one-billion Facebook users; huge numbers which not only show the global nod of approval for these social platforms but which also show their vast potential. As a social media user, you have the incredible ability to communicate and interact with millions of other users; an unbelievable source of information, enlightenment and a truly exciting prospect for business owners.

With so many users however, things are bound to get a little out of control. Both individuals and businesses are to blame, so are the advertisers, the platform providers and the ignorance and pure ignoring of social platform rules and regulations. And then there is good etiquette, which is becoming non-existent.

Leaving some individuals aside (the ones who post pictures of what theyre having for lunch on a daily basis and refuse to write out their words in full) the incorrect use and maintenance of business pages and accounts can be blamed for the increasing tackiness. Often free of charge, these pages and accounts are created in their millions.

This is where the manhandling part comes in; many businesses are quick to jump at the opportunity of creating a free page, however they do so without much thought. Its vital that they consider their industry and whether it has a relevant place in social media, create the page with a greater strategy in mind and have somebody that can monitor the page on a daily basis to ensure that all comments and queries are responded to with millions of users online with access to the account, things have the potential to escalate and spiral out of control.

If you have a business page, make sure that the bio and information on it is correct, that fresh and relevant content is posted regularly and that you have the manpower and time to monitor its activity. Take a look at the insights and analytics to learn from the successes and failures of your past posts. If you dont have anything useful or insightful to say, dont say anything at all, and essentially, never ever punt your products and services blatantly instead, aim for brand awareness, engagement and interaction with the public, informing them about your products.

Only make use of social advertising if youre using it for a campaign and within a strategy. Dont simply run paid adverts in order to get more followers or fans remember, your success as a page is not determined by the amount of likes or followers that you have, but rather by how many visits your website gets from your Facebook page, how many bookings or queries you receive from/on it and the interaction that the public has with your brand.

Its also vital that you read the platforms terms and conditions, especially if youre going to run a competition; things could go terribly wrong for your brand if you run an illegal promotion and your page is reported or an alarm is sounded publicly.

Whether youre using Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Blogger, Pinterest, Myspace, Tumblr or Foursquare as a business, its important to remember and implement the above guidelines. Social media at its very core is a platform for informal and personal communication; show a different side of your business by being friendly, professional and informative to the public. Be polite, respond eloquently and be considerate; if somebody complains on your page, tackle it head on to prove to them and your critics that you can solve problems rather than erasing them. Alternatively, you could hire a professional digital marketing company to ensure that your page is run smoothly and that it is in line with your brand and current campaign.

Social media users run for the hills the moment they find no fulfilment from their news feeds, are no longer entertained by the people they follow and are manipulated by business advertising. And while personal account holders can also be blamed for their irrelevant updates and constant spamming, social media platforms will start to lose their power if businesses dont start to think out a quality social media strategy. The tacky manhandling of social media (the use of social media without any thought, eloquence or without strategy) is something we should all be aware of as consumers and should actively try to avoid, as both individuals and business page managers.

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Is your business contributing to the tacky manhandling of social media?

A new research program offered by Phoenix Marketing International queries the impact social networking has made on how financial advisors enhance existing client relationships, acquire new clients, collaborate with other financial advisors, and interact with asset management firms.

Rhinebeck, NY (PRWEB) November 27, 2012

Nearly 60% of financial advisors are using social networking in their advisory business. What are the purposes and goals for which advisors are using social networking?

Some major asset managers, particularly Fidelity Investments, are doing an excellent job with their social networking as rated by 200 advisors. However, many firms are lacking a social networking presence at all or are not capitalizing on their opportunities to best market themselves.

What specific kinds of social networking strategies and best practices are top-rated firms using to promote their brands and products? Phoenix will key in on several successful messaging themes observed.

We are extremely excited about the key findings on this important new topic, says John Duggan, Vice President of Business Development. Social networking is a key aspect of any major business today and that is especially true in the financial services industry this report will help enable firms to build and enhance their social media strategies towards financial advisors.

Phoenix Marketing will be hosting a free webinar titled, Social Networking among Financial Advisors: What Asset Managers Need to Know on December 5th at 1pm EST to share the results of this exciting new study. For information and to register for the webinar please click here.

In addition, the full report of this new study includes more specific demographic information of the advisors queried, unique profiles of certain types of social networking FAs, and even more detailed examples of social networking best practices for asset management firms to use as a tool to improve their social networking presence. Other major firms specifically queried in this study include American Funds, Ameriprise, BlackRock, Charles Schwab, Columbia Management, Franklin Templeton, iShares, Jackson National, John Hancock, Lincoln Financial, MetLife, Nationwide, Oppenheimer, PIMCO, PowerShares, Prudential, Scottrade, State Street, Transamerica and Vanguard.

John Duggan Phoenix Marketing International 508-315-6184 Email Information

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Many Financial Advisors Are Utilizing Social Networking For Business Purposes, Yet Not All Asset Managers Are ...

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4rfd8q/global_mobile) has announced the addition of the "Global Mobile Games, Apps & Social Networking- Trends & Forecasts" report to their offering.

The telecom operators are increasingly dependent upon their Value Added Services (VAS) to offset the decline in revenue from their legacy voice services. The VAS services can be classified into basically 2 categories namely, Traditional Voice services which includes Ringtones, SMSs and the Modern Day voice services which is mainly dependent on the data connectivity service modes like WAP, GPRS, MMS etc. The current popular services which are attracting maximum mobile user base include Mobile Gaming, Social Network Sites and Mobile Applications. Nascent stage services like m-commerce, m-health, Mobile TV and Mobile Video etc yet to gain popularity.

This research reports basically summarizes the various aspects of Mobile Gaming, Social Networking Sites and Mobile Applications like Current Scenario, Drivers and Hurdles for these services and the potential revenues, with the implications on Telecom Operators, Content Aggregators, Content Providers, Device Manufacturers etc.

The report is generated through secondary findings available on the internet and the relevant sources of data have been mentioned wherever applicable.

Key Findings:

- The mobile subscriber base is expected to reach around 6.5 billion by 2012 and 7.5 billion by 2015, with Asia-Pacific and Africa region combined expected to contributed around 65% of the total in 2015

- The global mobile revenue is expected to cross $1.5 trillion by 2012, with mobile data expected to contribute around 28% of it

- Smartphones accounted for around 26% of the total mobile handset sales in 2011 and is expected to reach 1,021.8 million units in 2016

- There will be more than 300 billion apps downloaded annually by 2016, approximately more than 10 times the amount that were downloaded in 2011

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Research and Markets: Global Mobile Games, Apps & Social Networking- Trends & Forecasts