Mediaboss Marketing

Social media agency Maximize Social Media LLC announced its social media marketing program today for Lasik surgeons, providing marketing support for Lasik practices nationwide. The firm will offer complete management of top social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 12, 2012

Lasik practices have a tremendous opportunity to generate new business and referrals through social media. Sites like Facebook give Lasik practices a platform to connect with prospects and clients, and generate referral business. Additionally, happy patients can post their success stories on social media, which generates outstanding word-of-mouth exposure, said Craig Collins, Sr. Vice President of Maximize Social Media LLC.

Maximize will also optimize the Google Plus Local listing for local businesses to achieve Google page one ranking. This enables businesses like Lasik practices to gain visibility in front of potential clients that are actively searching Google for the services in their local area.

Maximize Social Media provides full social media management services in over 50 different verticals. The agency will fully integrate all aspects of social media for businesses that will find it more affordable to outsource the management rather than hire additional staff. Maximize provides both ad management, which will allow the businesses to target specific demographics, as well as daily engagement by a dedicated social media manager.

Lasik pratices as well as their advertising agencies are invited to contact Maximize Social Media for a no obligation consultation at:

http://maximizesocialmedia.com/strategysession

About Maximize Social Media LLC

Maximize Social Media (http://maximizesocialmedia.com) is a leading provider of social media management services for clients in over 50 different verticals. With offices in Florida and Los Angeles, Maximize provides social media consulting and Facebook advertising management for clients in English speaking countries such as the US, Canada, and Australia. The company also features social media management outsourcing for busy social media mangers looking for additional assistance on a white label basis.

Chris McLaughlin, CEO Maximize Social Media LLC (866) 825-1357 Email Information

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Lasik Social Media Marketing Program Offered by Social Media Agency Maximize Social Media LLC

THURSDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Social media can be used to help convince young adults to use condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, a new study finds.

Researchers enrolled online networks of friends who were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a "control" group.

The 942 participants in the intervention group signed up to "like" and receive news from Just/Us, a Facebook community created to promote sexual health. The site featured weekly discussions about topics such as condom use, talking with partners about sexual history, and how to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, there were daily updates in the form of video links, quizzes, blogs and discussion threads.

The 636 people in the control group, called 18-24 News, shared general news of interest to 18- to 24-year-olds.

Two months after taking part in the social networking groups, 68 percent of those in the Just/Us group reported using a condom the last time they had sex, compared with 56 percent of those in the 18-24 News group. The rate of condom use during sex in the previous two months was 63 percent in the Just/Us group and 57 percent in the 18-24 News group, the investigators found.

However, the effects seen in the Just/Us group faded over time and there were no differences between the two groups at the six-month follow-up, according to the report published in the November issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"The use of social media to influence sexual risk behavior in the short term is novel. It is a first step in considering how to reach the overwhelming numbers of youth online, and how to maximize approaches to technology-based interventions," lead investigator Sheana Bull, of the Colorado School of Public Health's University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, said in a journal news release.

The author of an accompanying commentary, Dr. Nathan Cobb, from the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at the American Legacy Foundation in Washington D.C., agreed that this use of social media was a step in the right direction. "For health-behavior change intervention designers, Facebook offers something unprecedented -- direct access to an individual's social network, in real time, and without the need for tedious network enumeration by participants," he wrote.

"However, such approaches require multidisciplinary teams that include social media specialists, marketers, and software developers as equal partners in design and intervention development. Building such teams will undoubtedly require changes to traditional funding and development models, but the potential is too large to be ignored or minimized," Cobb added.

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Social Media Could Boost Condom Use, Study Suggests

By Jamie Lendino

Not feeling the cord-cutting craze? From live sports and 24-hour news to a vast array of premium channels, most Americans are staying with cable or satellite TV for now. The problem is, aside from the lack of la carte channel options, TV providers also make it exceptionally difficult to watch the programming you pay for from computers and mobile devices. Enter the venerable Slingbox, which since 2005 has made it easy to "place-shift" live TV and recorded DVR content, letting you watch it on any device over the Internet when you're away from home.

Now, after a four-year hiatus, Sling Media is back with the Slingbox 500 ($299.99 direct), its first consumer product since the Slingbox Pro-HD and the somewhat misguided SlingCatcher. With the 500, the Slingbox finally includes features many fans have been clamoring for, such as full 1080p streaming and Wi-Fi support. In an age of direct Internet streaming services, parts of the way the Slingbox 500 works are beginning to feel quite dated. But if you want to get the most out of your cable or satellite TV subscription, the Slingbox 500 remains a great way to stream live TV and recorded DVR content to any of your computers or mobile devices, at home or on the go.

Design, Connections, and SetupWith its twisted design, the Slingbox 500 looks kind of like an inspired piece of modern art. It's made entirely of matte black plastic with a textured finish that feels durable and scratch resistant.As a coworker commented, it's no longer flat on top, so people won't be putting stuff on top and watching their Slingboxes overheat, which used to happen with the older models.

In the package, you get lots of goodies. Aside from the Slingbox itself, there's a small remote control, an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, component and composite video cables, a pair of stereo RCA audio cables, an Ethernet cable, and a printed instruction manual.The HDMI port seems like an exciting addition at first, but thanks to encryption issues from the TV providers, it only passes through regular TV and basic cable channels like USA HD. To get around this problem, Sling Media recommends a simultaneous HDMI and component audio and video cable setup; I ended up testing with the component connection.

The Slingbox 500 also includes an internal IR blaster for controlling your cable-company-issued set-top box. This means you don't have to fiddle with the little plastic external one on a wire, as you did with older models. Sling Media says the blaster is strong enough to bounce off the walls and hit the sensor on the set-top box. If that doesn't work in your setup, the company still includes the old IR blaster on a wire in case you need it.

I tested the Slingbox 500 with a Dish Network Hopper DVR and a Samsung HDTV. From the back of the Dish Hopper, I ran both HDMI and the five component A/V cables from the output jacks to the inputs on the Slingbox 500. Then out from the Slingbox 500, I connected the existing HDMI cable (from the Dish Hopper) to the back of the TV. The Slingbox 500 took about two minutes to boot for the first time; it installed a software update during this time, which I assume was already on the Slingbox, because I hadn't yet connected it to a network.

You can connect to 802.11b/g/n networks on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz channel. I added the Slingbox 500 to our test WPA2-encrypted 5GHz network without issue, and then picked up the new remote to control the Slingbox's new TV interface. After inputting my location and zip code, the unit scanned the connected inputs and asked about our service provider, for which I selected Dish New York. It already had the Dish Hopper in its set-top box database and loaded the appropriate remote control layout. I tested the programmed remote buttons as directed, and everything worked properly from the Slingbox remote. I had no problem bringing up the menu and channel guide, switching channels, and powering the Hopper off or onand that was without using the external blaster cable, and while standing in front of both devices.

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Sling Media Slingbox 500

The new application programming interface is intended to let developers integrate social features directly into the browser, though it doesn't sound like it's ready for prime time yet.

Firefox is going social, at least in a tentative sort of way.

Mozilla announced today that its Firefox Beta for Windows, Mac, and Linux will support Social API, a framework designed to let developers integrate social-networking features directly into the browser. Mozilla was quick to point out that the Social API support is "preliminary" at this point, suggesting it isn't fully baked and ready for prime time.

Mozilla didn't offer many details on how the social features might be integrated into the browser. It did say that it envisions developers allowing the browser's users to "to keep up with friends and family anywhere you go on the Web without having to open a new Web page or switch between tabs."

Mozilla may not be waxing prolix about its social-browser plans here, but its previous steps in this direction give you a sense of where it might be going. Last year around this time, Mozilla launched Firefox Share, a browser add-on that made it possible to share out links to Twitter, Facebook or Gmail directly from the browser -- i.e., without needing to visit those sites directly.

Share, in turn, built on Mozilla's earlier, failed link-sharing add-on F1. Similarly, other "social" browsers like Flock and Rockmelt have integrated social functions directly. The Rockmelt browser, for instance, supports built-in chat, link sharing, reading recommendations from your social-network "friends," and access to newstreams from Twitter, Facebook and other services.

Social API is presumably aiming for something similar, though Mozilla says it doesn't expect the new interface to be limited to social uses. The organization hopes e-mail providers, news outlets, and financial sites will also use the interface to integrate their own features into the browser.

Mozilla will start testing the Social API "soon" and will open it up to Firefox Beta testings in the coming weeks. The first implementation will involve integration of Facebook Messenger, which will presumably allow users to send and receive Facebook messages without having to visit facebook.com.

A new version of Mozilla's browser, Firefox 16, was re-released yesterday, one day after the company yanked the software to address security flaws.

Originally posted here:
Firefox Beta adds 'preliminary support' for Social API

Series note: The Storm conducted exit interviews on Oct. 4, giving me the opportunity to ask players everything from views on their season to fashion and hair tips. I'll post conversations from each in the upcoming days. Centers Ewelina Kobryn (Poland) and Ann Wauters (Belgium) won't be featured due to their quick return home. Here's a conversation with forward Svetlana Abrosimova. A member of the 2010 Storm championship team, Abrosimova was re-signed in June after being cut from her Russian national team. She had a smaller role as a reserve in 2012, which decreased further after spraining her wrist toward the end of the regular-season. She averaged 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 19 games this season. During the playoff series against Minnesota, she averaged 3.5 minutes.

Q: You went to the Madonna concert (Oct. 3)? Abrosimova: Yeah, it's a good thing they know me here (KeyArena). My ticket didn't (scan correctly). But security recognized me and let me in.

Q: Are you a big fan of hers? Abrosimova: Not a big fan, but in Russia, growing up you listen to Madonna and Michael Jackson. I kept missing her concerts. She had one in my hometown (St. Petersburg), it was an open-air concert, and I missed it. And I almost missed last night.

Q: You've done year-round play, how are you physically? Abrosimova: I don't do year-round anymore. I'm great. Whenever I get my wrist back to normal, I'll be good to go. I have two months before I have to report (to Dynamo Moscow). I didn't play much in the playoffs, so I'm not as banged up as the other girls, obviously. So, I actually feel good.

Q: You had a weird year even before joining the Storm, how do you look back on everything that's happened? Abrosimova: Obviously the whole thing with the Olympics, when it started, it was extremely tough. It was probably the lowest point of my career because of how I felt; you feel like people don't respect you anymore, people don't want you anymore and they took away your dream. I was hurting a lot and obviously I was happy (Storm coach) Brian (Agler) started talking to me. Coming here, it made me work through things instead of sitting at home and thinking about it or feeling sorry for myself or any other thoughts. You never know how the process works. It was good to be here (during the Olympic break) training camp with no games, working hard while the other girls were doing the Olympic thing. It definitely helped me as a person, as a player.

Q: Really? Abrosimova: Just to keep doing what you love. It doesn't matter what other people take away from you, you can still get better and I was in a good situation with players who wanted to get better and work hard. When the (WNBA) games started, unfortunately players were getting hurt, so I was getting more (playing) time. I did feel like I was back in the game and feeling normal game after game, getting my timing back. Obviously two years ago we won a championship and everything was great. This year was a completely different story. A lot of missed shots at the end. A lot of injuries. It makes you appreciate the other year more. But at the same time, by going through tough things here, you get closer to the team. Seattle means more now because it wasn't just that easy. (My) first year, you kind of got lucky. People say it was just one of those seasons. So, yeah, I was there only one year but now it's the second year and we fought through a lot of things. You see how an organization works when it's tough. It makes me feel like I'm even more part of the team. You know what I mean?

Q: Yes. You're also a free agent. You say you feel closer, so is there that want to come back here? Abrosimova: I'm still emotional. I felt like I could have done more to help the team, especially since people were playing with injuries. So, I can't say I'm overly happy with my personal season, how I played. But it is my team. I love my team. I love the girls. I just need time to think. And I'm sure what coach's...they're not offering me a contract tomorrow. They have to think about direction -- new players, younger players -- but it is a possibility.

Q: Is it like it was after the 2010 title? If you do come to the conclusion that you want to play, it would only be in Seattle? Abrosimova: I don't know. I can't be that sure.

Q: Since you were here before, how have you seen Camille Little grow? Abrosimova: She was the only player this year who was always there in every practice. She didn't get hurt. She was that cornerstone of the team. There's Sue (Bird) and Lauren (Jackson), obviously, but Camille? The way she played and she was undersized than most players was like, 'Wow, she's really good.' Her defense is amazing. That's all the things that everybody knows. I'm not telling you anything new. But to have at least one person who was there the whole time and being in every drill and every practice. Because sometimes it's hard when coach is trying to save players or let them heal their injuries. They're on the team, but they're not practicing because they can't. So, it's tough to work in practice and then go on the court and all of a sudden you have different players coming in. But Camille was always there so you felt comfortable.

Q: Do you think the league knows enough about Camille? Abrosimova: I don't think so. I don't think (the WNBA) appreciates her as much as they should. It's like the league chooses these players and they follow them all the way through their career and it's hard to get in that mix, to bring in somebody from the outside of that. Same with Tanisha (Wright). It's one of those things, it's life. You can be a great person or be extremely smart but never get a good job and never get paid. What are you going to do? You play hard, you work hard, you win championships. That's how you prove you're the best or you're one of the best people. All that outside stuff, it doesn't matter.

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Storm Exit Interviews: The word from Svetlana Abrosimova