Flowtown – Social Media Marketing Application

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Clarence Wooten has done it again. Mr Wooten has taken the location based social networking service 2 The Next Level. Just like he did with his Groupsite service back in 2008. I just watched the video presentation of Mr. Wooten’s newest creation at the TechChrunch Disrupt event in New York City. I am originally from New York so am highly upset that I was not able to attend this years Disrupt especially because Mr. Wooten was presenting.

If you are familiar with location based social networking services like Foresquare and Gowalla then you will definitely understand why Arrived is on point to make noise in this space.

With the Arrived app you can select a place, and add people to notify when you get to the specific location. The people selected can either opt in to be notified or to notify you upon their arrival to that specific location. Combining geo-fencing, auto-checkins, and notifications Arrived wants to provide value consumers without requiring them to change any behavior patterns or check-in.

Here is how Clarence Wooten described “Soft-Plans”

So if you’ve ever said to a friend, “Let’s hang out the next time you’re in town,” raise your hand. Right, a hundred percent. Well you may not have realized it at the time but you were making soft plans, and soft plans are casual plans with no set date and time. They revolve around a place as opposed to a set date and time.

Introducing Arrived, make soft plans and spontaneously meet up when timing is right.

Take a look at the video below and see for yourself. Arrived has all the makings of a social application that can help you keep track of, and organize your day to day event calendar.  Without even trying this app can do more with just one event by merging the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Meetup and Foursquare. What’s event better is that it can keep it all public or got incognito by using its “Pause” feature.

Check out Mr. Wooten’s comment about “Arrivalytics”

So we created Arrivalytics. Arrivalytics is our proprietary recommendations algorithm that leverages machine learning to analyze your sociograph and make Arrival recommendations, based upon the shared interests, locations and travel pattern of people in the network. We think this is big. The reason it’s big, is because there’s not a technology that exists today that will help you manufacture serendipity, bring you face to face with people in your network when both time and place right.

All in all I am looking forward to using this app once it is officially released.  All the best with your new venture Mr. Wooten and continue to be one of the leaders in taking business 2 The Next Level using technology.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Hey My Solos, I found this great site that will help you create your own QR Codes for your business.

What is a QR-Code and how does it work?
QR stands for Quick Response Code.
A QR-Code is a two-dimensional code, which can be read by cell phones cameras using a small software (QR reader). The QR-Code is photographed with the camera of your phone, and the reader software interprets the code and asks if you want to connect to the internet. After confirmation, the internet connection is established and you get on the desired website.

What is the advantage of QR-Codes?
The tedious typing a URL, for example of an ad or a poster is not longer necessary. Use the QR-Code for example on business cards, t-shirts, flyers or posters. Or place the QR-Code on press reports (preferably with the shorturl you also get one-click). Look for example on Flickr, YouTube or in the image search for the many examples around the world, where QR-codes are widely used.

What is special about the QR-Codes from QR.net?
With QR.net the QR-Codes refers to a short forwarding address (shorturl), which in turn redirects to your target URL. This has two advantages: First, you will receive a detailed statistics for your QR-code. So you can view how often your QR-code was used. Second, it hast to be encoded in the QR-code less content and therefore the graphics are less complex. This has advantages if you print your QR-code in small size. You can put next to the QR-code in addition the shorturl (“Scan QR-Code or use http://qr.net/example”. The statistics includes both, the views of scanned QR-Codes as well as from the shorturl.

What do I need to use these QR codes?
Most mobile phones and PDAs already have a suitable camera and a web browser that allows the use of QR-codes. A little recognition software (a so-called QR-Reader), reads the code which is not interpretable for the human eye. If a QR-Reader is not already installed on your mobile phone, i can be freely downloaded and installed from the internet (eg search on Google for “QR Code Reader”).

Take a look at the videos below that will give you more information on how to use QR codes and give me some feed back on how you would use them in the comments below.

All the best

JB

.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Apple iPad users beware, there is a new kid about to be on the block from Google and Motorola. The Tablet wars are about to take place for the Christmas holiday season. The first threat to the dominance of the iPad took place just about a month ago when T-mobile became the first to carry the Samsung Galaxy Tablet. Verizon and Sprint followed with their own launch of the Galaxy Tab days later.

The Galaxy Tab did not sell as big as the iPad when it debuted but it has impressed many of those who made the purchase. I debated on snatching one up myself when I looked at the Galaxy Tab for the first time at my T-mobile carrier. I too was impressed with both the size and the features. It was the price that kept me from purchasing it. The 399.00 price was still a little too steep for me. Let one of these babies get to under the $300.00 mark and I am SOOOOO There..;-)

Google has now launched the Chrome OS and the newest version of Android 2.3 “Gingerbread” is due to come out by the end of this month, if not sooner. Take a look at the video below and be one of the first to see the new Motorola Android device due out very soon.

So what say you, when it comes to these new Tablet devices. Have they made you get off the fence when it comes to choosing one of them over the Apple iPad? Or are you waiting patiently for iPad 2 to make its debut in the near future?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Does everyone remember this commercial from Motorola that aired almost a year ago?

The Motoroal CLIQ was dubbed the fist smart phone with Social Skills.  I was so excited in getting this phone I wrote an extensive blog post about it. ( Santa Brought Me A Smart Phone) Little did I know that purchasing this phone would come with some not so good strings attached.

The main string being that the phone would not be able to have a software upgrade until the first quarter of 2010.
Well that quarter has come and gone an still no upgrade. Here is the official Motorola Android Software Upgrade News

Why is this upgrade important you may ask? Well just like software upgrades for your computer, upgrades for your phone will allow you to have all the new features that come with that upgrade. My Motorola CLIQ is currently on Android version 1.5. The newest version of Android is version 2.2. Google has long released this version and many other Android phones have taken advantage of its use.

One of the main reasons I am frustrated about not having the upgrade is that there are many Android applications that are not available to me. These application are written for Android version 2.1 or higher. These applications are not even listed in the Android application Marketplace on my 1.5 phone.

So what is the hold up you may also be asking? Well thats just it. Motorola is the hold up.

My cell phone carrier cannot force Motorola to release the upgrade. Google cannot force Motorola to release the upgrade.  The upgrade has to come from the manufacture in this case and that responsibility lies solely on Motorola.

So hear is my video Rant.

Please forgive the video quality. I made that via Facebooks video with my web cam.

What makes this situation even more frustrating is the fact that I may have to take this matter into my own hands and look to upgrade my phone manually.  I have since contacted some pretty savvy Android developers via Twitter, who have already upgraded their Motorola CLIQ’s themselves. These guys have even created some Youtube videos that give you step by step directions on how to do it yourself.

Do I want to manually upgrade my own phone and risk doing something wrong and hence damaging the phone for good? Of course not. So I have given myself till the end of the month to either have one of these Android developers upgrade the phone for me or go and get another phone that will already have the Android 2.2 software installed like the HTC G2.

So, my Solo’s, the lesson in this is to choose your smart phone wisely. Make sure you find out what the software upgrade capabilities are before you make the purchase. I will look to do a follow up post on this matter as I go through the dilemma of getting this upgrade to my cell phone.

All the best

JB

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Do you have a 3G/4G USB aircard? I have been debating for a minute on how I can justify getting a wireless aircard to allow me to have Internet service in places where I cannot get free Wifi. My cell phone carrier has a web connect plan that I was considering very seriously. This T-mobile plan costs about $49.00 per month and that’s after having to purchase the USB aircard stick for my laptop.

Tethering

I heard this term about 3 or so years ago from a friend of mine who used to get Free Internet access through his cell phone that allowed him to surf the net on his laptop.  Back then you had to be very careful in trying to create a tethering hack for your cellphone. First off, you could void the contract of your carrier by doing it and second, you could run up a huge phone bill by adding onto the minutes of your data plan.

Android and T-mobile

In doing some research I found out that there were many cell phone carriers that allowed tethering using the Android operating system but my carrier, T-mobile, was not one of them.  I finally found a software company that had just released an Android app that was said to work with my carrier.

PdaNet

June Fabrics Technology, Inc. had already created PdaNet–tethering software applications for Windows Mobile phones, Palm OS phones and iPhones. I was elated that they also had one for Android. But would it work with T-mobile? After a small download of the software on my laptop and then my cell phone, I was up and running.

The Test

My first chance to use this PdaNet tethering software came during a lunch meeting with a potential client.  The meeting location did not have Wifi and part of my presentation needed Internet access to show off some of the WordPress blogsites I had created.  I was at risk of not being able to close the deal due to the lack of a connection to the net.

Tetheriffic

Not only did I have access to the Internet for the close of my presentation but I was amazed at how fast the 3G speed was in the downloading of all the graphics from some of the blogsites I had displayed on my laptop. My client was pleased with what he saw and said that he was impressed with how I used my cellphone to help ink the deal.

Tale of the tethering tape

PdaNet has two versions of its software application for Android phones. There is a Free version and a Paid version. The only difference with the Paid version is that you get to see secure websites. So if you have to pay a bill via a banking website or purchase something from an ecommerce website, you might have some problems if you go the Free route.  I have not had a need to upgrade to the paid version at this time, but I do believe that the $23.95 one-time price would be well worth it. It has already saved me money in not having to get an extra monthly web connect plan from my cell phone carrier.

Have you ever tethered your cell phone to get Internet access for your laptop? As Solopreneurs we need to be able to save every penny we take in, so tethering could really make a difference in one’s bottom line.  Let me know your thoughts on it.

All the best,

JB

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

First of all, I want to congratulate the Who DAT Nation for winning their first Super Bowl. With that said I have to give my review of some of the Super Bowl Ads.  Ok if you didn’t know it I am a man and I have to say some of the ads were quite sexist to say the least. I won’t harp on how tired the Godaddy ads have been getting but from what the business model say they have been effective.  The the two ads I am going to focus on are both sexy and sweet. These two ads made the most impression on me because they were done with both the audience in mind as well as the audience at large.

The Audience in the Mind of a Male

The first ad was the Motorola MOTO Blur Ad featuring Megan Fox.  Ok now for the disclaimer.. I own a Motorola MOTO Blur phone but I am not being paid for this review…  This ad used the popularity of Megan Fox’s sexuality to bring a point home on what would happen if she were to send out a picture of herself taking a simple bubble bath.  If you have not seen the ad please take a look below and then read on.

This ad uses humor and the power of a man’s imagination run wild. I watched this ad with my wife and we both laughed and agreed that it was very effective. Now here comes the tech part. At the same time of this ad’s airing, I got a text from, who esle Motorola on why I should go to their website to watch the rest of the commercial. I then went to http://www.motorola.com/super-bowl and saw the rest of the ad and I laughed even harder.  This ad was built for the audience in mind which for the most part was primarily male. If Motorola was smart they would be quick to hire Megan Fox to be the MOTO Blur spokes person and do a series of ads that play off this same idea.

The Audience at Large brings Love

Google did an excellent job of not only promoting their search engine but it told a story of how to use Google search to find love. Please view the video below if you have not seen the commercial and then read on.

This ad helped us learn how to use Google search while in Paris. In this case the user wanted to impress a girl who thought the user was cute.  This ad clearly connected to both male and especially female viewers or the audience at large.  I thought this ad was very effective in not only telling but showing  us why we should use Google as our main search tool.  Google has a series of videos called Google Search Stories. Parisian Love was shown on Youtube over 2 months ago and  just repacked by Google just in time for the Super Bowl.  It is now the most viewed of the series at just over 2 million views.

And the Winner Is….

Even though I am a big Motorola fan, I am going to have to go with Google on this one.  Goolge’s ad was more appealing to a much larger audience.  It not only told the story,  it showed you how to use their service and even better why you should use their service.  It was one of the most low budget yet highly effective ways to produce a Super Bowl ad.  All Google needed was a screen capture software, some music and a few sound effects. Motorola on the other hand had to pay for the services of all the actors plus pay Megan Fox. Google can clearly reuse this ad over and over again like it did for the Super Bowl and it will still have just about the same effectiveness.

Although I picked Google over Motorola, I am a MAN and have to say that I look forward to the next series of MOTO Blur ads featuring Megan Fox.. There I said it.. I will now sit my sexist self down…;-)

No offense to the Colts and the Saints but I clearly had more fun watching the Super Bowl Ads this year.

What was your favorite ad?

All the best

JB

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ok the reviews are all in and the iPad has impressed us all when it was finally unveiled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 27th. All the hype finally came to an end when Mr. Jobs gave a run down of all the great features the iPad has to offer its users. I was just as impressed with many of the specs of this long awaited device.  I have read many reviews that were Good, Bad and even down right Ugly when it comes to the iPad, so here is my take on those reviews.

The iGood
iPad reviewed by Ben Parr of Mashable.
Apple iPad: A Comprehensive Guide

This review is the most comprehensive of the reviews I read. It is very detailed and well thought out. Ben does a great job of first giving an overview of the iPad by showing the introduction video that is also featured on the Apple website.  Ben goes on by breaking down all the specifications of the iPad. He then gives you the pricing, the availability, the closest competitors to the iPad and then finally what the iPad lacks.

Please click here to see Ben’s full review of the iPad.

The iBad
iPad reviewed by Bianca Bosker of The Huffington Post.
Apple iPad Review (PHOTOS): 9 Worst Things About The Apple Tablet

This review gives you a breakdown of all the things that are not so good about the iPad. I like this review because it uses pictures to tell the story of why you may want to think twice before you run out and pre order the iPad. It starts with the fact that Apple chose to name their new device iPad instead of one of the rumored names like  iTablet or iSlate. This review then goes on to criticize all of the many things wrong with the iPad that include the lack of mutitasking, a camera, flash capability and a USB port just to name of few. I thought this review was very creative in bringing more attention to the weaknesses of the iPad.

Please click here to see Bianca’s full review of the iPad.

The iUgly
iPad reviewd by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.
iPad v. A Rock

This was the funniest review and the most harsh, hence “The iUgly” term used.  Michael goes so far as to compare the iPad to an actual Rock.  Even though this review makes fun of all the things the iPad does not do, it gives  you a cut and dry understanding of why we should not have played into all the hype.  And get this, the  rock almost wins in this side by side comparison.

Click here to see the full story.

The Verdict

When first hearing about and then seeing all the cool stuff the iPad could do I was convinced this device would be the first Apple product I would choose to own. Unfortunately after then hearing about all the things the iPad could not do, I am going to give it a PASS for the wish list this Christmas. Their were a couple of deal breakers but the ones that sealed it were the lack of USB and SD ports on the device without an adapter or docking station, the lack of multitasking and the lack of compatibility with the T-mobile 3G network. I just signed up for T-mobile and even though the iPad is sold unlocked it will not connect to my cell phone carrier. I guess I will have to wait for the iPad II or see what the HP Slate has to offer when it debuts some time this year.

Will you, get an Apple iPad?

If so please let us know why.

All the best

JB

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

I recently purchased my first Android application for my Motorola CLIQ. I have only owned my new smart phone since this past Christmas and I am discovering more ways to use it every day.  I have been filling up my phone with all kinds of free applications like SportsTap, Pandora and Foursquare. I was motivated to buy scanR to help me overcome of one of my all time vices. When I go to networking events–and yes, people still go to face-to-face networking events–I collect a lot of business cards. A LOT. I then bring those business cards back to my home office and proceed to put them in a card box that is marked “data entry”. Well, I have about 20 of these card boxes in my space, filled with business cards from the past. Some I have put into my database, but others are just waiting… and waiting… and waiting some more. Am I alone on this one?

Well, since finding scanR for my Android-powered phone, I don’t have this problem any longer. Developed by a privately-held company headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, scanR lets you use your camera phone to scan, print and fax, turning your paper documents and whiteboards into useful digital information. I am now currently going through hundreds of business cards, first scanning them and then throwing them away.

Not long ago I went to a local networking event and challenged myself to not collect a business card from anyone.  All I did was was take momentary possession of the cards to scan and take a picture of them using scanR. Then I handed them back their owners. Afterward, I went back to my office and downloaded the business card information gathered and the pictures, and then imported it all into my CRM database. Wow!

With this app at my disposal, I’m striving toward no longer carrying around even my own business card.  With scanR all I now have to do is scan my own business card and if someone wants it, I can share it via email or fax. That business card would come to the intended recipient via email as a text editable PDF file, at the ready for you to cut and past into your own database.

So perhaps you now see why I made this application my first purchase.  $4.99 per month or $28.90 per year for an unlimited amount of scans is worth my not getting buried alive under the well-meaning yet treacherous mountain of business cards that I still need to gradually tackle and tame.

The only things I don’t like about scanR are that you cannot share the scans with social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. It’s claimed that you can share it with Plaxo, but even though I have it set up on my scanR account, I haven’t seen that it’s completely working yet. There is also no direct integration with any CRM or Database Management System. Pity.

My good friend and Personal Productivity Expert, Peggy Duncan, will be very proud of me. She stresses having less clutter and more systems in place to stay more productive and to stop wasting time. Well, now I am getting rid of the clutter and have a system in place for my business cards that will make me more productive, give me back more time in my day and even save some trees.

What was one of the first smart phone applications that you purchased, and why?

Does that application save you time and/or money?

How many applications have you purchased over the last weeks, months or year?

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

It has been 4 long years since I had the ability to call my cell phone anything but smart. Today I was fortunate enough to be given a brand new smart phone. Why does it seem such a surprise it has taken me this long to finally get with the program and get one of these remarkable devices.  Well, without going into detail I guess I was waiting for just the right one to come along and give me everything I ever wanted in a smart phone.  Believe me it was a long and drawn out quest to find this phone.

I like most of you toyed with the idea of going First Fruit Phone but I have been a PC man for so long I just new there was something out there for folks like myself.  Then came HTC and the Android operating system by Google and I was hooked. HTC came out with so many great looking phones to rival the First Fruit of Phones and the Android operating made me take notice even more. The HTC G1 was a  huge draw to me and I was 2 minutes from jumping into the deep end of the smart water pool when that first G-phone just looked so darn bulky and down right ugly compared to Mom’s Pie Phone.

It finally took an oldie but goodie cell phone manufacture to get me back. Motorola, king of the cell  phones back in the 80′s. Did you know that In 1969, Neil Armstrong spoke the famous words “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” from the Moon on a Motorola Radio? And who could forget the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, AKA the “Brick Phone”.

Well Motorola is back with a vengeance and it has taken their new Android powered phone the CLIQ with MotoBlur to bring me back into the smart phone fold for good. Please see my blog post “Social Media Meets Motorola MOTOBLUR” for additional information on this spectacular smart phone.

This Christmas Santa brought me a smart phone that can connect me to my social media network without missing a beat. I watched my first Youtube video, downloaded my first smart phone application, updated my status on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin all while I chatted via Google Talk with two of my best friends.

Motorola I solute you for bringing me back to life when it comes to mobile technology.

All the best and Happy Holidays

JB

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.