Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Working on a ‘Dislike’ Button

Posted by & filed under FaceBook, industry analysis, media, Sentiment Analysis, social impacts, Social Media.

Description: Facebook is finally going to do it — it’s finally going to make a “Dislike” button. Source: CNN Money Date: Sept 15th, 2015 The format of the button is still unclear, but the company has been working on the concept for a while and expects to roll it out soon. Read More Questions for discussion: 1.  What is… Read more »

McDonald’s, Shazam Collab to Launch ‘Bean Scenes’ at Toronto International Film Festival

Posted by & filed under Advertisement, app, branding, marketing, media, Shazam, smartphones, social tv, streaming video.

Description:McDonald’s is partnering with Shazam to launch a unique initiative at the the Toronto International Film Festival. Source: Tech Vibes Date: Sept 11th, 2015 It’s TIFF’s 40th year and McDonald’s fourth year as the “official coffee” of the event. The quick-service behemoth is using Shazam, the music-identifying app, as part of its promotion. Read More Questions for… Read more »

Facebook’s WhatsApp Hits 900 Million Active Monthly Users

Posted by & filed under app, business models, industry analysis, media, national culture, smartphones, social impacts, telecomunications.

Description: Google is setting itself up to own the entire mobile experience, with the launch of its new wireless carrier Project Fi. Source: CNET Date: Sept 3, 2015 Messaging app WhatsApp keeps growing more popular with users each month. The Facebook-owned app, which is used by people around the world to send texts without paying carrier fees,… Read more »

Facetune: Like Photoshop For Your Phone

Posted by & filed under app, e-payment, Ecommerce, media, Personalization, smartphones, social impacts, Social Media.

Description: The “Facetune” app allows you to edit your selfies like a pro! Source: CNN Money Date: April 24, 2015 Questions for discussion: 1. Do you take and post a lot of selfies on social media? Why or why not? 2. Do you use any type of photoshopping on your photos? Would you if you had access… Read more »

With Quickie, Make A Quick 5-Second Video Call With Your Friends

Posted by & filed under app, Apple, business models, media, smartphones, telecomunications, video.

Description: Quickie, A new iOS video chatting app, is hoping to rival FaceTime. Source: Tech Crunch Date: April 17, 2015 Meet Quickie, a nifty little iOS app to make 1-on-1 video calls that automatically end after a few seconds. You might use Quickie to tell a joke to a friend or say good morning to your partner for example…. Read more »

To Become a Grown-up Business, YOUTUBE Needs to Attract Grown-up Viewers

Posted by & filed under branding, business models, data analytics, Ecommerce, media, revenue model, social tv, streaming music, streaming video, user habits, video, YouTube.

Description: Claiming to only “break-even” last year, YouTube must find a way to increase profits. Source: Fast Company Date: February 26, 2015 The online video platform remains unprofitable, despite an audience of billions. Read More Questions for discussion: 1. Do you regularly watch YouTube videos? 2. What do you think YouTube could do to boost adult viewership?

Next Big Thing: TV Airwaves: Moving TV Out, Mobile In

Posted by & filed under Analytics, bandwidth, data analytics, industry analysis, media, national culture, programming, revenue model, social impacts, social tv, streaming video, television, user habits, wireless networks.

Description: The way we watch TV is changing and the FCC is offering cash incentives to broadcast stations to give up their airwaves in order to allow for the switch to mobile. Source: CNET Date: February 20, 2015   Brian Cooley discusses why wireless carriers are chomping at the bit to buy available TV broadcast spectrum in… Read more »

Are Apps Making In-Person Dating Harder?

Posted by & filed under addiction, app, business models, industry analysis, iphone, media, national culture, online dating, smartphones, social impacts, Social Media.

Description: The reality of dating is changing. Singles are no longer meeting in bars, they are meeting behind smartphone screens. Source: CNN Money Date: February 13, 2015 Questions for Discussion: 1. Have you signed up for any dating apps? Have you had any success on them? 2. Do you have any dating app “horror” stories?

Snapchat Outgrows The Friend Zone

Posted by & filed under app, business models, media, peer file sharing, smartphones, Social Media, telecomunications, user habits.

Description: Snapchat’s new update eliminates the “Best Friends” feature while introducing a new “Discover” feature. Source: Tech Crunch Date: January 29, 2015   Discover is Snapchat’s big new play in the world of media. It’s a special tab in the app powered by content publishers like ESPN, Yahoo, etc., offering daily long-form content with videos, articles and,… Read more »