Summer is officially here, and this summer happens to be an extra special season for billions around the world. This is the summer of the 2012 Olympics in London, a time where countries join together to compete for metals, not land or oil. The Olympic Games have always induced inexplicable nationalism around the world, and this year that nationalism is sure to flourish in this age of social media.  Unlike previous summer games, the 2012 Olympics will be tweeted, tubed and tumbld, all in real time, giving a whole new meaning to instant inside access.

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Whether you’re using Google+ or not, we can all agree on one thing: the recent makeover that Google’s social network has received is simply beautiful. Not to single out a specific network, but Facebook has a history of implementing design changes that both frustrate and annoy users at first. It isn’t until several weeks have passed, and users have spent time adjusting to the new design, that we see the benefit and potential in the changes made. Google+ users are receiving this update with open arms and positive reviews, and it seems there is a minimal learning curve for getting reacquainted with the platform.
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If you aren’t aware of Pinterest by now, it is one of the biggest forces behind referral traffic. By using digital “pin boards,” you pin photos or videos that interest you to a particular category. You can write a caption if you’d like and share it with your followers and social networks. Pinterest has come a long way in a short period of time, so of course you will see sites attempting to clone the idea. But what if there was a site that took this concept to another level?

BO.LT does just that by allowing users to share a single, fully functional, customized web page. The layout and design of BO.LT is very similar to Pinterest, and also allows content to be sorted by categories.

Hold on, I know what you’re thinking. “Why not copy and paste the URL?” Because like I said before, BO.LT is taking it to another level. When you “BO.LT” a web page, it creates a fully functional, fully editable copy of that specific page, which is hosted on the BO.LT cloud (server). BO.LT makes a copy of the HTML and CSS/JAVASCRIPT of that web page; if the website were to disappear tomorrow, you would still have a fully functioning copy of that page on your account.

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Can you remember a time when your phone only made phone calls? You carried around a Motorola flip phone with a bulky battery and could only change the color of the battery cover? Around this time, America Online ruled the Internet, and online marketing was in its infancy. Fast forward to now. Can you think of a website that doesn’t have a single advertisement? The paradigm shift of how marketers reach the consumer has changed how we interact with businesses themselves.

The spawn of social sites like MySpace and Facebook have allowed millions of people to connect via a single website. Social media marketing has changed how marketers promote products and services to the end consumer.
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Being the king of the castle may be a great position to hold, but you may lose sight of why you’re king. You’re loved by just about everyone; even those who hate you pretend to like you. But what do you do if a prince in another castle starts to build their kingdom better than yours? Copy their ideas of course!

It seems Google+ is doing things right, causing another twist in the Google+ vs. Facebook debate. So much so, that Facebook is adopting their competitor’s ideas and features.
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On this week’s Social Media Spotlight, we are proud to introduce a company based in Frankfurt, Germany that is a leading technology provider of FIX (Financial Information eXchange) software. FIX Solutions GmbH ensures that your financial trading environment among the DACH+ markets is transparent, ultra-fast and highly efficient. We had the pleasure of speaking with Nick Nickitas about how FIX Solutions GmbH is utilizing social media, and here is what he had to say:
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On this week’s Social Media Spotlight, we are proud to introduce Pia Artistry, a hair and make-up styling company located in South Florida. For years, Pia Artistry has been beautifying women for all occasions. From weddings, photo shoots, fashion shows to simply wanting to look great for a night out on the town, this stylish and trendy company can make your wish a reality. We had the pleasure of speaking with owner and stylist, Priscilla Silvestre, about their social media marketing efforts and here is what she had to say:
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Brands, businesses and social media marketers, heed this warning: Facebook Timeline will be standard for all Facebook pages March 30^th, 2012.

With that being said, there has been some discussion about how this will change a marketer’s approach for their Facebook strategy. We have all become accustomed to using apps, landing pages, promotions and like-gating as a way to entice page viewers into Liking a Facebook page, but like all good things, they must come to an end.
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By F-commerce, we are not talking about cursing the practice of buying and selling, but instead talking about Facebook commerce; the act of buying and selling on Facebook. Not long ago Facebook provided brands and companies with the option to sell their products on Facebook via a storefront app. At first, this seemed like a must have opportunity for any company selling a product. At the time, this was revolutionary! You’re telling me I can buy clothes from my favorite brands, online, all while I’m bragging to my Facebook friends about what I am buying? Get out of town!

Fast forward to today – large brands such as JCPenny, Gamestop, Gap, Nordstrom and others have closed their Facebook stores. One plausible answer as to why these companies pulled the plug on F-commerce may be that they are not seeing the results they had imagined. Continue reading…

For this week’s Social Media Spotlight, we are happy to present a company that enjoys putting others in the spotlight as much as we do, Jahmar Amani Photography. This full-service, one stop photography company based out of Miami, FL,  takes the pain and hassle out of getting your magazine-worthy picture taken. Don’t worry about a stylist, make-up artist or wardrobe because Jahmar Amani Photography will supply the best of the best for you. We had the pleasure of speaking with Jahmar Bailey, Founder and CEO of the company, about their social media campaign. Here is what he had to say:
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