Marketed by social start-up Unii as an exciting way to share life's moments with the world, Fling is one part Snapchat and one part spam. With that said, the premise is very enticing: snap a photo and let the app send it out to 50 random Fling users (while avoiding any users that you actually may want to see it). Are you on the receiving end of a random Fling photo? You … [Read more...] about Fling Delivers Instant Messaging Spam
social media
Facebook Messenger Now Required to Chat with Friends
Beginning as early as this week, Facebook will make it a requirement that you use their standalone Messenger app to send and receive messages (as they pull the plug on Messenger being supported from within their stock Facebook app). Generally, changes to Facebook are met with unhappiness among their users --but this time, the company is claiming it will help speed up the rates … [Read more...] about Facebook Messenger Now Required to Chat with Friends
FaceBook Adds Save For Later Reference
How many people check Facebook more often in a day than they do any local news. Problem is, our friends are sharing details faster than we can consume them --especially because we are often checking in on them while we are on the go! Thankfully, Facebook understands (and finally implemented a feature that we can get behind instead of just redesigning our home pages and making … [Read more...] about FaceBook Adds Save For Later Reference
Google+ Lifts Display Name Restrictions
If you've been holding off on using Google+ because you couldn't use the display name you wanted (or maybe you just found the rules a little annoying), starting today those restrictions have been lifted. Some are speculating that the changes to Google's terms of service are related to the departure of Google+ lead, Vic Gundotra, but it may just be that it was time. Google … [Read more...] about Google+ Lifts Display Name Restrictions
Tinder Updated For Wearables
The great news is that you can now cross 'finding a date' off the list of tasks you wished you could complete from the comfort and convenience of your wrist. Tinder has released an update that optimizes their addictive dating app for use on wearable devices --so you can now find the next love of your life (anonymously) from nearly any device you choose. With Tinder loaded up … [Read more...] about Tinder Updated For Wearables
Yo Raises $1M and Gets Hacked in the Same Week
It seems like the kind of story that should be later-revealed as a joke: a crazy simple app is released with $1 million in venture capital funding and then a few days later it gets hacked. This is what happened to Yo --an app that lets you say "Yo" to your friends. Literally. The app, developed by Life Before Us LLC, is actually the result of an April Fool's joke gone wild. By … [Read more...] about Yo Raises $1M and Gets Hacked in the Same Week
Add Animated GIFs to Twitter Using Android
Those of you who were around when the Internet was still an infant will likely remember GIFs very fondly (and properly pronounce it with a hard-G and not like 'jiff'). Not only were they generally nice and small where file-sizes were concerned (something that was especially important back in the dial-up connection days of yore), they allowed for animation at a time long before … [Read more...] about Add Animated GIFs to Twitter Using Android
Facebook Launches Snapchat Competitor Slingshot
We knew it was coming, and today is is here --Facebook has released Slingshot, the social media giant's attempt to compete with the very popular Snapchat app. How it works is very simple: take a photo or video and send it to your friends. If they are willing to share something with you, they can unlock your creation (and react) --once they swipe it away, it's gone! I find … [Read more...] about Facebook Launches Snapchat Competitor Slingshot
Facebook Briefly Launches Snapchat Competitor: Slingshot
Once upon a time, Facebook tried to acquire Snapchat (for the bargain price of $3 billion). That bid failed, and Facebook decided to create a competitive product of their own. That product arrived to marked prematurely today when Slingshot was seen briefly in the Apple App Store. Luckily for those curious about the next generation of social media, a few things were seen before … [Read more...] about Facebook Briefly Launches Snapchat Competitor: Slingshot
Next Big Book Innovates with Big Data
One of the ways that the seemingly stodgy, old-fashioned publishing industry is learning to innovate is with the concept of "big data." Projects like Hugh Howey's Author Earnings are already maximizing on the available information to help authors make sound decisions concerning publishing route, ebook pricing, and more, but traditional publishers are also slowly coming along in … [Read more...] about Next Big Book Innovates with Big Data
Use Daily by Buffer to Discover and Share New Social Media Content
We're all addicted to social media, some of us more than others, and it can be a little daunting to juggle accounts with all the biggies like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and App.net. Luckily for us, apps like Buffer exist to let you leverage content to be shared easily across all of your accounts. To further compliment their existing app, the company has released Daily by … [Read more...] about Use Daily by Buffer to Discover and Share New Social Media Content
Is Social Media a Reliable Source for the News?
First there was Paper.li, an app that allows users to create a digital "newspaper" based on the story links their social media connections share. Then came Facebook's Paper app, which serves as a curated offering of a user's shares from contacts. But now, The Guardian is rolling out an actual print newspaper that will contain stories curated from share algorithms. The … [Read more...] about Is Social Media a Reliable Source for the News?
“Wattpad Is for Writers and Readers”
As indie authors have struggled for discovery in a sea of openly published titles, more and more tools have cropped up to help authors put their content in front of relevant readers. At the same time, various platforms are offering something for readers as well, helping them uncover content with which to engage. Wattpad has made a name for itself through its mobile reading … [Read more...] about “Wattpad Is for Writers and Readers”
New App Paper Renders Facebook Obsolete
Listen up, food porn posters and cat video fanatics...Facebook has a new app, and it just might be the one you replace the old social media app with on your iPhone. Nine months in the making, the team at Facebook has finally released the long-rumored Paper app. First, it's only available for your iPhone (sorry Galaxy fans), but it looks and behaves a lot like the Facebook … [Read more...] about New App Paper Renders Facebook Obsolete