Testing Your Site on Mobile Devices

If someone fell asleep in the year 2000 and just woke up, I think they might wonder why every human has a small object stuck to their palm or ear.  Well, it’s definitely the way our society is going…EVERYTHING is online and available at the palm of your hand.  I guess you could say that we have the whole world in our hands.  :-P 

So, doesn’t it makes sense to have your website compatible on mobile devices?  Of course it does.  Here are 10 tools to test your site on mobile devices:

1. iPhoney
2. W3C mobileOK Checker
3. iPad Peek
4. Modify Headers Add-on for Firefox
5. Adobe Device Central CS5
6. Google Mobilizer
7. Gomez
8. MobiReady
9. DotMobi Emulator
10. Opera Mini Simulator

For a full description, check out: Six Revision’s website

How to say “I’m kind of a big deal” online

You may remember the line from movie, Anchorman: “I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal…people know me.”

As funny as that line sounds, we all have had our moments where we’ve had to do a little self-promoting – maybe for our business, a promotion, or…impressing the opposite sex (haha).   The question is, how well did you do it?

CNN recently had an article about promoting yourself online (netiquette), which had some great points.  Here are the highlights:

1.  Start with the low hanging fruit – Send a message to your family & close friends about your business, new product/venture, etc and ask for feedback.  Make sure your message is still professional (proofread – so they take you seriously) and utilize the BCC function (or an email system like Constant Contact or MailChimp).

2. Only reach out when you have something to say –  Create a plan and decide what INTERESTING content you’re going to share with your list of subscribers.  Let your people know upfront how often you’re going to “bomb” their inbox too.  If you don’t have exciting news or information every week, don’t send a weekly newsletter.

3. Thank your fans – Everyone has a sign on their forehead that says “make me feel special” … go ahead and say “thank you” publicly to anyone who has mentioned your business (positively).  Also, say thanks to those who offer constructive feedback too.  People are curious as to how to interact/engage with their audience, well this is the easiest way to do it!

*My apologies ahead of time, I couldn’t cut the last few seconds of the video clip.

Going Viral the Neuro Way…

Psychology and the study of human potential are two topics that FASCINATE me.  Recently, I was reading a study done by OTOInsights, which looked at user-created content (video & flash animation) from a neuromarketing standpoint.  And as we all know, video is a hot trend in the social media world.  Videos create that connection for a user to a brand or person.

However, the intriguing part…why do some videos go viral, while most do not?   Well, this study gauged the emotional engagement of viewers and then compared the data to actual content ratings (see chart).

Here is a summary of the major findings from OTOInsights:

1. Traditional evaluation methods are insufficient for explaining and interpreting emotional response to digital media.

2. Setting expectations prior to content viewership encourages positive ratings and engagement.

3. Viewers encourage and respond positively to emotional content.

4. Empathy and appeal are key strategies for promoting positive emotional response and engagement.

Based on these findings, the report suggests the following steps to better optimize content:

1. Measure for emotion and engagement during the media’s development to help predict viewer response on release.

2. Carefully craft metadata to promote the media while also setting accurate expectations of its content and style.

3. Provide emotionally rich content but ensure emotionally satisfying conclusions are possible.

4. Empathize with viewer’s personal histories or appeal to the interests and culture of their micro-community to promote positive response and engagement.

For the full report – OTOInsights UGC Report

 

Your Company’s Social Media Policy

More companies are figuring it out – whether they want to have a presence online or not, they need some sort of social media policy in place to protect their company & employees (whom all seem to be participating).  Further, if a company is trying to ignore this shift in the way we communicate, they should at least become educated on social media and the importance of a policy (and plan!). 

Click on the image below to check out a list of policy examples on Social Media Governance. You can search by industry.