SocialBowl XLVI

3 Feb, 2012 in Social Media, Technology & Trends by

Social Media isn’t just for socializing anymore. It has become a MAJOR part in our lives, not only in the political realm but now Superbowl! Coca-Cola, Doritos and Kia are only a few of the many companies relying on user-generated content or social graphs to determine what you’ll be seeing on the big day. If you can’t wait til Sunday, check out a few of the already released commercials now! Don’t like spoilers? Then print out this cheat sheet to schedule your snack attacks around :)

Until then, enjoy our favorite commercial from last year! It shouldn’t surprise you:

Volkswagen “The Force” from Endless Noise on Vimeo.

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Online Privacy. It’s a Techy Subject.

1 Feb, 2012 in Social Media, Technology & Trends by

Ok we’re a little late for this week’s tidbits. So gather around children… we’ll share some links about privacy. First, CUE THE MUSIC:

Google’s been in the spotlight recently for changes to its privacy policy.  Facebook is under scrutiny for how they will handle user privacy now that they’ve filed their IPO.  Since they are both private companies they should have free reign over what they do with the content freely given by its users, right? Or no? What say you, Interwebians?

Need more info, check out a few links regarding the debate:

Public or Private: Keep Google From Being ‘Evil’

Google to Streamline Privacy Policies on March 1st: The Backlash and Response

Facebook’s $5 Billion IPO: The Next Google? Or The Next Groupon?

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ACRAAKAKRO WWRCAHWARARO! (HAPPY FRIDAY!)

27 Jan, 2012 in For Funzies by

Translate more fun phrases here: http://selarips.free.fr/wookieetranslator/
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Code Battle 2012: Programageddon!!

24 Jan, 2012 in For Funzies, Internal Stuff by

Grr...Bring it on Gabe!

I recently made a commitment that is probably the single most important thing I could have done for myself as a professional, my status as a nerdette and the human race in general.

I committed to learn basic coding in a year. No joke.

If you’re wondering… as an Account Executive, I currently know enough about the process and code to be dangerous but by no means am I a code master. I actually stumbled upon this link so I assumed it was destiny. The way I see it, technology is a monster that is currently eating my life. It’s about time I tamed the beast by earning some zeroes and ones in the dev arena.

Not only have I made this public proclamation to learn how to code, but I’m dragging other non-programmer types at Stanton Street into the matrix with me. So on that note, I hereby throw down the gauntlet…

Gabriel Acuña, fellow Account-Executive-Cubicle-Neighbor-and-Master-of-all-things-kickball: I challenge you to a battle of interweb acumen and test of your Facebook keystroke skills. Crack them knuckles and let’s learn how to code starting NOW!

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Google Search Algorithm Champions User Experience

20 Jan, 2012 in Marketing, Technology & Trends by

On January 19, 2012, Google made an interesting change to their algorithm. Yes, it is just one out of about 500 algorithm changes per year, and it will only produce a noticeable affect to less than 1% of searches globally. Considering that 1% of the 12 billion searches on Google in December 2011 equals 120 million searches, 1% is a big deal.

The change means the Google will be looking at the page layout of each landing page, specifically for content “above the fold.” If a site comes up in the organic rankings for a paticular keyword, Google wants the user to be able to find that information quickly without having to scroll and scroll to find it. Google is really trying to target sites that have lots of ads above the fold, and push the real content down below those ads.

Score one for Google in the fight to improve user experience!

To read more about this change please take a look at Google’s Official Search Blog, Page layout algorithm improvement.

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Oh, the things we find in this office.

19 Jan, 2012 in For Funzies, Internal Stuff by

“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

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Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One…

18 Jan, 2012 in Social Media by

Facebook users who have avoided the new Timeline layout – there may be some big news coming your way. Tonight, the social media giant is expected to announce the latest updates to “Actions.” This means users may be expected to upgrade old layouts in order to accommodate these changes. It’s unknown whether they will automatically change user layouts or allow a grace period for the switch.

If you’ve already switched over to the Timeline layout and shared music from Spotify or articles from Washington Post then you know what “Actions” are. These changes, part of Facebook’s initiative called “Open Graph Protocol,” were announced last September during their f8 conference. This protocol allows users to share almost everything they do online without being logged into Facebook.

No worries, you won’t be forced to share information you don’t want to. You can opt out at any time… for now.

 

Wanna read more?

TechCrunch: Today Facebook Will Fill Your Timeline + Ticker With Shopping, Travel, and More Apps

All Things D: Developers Get Ready To Tell Facebook About Every “Action” You Take

MSNBC: Will Facebook Actions Make Timeline Mandatory?

 

1/19 Update: Facebook users with Timeline now have access to 60 applications. Those who have remained with the old layout will eventually be required to switch over. Facebook is encouraging developers to build applications that interact with the social site. More announcements to come!

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SOPA/PIPA Blackout

17 Jan, 2012 in Announcements, Technology & Trends by

Tomorrow, January 18th, 2012 could possibly be the largest protest the Internet has ever seen. Sites such as Google, Wikipedia, Reddit and Mozilla have vowed to either black out their homepages or host protest links for 12 – 24 hours in response to SOPA and PIPA.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA, H.R. 3261) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last October by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX). The Protect IP Act (PIPA, S.968) was introduced to the Sentate in May 2011 by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Both bills have similar goals of stopping online piracy and protecting copyright holders by blocking sites with pirated content and those that provide supplementary services (ie. PayPal).

Opponents of SOPA & PIPA state that this is a form of censorship and poses a threat to cybersecurity and the Internet itself. They state that Congress does not have a thorough understanding of the Internet to properly legislate bills around it.

As of today, the SOPA bill is being postponed while PIPA is slated for debate later this month (January 24th). We’ll continue to see what unfolds and how it will affect what we do. If you’d like know more about these bills or monitor their progress, visit GovTrack.us.

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It’s Friday the 13th you say??

13 Jan, 2012 in For Funzies, Internal Stuff by


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Stanton Street’s 2012 Resolution: Stop Supporting Bad Habits!

9 Jan, 2012 in Announcements, Technology & Trends by
Use of Microsoft’s ten year-old browser, Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), has dropped to below 1%, according to Net Applications, a leading internet market share consulting service. This has given everyone at Stanton Street reason to celebrate. Seriously! Tony Casas, Creative Director, has deemed today “the single greatest day of my life.” So what is the hoopla all about? The 1% threshold means Stanton Street will no longer optimize websites for IE6.

According to Tony, “I don’t think anyone truly understands how bad IE6 is. It would take me eight hours to break down a site and another six or seven to make it work in IE6. It also tremendously limited what I could do as far as design. I actually don’t think I could break down some of our newest websites in IE6. Now I can go crazy. I’m excited.”

So now, if you try to use IE6 to view a new website designed by Stanton Street, you will be met with a personalized message, “Still using IE6? Bet you have a brick for a phone, too! Upgrade your browser today.”

If you want to learn more about why you should ditch IE6, take a look at our blog post on March 8, 2011, 3, 2, 1: Internet Explorer 6 Countdown.

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