The upcoming iPhone 5 will support 4G LTE, or what Apple calls “the fastest cellular network.”

The company’s latest smartphone will work on networks worldwide, including in the U.S., Europe and Asia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. But the iPhone 5 won’t likely work with all carriers’ LTE networks in every country, a source told the newspaper.

LTE is a next-generation wireless broadband technology that helps users download content, stream video and browse the web at high speeds.

Mobile carriers such as T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon offer the ultrafast networks. Such wireless providers are encouraging customers to sign up for 4G service as a way of increasing data revenue, according to the WSJ. The quicker the Internet experience, the more people want to log on.

Is a “pin it” button the next “like” for social media? This infographic shares some interesting facts about Pinterest and how it’s grown over the last year

Apple is rumored to be working on a Pandora rival. Some are questioning why, considering the difficulty Pandora has had in monetizing the service. Some speculate that Apple may think they’ll have an easier time selling ads on their version, thanks to their ad platform, iAd.

Apple is talking to the music labels about a streaming music service along the lines of Pandora, says The Wall Street Journal. Industry sources I’ve talked to say that’s correct.

And unlike Apple’s long-running but unsuccessful negotiations with the TV Industrial Complex, this one is easy to imagine getting off the ground.

As Google shifts to a paid search model for Google Shopping, Amazon refuses to join the game.

“Google and Amazon both have the same end goal, to be the destination that people go to to do their product searches, and Amazon’s winning that battle,” said Michael Griffin, founder and chief technology officer of Adlucent, which does search marketing for online retailers and formerly managed Amazon’s paid search.

Meanwhile, Amazon has already removed its listings from Google Shopping. Looking for a Kindle? Google Shopping shows Kindles from Best Buy, eBay and sites called Fumfie and Glyde — but not Amazon.

Amazon-specific items, such as the popular Kindle, can still be found on Google Shopping, but you’ll instead be directed to buy from other retailers that have decided to pay for their listings. While the pay to play model may work out well for large retailers, this model will have a larger impact on smaller advertisers who can’t afford to compete.

Finally, it will come as no surprise that we have a crazy obsession with puppies over here at   435 Digital, so we are thankful Mashable took the time to comb through YouTube and compile this video mashup of people receiving surprise puppies!

That’s what we’re reading today at 435 Digital. Have a great Tuesday!

The post What We’re Reading: Tuesday, September 11, 2012 appeared first on 435 Digital.

First up this Monday morning,  Techcrunch reviews LinkedIn’s new company pages, launching soon:

As Senior Product Manager Mike Grishaver jumped back-and-forth between the old company page and the new one, there were some clear differences. The old page consisted almost entirely of text, and it was packed with different widgets. The new page (pictured above), on the other hand, is dominated by a single image uploaded by the business, there’s now a big “follow” button visible at the top right, and a lot of the clutter has been removed.

Grishaver says that LinkedIn took a close look at the engagement numbers for the different company page features, and only kept the things that were actually successful. So visitors can still see a news feed, a preview of the company’s products and services, a link to the careers page, and a list of other companies that were also viewed by visitors who looked at the current page. Companies, meanwhile, can still use their page to deliver messages to all of their followers, or to write targeted messages (focusing, for example, on a specific industry, company size, or geography), and they can get analytics data about who’s following them and how engaging their content is.

It should be interesting to see how LinkedIn continues to compete with other social media platforms and carves out its own path in online networking. We’ll have to wait and see if redesigned pages have an impact on LinkedIn’s paid ad option.

Over at Social Media Today, we’re reading about the importance of good content in driving top SEO rankings:

As anyone who has built a web site knows, there is much more to think about than just the content. Design, color, navigation, and appropriate technology are all important aspects of a good web site. Unfortunately, in many organizations these other concerns dominate. Why is that? I think it’s easier to focus on a site’s design or technology than on its content.

One of my favorite examples of sites with poor content but big budget design and technology are the global hotel chains. Go to any hotel property from the majors: Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott, or any others from around the world. They all look the same! They have almost no original content about that property!

Yes, appearance and navigation are important. But the best sites focus primarily on content to pull together their various buyers, markets, media, and products in one comprehensive place where content is not only king, but president and Pope as well.

Yes, we all know that “content is king,” but it doesn’t hurt to remind ourselves every once in a while, especially with timely examples. And ouch, big hotel chains. Ouch.

Twitter announces a new reporting tool for self-service advertisers, as well as more control over promoted Tweets, which means more control for advertisers. Hooray!

Finally, our dear friends at Mashable suggest five ways businesses should use Twitter hashtags:

In your business’ case, you may choose to attach a hashtag, such as #smallbiz, or even your brand’s name itself, as #nike might do. This improves the chance that other Twitter users will find your tweet in targeted Twitter searches. But hashtags also streamline your own processes. For instance, you may ask users to include a unique hashtag in their own tweets as part of your newest Twitter marketing campaign. Throughout your campaign, the hashtag files tweets for easy search and organization within Twitter.com.

We protest the omissions of “snarkiness” and “editorial comment” as a legitimate form of hastag use.

That’s what we’re reading at 435 Digital this Monday morning. Have a great day!

The post What We’re Reading: Monday, September 10, 2012 appeared first on 435 Digital.

Entire industries are being reshaped as organizations — one by one — respond to the needs of the crowds.

My writings here report on this sea change, which has just begun.  So on this blog, you’ll read about emerging trends in the social Web and their possible impact on your industry or business tomorrow.  You’ll also find interviews with thought leaders on marketing, open government, community engagement and content, offering their ideas about what’s happening today and the possible roads forward. You’ll also discover here an occasional deep dive into the marketers’ tool box or information about a new tool that could be useful for telling your story, bringing more customers in the front door, or monitoring your reputation.

You – the readers of this blog – are individuals representing a local business, a small to medium-size business or a large brand, cause or government agency who is looking to the cutting edge of the social web.  All are welcome in this one room schoolhouse of the future.

Today, I wanted to point you to some good sources of information that will help you get unstuck and grow as your social media strategies develop.  You might want to do what I do: enter these sources into an RSS reader and take the first and last 15 minutes of  your work day to catch up on additions and revisions to Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Flickr or whatever your favorite social network is. You’ll also find interesting bits of news at these sites.

435Digital on Twitter and Facebook cherry picks newsy, useful and entertaining  info from all the social media sources to stir your imagination.  Follow us for the curated best of the best.

Look to Mashable’s five industry tracks for a very big picture but go to its social media tracks for daily updates. These  currently include How-To,  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus

MediaBistro is a good source of day-to-day tactical changes to the major social networks.  Look to its blogs AllFacebook, All Twitter and SocialTimes.

Social Media Examiner looks at the Social Web from the perspective of a  small business. It features Case Studies, Expert Interviews and How To’s that are informative.

You can always go the sources themselves. Most social networks offer useful how-to videos and news on new features.

Facebook

Google+

Twitter Help Center

LinkedIn – Learning Center

YouTube has just introduced a new hub for creators that offers tools, news and how-tos for anyone who wants to create on YouTube.

Do a web search and you’ll find many other sources. Drop us a line and let us know your favorites.

The post Fave sources for tracking social media appeared first on 435 Digital.

The big social media news on Thursday this week was that Google is gobbling up Zagat, the successful guidebook publisher, to further reinforce the search engine’s services for local businesses.

In Dealbook, The New York Times reports that Google spent between $100 million to $200 million to buy Zagat, which has faced increasing competition from online upstart Yelp. Others place the sale price considerably lower. Online advertising is an increasingly lucrative market, one that analysts estimate to be about $140 billion a year, the NYT reported.  Google intends to keep publishing the print guidebooks, but is undecided about how it will integrate Zagat’s website into Google Places.

Who’s the fairest Facebook fan of all?

Small businesses running Facebook pages  who want to understand who their most valuable fans are might find help with Booshaka. Booshaka plans to compete with Klout as a platform measuring social media influence but specifically among Facebook fans. Booshaka claims it is analyzing larger amounts of data — 125 million Facebook users versus Klout’s 100 million. To date, Booshaka offers a free leaderboard for Facebook; a social rewards and analytics dashboard; and a tool for advanced insights.

Ease the Main St. squeeze with online marketing

Mashable guest blogger Jeff Stibel,  CEO of Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp for small business, offers five points of  advice for Main St. businesses feeling squeezed  during these uncertain times.

1. Request Better Payment Terms
2. Social Networking
3. Improve Customer Service
4. Use Online Directories
5. Separate Your Personal from Your Business Credit

Our favorites? No surprise – 2, 3 and 4  have to do with your online marketing.

Social networking is extremely cost effective. You can engage your audience directly and inexpensively with Facebook and Twitter. Improving sustomer service goes hand in glove with effective use of social networks and it is less costly to keep existing customers than to acquire new ones. Using Online Directories – such as Google Places —  is often free and inexpensive and connects you with your customers.

The post This week’s social media news appeared first on 435 Digital.