Social Networking features seem to be all the rage these days. But how do you incorporate them into your business strategy?

The answers are probably more diverse than you would think. For one thing, Social Networks have done several things.

1. Social Networks have brought together people that had been separated by time and distance.
2. They have created simple ways for people to share their interests (Social, Recreation and Business).
3. They have created a new user experience. Not only have they brought people together, but they have helped to define a new User Interface (the way a user interacts with the computer). The most popular sites on the internet are not about great graphics, but about simple ways to get and share information.
4. They shown people both the advantages and disadvantages of joining a website
5. People have become accustom to "following" the activities of others.
6. These networks have created alternate ways for people to get updates about people, interests, products and services.

There are a number of ways that you can take advantage of the Social Networking Legacy in your business.

• Provide ways for people to share your site. Put links on every page that allows people that have come across your website to Like it or share it with their friends.
• Create other ways for people to follow you. At a minimum create Facebook and Twitter pages so people can follow you and then put links to those accounts on your main web site.
• When you add or update information on your main web site do the same on your Social Network accounts.
• Simplify your user interface. Heavy graphics or fancy Flash animations do nothing to drive traffic to your site,  create customers or retain them
• Create RSS feeds so people that come to your site have ways to follow your updates directly
• Create relationships with customers by giving them ways to join your website for support, special offers or community. 
• Add content to your site regularly. Give people a reason to follow your updates.

Using these and other techniques can have a significant effect on both driving traffic to your site and building customer relationships. For an example of how some of these features have been used, take a look at our portfolio here:  http://www.nsage.com/Portfolio.aspx

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There has been alot  of hoopla over the new iPhone 4. Some good reviews and some quite nasty issues.

Then there is the new iPad which comes with a new Operating System and set of fun new toys and features.

However, much of the fun new gadgets can be yours too if you own an iPhone 3G or 3GS. Apple has released the iOS4 for these devices as well.

Some of the new features include:

• Multitasking - Not true multitasking, but "Real Enough" Multi-tasking
• Faces and Places - View photos based on who’s in them and where they were taken
• Spell Checking - A built-in dictionary automatically suggests words and corrects spelling. It works in Mail, Notes, and other apps
• Folders - Organize apps into folders with drag-and-drop simplicity. Get faster access to your favorites and browse and manage up to 2160 apps.
• Better EMail - Unified Inbox and you can still see each separately, threaded messaging, open attachments in third-party apps
• Custom Playlists

Here is a video that can walk you through some of the new features:


You can learn more from Apple and walk thru the installation process  here: http://www.apple.com/iphone/softwareupdate/. Unfortunately, like all Apple web sites it is slow as molasses. Part of the design before function that makes them and Google polar opposites in the computer world (but more on that another time).

However, beware. I have begun to see articles pop-up describing loos of functionality for many 3Gs users after teh update such as this one: http://www.crwenewswire.com/?p=64807

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I know that alot of people go crazy for the latest and greatest iPhone. I'm not really one of them. I have gotten over needing to have the latest and greatest. I am more about have the most productivity with the greatest effeciency and value.

I was recently talking to a friend of mine on the phone and he asked me to call him back on his home phone. He explained that he had just gotten a new iPhone 4 and it was a piece of...uh, let's just say he was not very happy with the call quality.

There has been a lot in the news lately about holding the new iPhone incorrectly. However there seems to be severaly other design issues. For a company that is all about design, that may be a huge problem.

I have seen both good and bad reviews.

Gizmodo has provided a lot of information and the final analysis is towards the negative but acknowledges the positive: http://gizmodo.com/5573952/iphone-4-review.

Engadget's review seems to gloss over any negatives and is all about the positive: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/22/iphone-4-review/. Unfortunately, it feels too Apple-Friendly, almost as if it was a paid advertisement.

I would suggest that before you buy, ask those friends that still love to get the new gadgets early. I'm pretty sure they already have one.

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A new version of Hotmail has just been released. This really looks good.

Here is a compasion of the new Hotmail to GMail: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-hotmail-challenges-gmail.html

I have also added a video about it in the media section: http://www.nsage.com/Media/Media_Player/VideoId/16/The-NEW-Hotmail.aspx

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