Push For Greater State Surveillance Powers Could Have Chilling Effect On U.K. Tech Sector

The U.K. government is lining up a new piece of legislation to expand the state’s digital data capture powers. The incoming bill, the Investigatory Powers Bill, was announced in the Queen’s speech this week. It has not yet been published in draft form so specific details of what is being planned remains unclear, but in recent times the Conservative party has been banging the drum… Read More

Facebook Confirms It Will Officially Support GIFs

Facebook this afternoon confirmed that it will now support animated GIFs in the Facebook News Feed. Not everyone will see the added functionality immediately, we understand, as the update is still rolling out. The move represents a significant change in direction for Facebook, which has historically made a conscious decision to avoid supporting GIFs, claiming that doing so would make… Read More

Infographic: The Science of Brands on Instagram

No other social platform provides an experience as incredibly focused and engaging as Instagram. With just a bit of creativity and thoughtful measuring, you can make some Insta-magic for your brand. In this infographic, discover the trends behind the big-brand Instagram experience and learn how you can catapult your company to new heights.

Click on the infographic below to view a larger image:

Want to display this infographic on your site?

<b>++ Click Image to Enlarge ++</b><br /><a href="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/science-of-brands-on-instagram/?wide=1"><img src="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Science-of-Brands-on-Instagram.png" width="520"></a><br />Source: <a href="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/science-of-brands-on-instagram/">The Science of Brands on Instagram (Infographic)</a>

Sources

• http://www.fastcompany.com/3029395/bottom-line/how-the-most-successful-brands-dominate-instagram-and-you-can-too
• http://list.totems.co/
• http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/report-brands-are-now-posting-more-instagram-facebook-163406
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/25/get-instagram-likes_n_6751614.html

The Science of Brands on Instagram

No other social platform provides an experience as incredibly focused and engaging as Instagram. With just a bit of creativity and thoughtful measuring, you can make some Insta-magic for your brand. In this infographic, discover the trends behind the big-brand Instagram experience and learn how you can catapult your company to new heights.

Click on the infographic below to view a larger image:

Want to display this infographic on your site?

<b>++ Click Image to Enlarge ++</b><br /><a href="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/science-of-brands-on-instagram/?wide=1"><img src="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Science-of-Brands-on-Instagram.png" width="520"></a><br />Source: <a href="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/science-of-brands-on-instagram/">The Science of Brands on Instagram (Infographic)</a>

Sources

• http://www.fastcompany.com/3029395/bottom-line/how-the-most-successful-brands-dominate-instagram-and-you-can-too
• http://list.totems.co/
• http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/report-brands-are-now-posting-more-instagram-facebook-163406
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/25/get-instagram-likes_n_6751614.html

Rejoice: Facebook gets GIF support. Here's everything you need to know

Prepare yourselves: Facebook now has serviceable GIF support.

That's right children, you can now post GIFs to Facebook and have them display not only inline, but in the mobile app as well.

See also: Beep boop beep: An interactive, animated droid encyclopedia

Longtime Facebook users (read: old people like me who have been using the service since it was for college students only), will recall that if offered GIF support in the very early days. The ability to embed or upload GIFs was removed a decade ago, probably because of the negative impacts a ton of GIFs on the newsfeed had on the product.

A decade later, GIFs are bigger than ever and the ways in which a web service can deal with loading GIFs has improved too. Plus, virutally every other major social service now supports GIFs, so it's sort of time for Facebook to re-join the party. Read more...

More about Facebook, Facebook Gifts, Gif, Social Media, and Apps Software

How to Come Up with Winning A/B Tests Using Data

One way to increase your sales is to improve your conversion rate, right? Although it’s true, conversion rate optimization isn’t easy.

If you just base your tests on your gut feelings, you may find a few winning variations, but chances are, most of them will lose.

So, how you do improve your conversions? You have to analyze data before you run A/B tests. Here’s how you can use data to improve your conversion rates.

Click on the image below to see a larger view:

Click here to view an enlarged version of this infographic.

Conclusion

I run hundreds of A/B tests, and the variations that typically have the most impact are those with drastic changes. To come up with those drastic changes, you need to analyze your data first to see what you need to change.

You can get the data by looking at your Google Analytics reports as well as a heatmap of your site through Crazy Egg. In addition, consider running surveys by using tools such as Qualaroo.

Have you run any A/B tests yet?

Embed This Image On Your Site (copy code below):
<div style="clear:both"><a href="http://www.quicksprout.com/2015/05/29/how-to-come-up-with-winning-ab-tests-using-data/"><img src="http://quicksprout.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/How-to-Come-Up-with-Winning-AB-Tests-Using-Data.jpg" title="How to Come Up With Winning A/B Tests Using Data" alt="How to Come Up With Winning A/B Tests Using Data" border="0" /></a></div><div>Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.quicksprout.com/2015/05/29/how-to-come-up-with-winning-ab-tests-using-data/">Quick Sprout</a></div>

How to Find, Evaluate and Work With a Business Coach

If you’re thinking about hiring a business coach, if you’ve ever wondered what to expect from working with a coach or if it’s worth the cost, this podcast episode is perfect for you.

We discuss our experience with coaching (both working with the coach and being the coach) and share what you need to know before you get started, answering questions like:

• What, exactly, will you gain by working with a coach?
• How can you find and hire a coach (or a few coaches)?
• What mindset should you bring to a coaching relationship and what should you expect?
• How can you evaluate if a coach is working for you or not?

My personal hope for you on this one is this: if you’re thinking about hiring a coach this episode gives you everything you need to get started. Because the clarity and action that comes from coaching can be world changing. Enjoy!

It’s better to listen on the go! Subscribe on iTunes

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How to Find, Evaluate and Work With a Business Coach
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Google+ chief: Big changes are ahead

Bradley Horowitz, the lead on Google's social network, Google+, made an appearance at the company's developer conference to tell the world that Google+ isn't going anywhere, but it's going through big changes.

See also: Why Google+ is splitting into photos and streams

Horowitz explained he's currently in charge of Streams, Photos and Sharing at Google, and that Google+, as a service is being completely rethought. He also said there has been a "renaissance" of thinking behind the product and that it would be changing considerably in the coming months.

"Google+ is where people want to connect around their interests and passions," Horowitz said. Read more...

More about Google, Bradley Horowitz, Social Media, and Apps Software