I download a lot of apps on my iPhone. I download them for various reasons. Some because they’re the hot app, others on the recommendation of friends, and others I just like to study the UX/UI. I have hundreds of apps on my phone but I only use a handful of them on a daily basis. So what apps do I open on a daily basis and why?

[All links are to iTunes because I'm a die hard Apple fan boy. Sorry Android fans]

Multiple Opens “Just Because”

These apps are the social apps that I’ll open just because.

Facebook – It’s the stable social media site. Whenever I get an email notification, I have to check the app. I probably open it 3 times a day.

Twitter- My primary mobile use of Twitter is like an RSS feed. I use it to find content on the run and kill a quick 10 minutes. Sometimes I’ll tweet out an “OH” (overheard) but that’s about it (I’m more engaging on the web version). I’d estimate I open the app 2-3 times a day.

Instagram – I have fallen in love with Instagram. Uploading photos to the app is fun, but I’ve only uploaded 68 photos. I really just like to look at other people’s photos. It’s that simple. I open the app probably 3-4 times a day to see what’s new.

Foursquare - I’ve fallen into the “check-in” trap. I check in when I go to various places. While I only check in every few days, I open this app up 2-3 times a day to see what places my friends are going to.

Quora – Ever since this startup developed their mobile app my Quora usage has increased 100 fold. I rarely used their site unless I had a specific question. Now, I’ll open their app twice a day while laying in bed just to read what questions are popping up in my feed. I get lost in the web of random questions, sometimes related to my field, others that are just fascinating.

Pinterest – This network is primarily geared toward women. It’s one of the hottest startups around right now. I checked it out for a client, but it’s rather addicting. I prefer it to Tumblr because the discovery of content from people not in your network is much easier. That’s why I can get lost in the photos of fancy kitchens, dream homes, suave outfits, and funny memes. I open the app daily, but for longer periods than other social networks.

Path –  Ever since Path relaunched with a new UX/UI, I started using it again. I was dubious, but I’m actually enjoying it very much. The new UX brought me in, but the desire to share and be social with a very small, select group of friends has hooked me. Even with my new found enthusiasm for Path, I still only use it 1-2 times a day. I still need more connections to make me really want to use it.

High Utility Apps

I open these apps on a near daily basis because they serve a specific function in my life.

Yelp – Whenever I need to find where a local business is, get directions, or get the phone number, I open Yelp. I probably use Yelp 4-6 times a week.

Shazam – Ok, I don’t use Shazam daily, but I love it. I’m terrible at identifying songs so this is perfect. Often times I’ll buy the song after I identify it, good thing I only use this 2-3 times a month.

Bloomberg – I try to stay on top of the financial markets. Not a better app out there for this task. I’m still new to checking stocks, so I only open it about 2-3 times a week.

Stupid Fun (These often change)

I love to waste time on these apps. They’re easy, entertaining, and challenging. These are my current favorites.

6 Towers – The goal is to stack six towers in numerical order. Easier said than done. I’m down to 2-3 opens a week, due to my increased use of Heads Up w/ Cristiano Ronaldo.

Heads Up w/ Cristiano Ronaldo – A simple game that requires you to toss colored soccer balls in the air. Your balls clear when you connect three. I open this 2-4 times a day.

*I originally wrote and posted this on Demeter Interactive’s blog.

Google+ is sweeping the Internet. In just a few short weeks Google+ has more than 10 million users. That’s pretty quick traction for a social network. With another social network added to the deck and the same limited hours in a day, the question remains, “If Google+ is a viable player in the social networking market, what existing network will suffer?”

It seems as if Google+’s aim is at Facebook. That’s the company that is challenging their online dominance and has always drawn the most comparisons whenever Google’s social presence was mentioned. However, my first reaction is that Twitter could suffer first.

Personally, I’ve found that my time on Facebook has remained about the same, but my time on Twitter has decreased as my Google Plus time has increased. Like Twitter, Google + is open and there are no restrictions as to whom you can follow and who can follow you. Your feed can be filled with strangers who just think you are interesting. Of the 124 people who have put me in a circle, 52 I have never met in real life or spoken to on Twitter (or another social network). This tendency to have strangers following me is much more similar to the dynamic of Twitter followers than my Facebook friends.

Twitter has also yet to become a cultural staple. According to the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, I’d say that Twitter is at the Early Majority stage. On the other hand, Facebook is at the Laggard stage. Essentially everyone is on Facebook, or knows about it, or has chosen not to participate with full knowledge of the product. Which is why Twitter could be at risk, they haven’t reached the late majority yet and all the innovators and early adopters are fleeing to try the new shiny social network, Google+

But Google’s aim has always been beating Facebook. How are they going to take down their Internet nemesis? We’ll soon find out. As it stands right now, there are no options for marketers and advertisers on Google+, but in two weeks time they’ll start to unveil their business pages. This is in direct competition with Facebook since Twitter has no explicit distinction between personal and professional accounts. Google+ could give Facebook stiff competition if they integrate some of their top products into business pages, most notably Google Analytics. This could give businesses a simple and complete view of their conversion funnel, from social share to website visit, to actual purchase.

Facebook’s onsite answer to Google Analytics is “Insights,” which in my experience are not very informative. The information available has improved over the years, but it still lacks capabilities that Google Analytics has. If you could create funnels on your branded Google+ profile, that would be a very valuable tool for brands that Facebook doesn’t offer. Bottom line, because of Google’s robust existing product line they could offer greater value to brands and companies than Facebook can currently offer and that could help them win market share.

Google+ is the first project/product by Google since Gmail that I personally don’t hate. But I don’t quite love it…yet. I’m very interested to see the progress they make with the product because right now, Twitter has the most to lose, especially in the short term. If Google business pages are dynamite, then maybe Facebook will have the long term troubles with Google+. Obviously it remains to be seen, but I think Google is on to something and with a few iterations, it could realistically take a chunk out of both social networks. It will be interesting how many early adopters and the early majority take hold of it. If they don’t, Google+ may end up as just another has been in the social network game.

Situation
A trendy women’s footwear brand, Naughty Monkey launched in 2004 and quickly gained popularity. Sold nationwide and featured in popular magazines like Glamour and Marie Claire, Naughty Monkey was successful but wanted to expand their reach – and when the brand missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to generate serious PR buzz, it realized it needed to ramp up its marketing efforts.

The missed opportunity
During the 2008 elections, vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s wardrobe seemed to make headlines almost daily. When Palin was seen in Naughty Monkey shoes, a crowd of reporters arrived at the brand’s headquarters to get a story. Despite having the kind of buzz publicists dream of knocking down its door, Naughty Monkey wasn’t prepared to capitalize on the wave of publicity. With no infrastructure in place to spread the word to consumers, Naughty Monkey saw the spotlight fade before it could take action and wanted to prevent it from happening again.

Building a social media presence

An audit of Naughty Monkey’s social media presence revealed a lone MySpace page and little to no online conversation about the brand. After creating Twitter and Facebook pages from scratch, and redesigning the MySpace page to complement, we raised brand awareness organically by reaching out to users interested in fashion and shoes. Via tweets and Facebook ads targeting stylish women, Naughty Monkey’s networks slowly grew. Once people were conversing about the brand, we shifted Naughty Monkey’s focus to engaging users with dynamic content, open-ended questions, and timely customer service, pushing Facebook’s feed to Twitter and Twitter’s feed to MySpace for consistency.

Strategy
After the Palin incident, Naughty Monkey wanted to energize its marketing, but wasn’t sure how. Upon considering the brand’s goals of more sales, wider distribution, and a way to engage with consumers, we recommended a social media focused campaign. While a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign would have helped sales, it would have done little to build brand awareness on the scale needed to generate demand for Naughty Monkey shoes – but an online contest would.

The “Where Have Your Naughty Monkeys Been?” contest launch
The “Where Have Your Naughty Monkeys Been?” contest launched to 230 Facebook fans and 245 Twitter followers. The rules were simple: submit a photo of yourself in your favorite place wearing Naughty Monkey shoes, and solicit votes on submission. Contestants with the most votes advanced to the finals and judges selected two winners, one domestic, and one international, to receive a year’s worth of Naughty Monkey shoes (1 pair per month). Though the contest took place on Facebook, a contest microsite was created as well, and entries and votes submitted via either destination were synchronized using a 3rd party application. To create excitement, the vote count was kept secret and users were limited to voting once per day per submission. This incentivized contestants to promote the contest to everyone they knew in a blind effort to generate the most votes. The buzz created around the contest was noteworthy, and 10 weeks after the contest, Naughty Monkey’s Facebook fan base had grown by a whopping 606%, with 1485 new fans since first launching the profile.

After the contest
Once contest winners were announced, we leveraged fan excitement with brand new content focused on celebrity fashion trends and the Naughty Monkey spring line and show. Likewise, we continued an open-door policy regarding customer servicesolidifying Naughty Monkey’s role as a go-to online source for everything fashion and shoes. Finally, we sustained 2-way conversations by staggering posts to give people adequate time to respond and engage before hitting them with a new post, maximizing the value of social profiles as genuine relationship-building tools

Results
The “Where Have Your Naughty Monkeys Been?” contest was a success in many ways; we established a dynamic connection between Naughty Monkey and consumers, a real-time outlet for leveraging buzz and creating demand, and an enthusiastic army of brand ambassadors in love with Naughty Monkey shoes and ready to tell the world. The brand’s social media profiles are active and growing, and online awareness of the brand has reached an all-time high.

The bigger picture
When it comes to social media, the focus is on relationships. Gauging success with traditional means like numbers can be difficult, which is why we focus on benefits. Still, looking at social media metrics in context can infuse them with new meaning, so to better understand Naughty Monkey’s success, let’s consider the case of ‘Brand X.’ One of the top 50 brands effectively using Facebook according to financial news site, TheBigMonkey.com, Brand X, already well-established online, ran a Facebook contest to 360,000 fans and amassed 8,000 votes.

Meanwhile, Naughty Monkey, who had almost no online presence prior to the contest, launched to less than 1,000 fans and still pulled in 68,000 votes. What did Naughty Monkey do that Brand X didn’t? Engage. Rather than rely on a household name to generate interest in its social media campaign, Naughty Monkey engaged users from the start by reaching out to influencers and likely fans, building relationships, and dropping hints to ensure high excitement levels surrounding the contest launch. It continued to attract users with compelling content and relevant updates throughout the contest, and when controversy unfolded, rather than intervene, Naughty Monkey let it percolate, allowing a buzz to form surrounding the controversy driving additional traffic to the site.

*This post was originally posted on the Wpromote Blog.

There are still plenty of companies and individuals who still don’t quite grasp the concept of social media and how they should use it.  Let me break it down into an easy to digest analogy that we can all relate to…dating and long term relationships.

The first step is you have to make yourself look goood.  This means dressing well for women and creating a dynamic profile on a social network.  You want to make yourself stand out from others and this is the first step to doing so.  Now that you’re presentable, reach out to women/consumers you are interested in and think will be interested in you.  Even if you’re dressed to the nines, it won’t mean anything unless you actively go out and meet people.  When you first make contact, be sure to bring value to the table.  Why should they go out with you when there are a ton of other options out there?  Make sure you’re interesting, give people a reason to stick around.

When you do get the girl/consumer and there is a  budding relationship how do you keep it going?  Listen.  Simple, yet so important.  You have to know what they’re saying about you and your competitors and use that to your advantage.  Aside from listening, you need to let them know that you’re listening.  Which means conversing back and forth often.  Keep daily contact, several times a day, to keep their interest and let them know you’re there for her/them and that you’re always listening and willing to be there for any reason they might need.  When you’re conversing, remember that’s it’s not all about you and what you have to say.  If you’re the only one talking, especially about yourself, the girl and the consumer will lose interest and leave.   There is always another guy or brand out there.  When you’re talking, go with the flow, not everything said is premeditated.  You have to find that balance between listening and sharing that you can only figure out as you go along.

If you follow these steps, you will have a healthy, successful relationship that both parties benefit from.  More than likely, the girl and consumer will tell their friends how wonderful her boyfriend/brand is because of these in tuned conversations.  Communication is key in any good relationship.  So there you go.  That is how social media interaction is like dating and long term relationships.

If you have any more questions about social media or how your company can start to incorporate it feel free to send me an email at contact@boumanblog.com.  Take a look at my LinkedIn Profile for more professional information.

Twitter is a numbers game. No matter how much we want to stress the importance of their real time communication, Twitter is really a numbers game. Everyone is obsessed about getting a high number of followers. More followers means more “influence” your real time tweets have. Not only are people obsessed with the high number of people following them, but they want to follow a low number of people themselves. This Following/Follower ratio is very important to people. The greater discrepancy between your Following/Followers gives the perception that you’re someone important and worth following. So if everyone wants to be followed and few want to follow, what kind of mess does this bring us?

Hypothetically any message you send out on Twitter can be seen by anyone. The reality is that there is a small percentage of people who actually read your tweets, most of the time you’re just another person on their follower list. If your list begins to swell (mine is just over 1,000) then it becomes difficult to read many of your tweets (there are 3rd party apps and twitter lists to help this, but that’s another topic).

This obsession over numbers could ultimately kill Twitter. Twitter’s network itself won’t be it’s legacy for decades upon decades. It will be their introduction of real time information to the world. That is a concept that is just being rolled out at a mass scale and that’s what we will all get out of this Twitter craze.

For what it’s worth, I don’t think the social network Ning has reached it’s full potential. It’s been around for a while, but I think it’s going to grow within the next few years. I really do.

Months ago I wrote about how Twitter was taking over my life.  Little did I know that Twitter was going to explode, my job was going to incorporate a great deal of Twittering, and how useful Twitter could actually be.

Why I joined Twitter:

I joined Twitter in July of 2008, because it was a micro-blogging network that I thought I should get to know.  It was hardly well known, but I kept reading about it on tech blogs, so I took a look.   My initial reaction was, this is dumb.  It’s a status update.  I can do that on Facebook where I have hundreds of pre-existing friends.  So, after spending the 4 minutes to sign up, I left my Twitter account dormant for months.  I signed on sporadically, attempting to become more active with Twitter, but I failed to find any connection to the site at all.  That would all change very quickly.

Adding social media specialist to my job title:

I began my job as a viral marketing specialist but as the  internet marketing landscape evolved, it was evident that social media was a wing of our company that needed to be developed.  It was only natural to fold that into our viral department because we were already dealing with social networks for our viral clients.  And thus, I started to become completely immersed in all aspects of social media.  At the forefront was the now booming micro-blogging network, Twitter.  One of my many tasks is to consult with companies how to use Twitter properly for their marketing needs, occasionally ghostwrite their tweets, and make sure that their Twitter profile is optimized to connect it with their other social media profiles/links.  It sounds juvenile, but Twitter is a very effective marketing tool if used properly.

How I use Twitter personally:

The great thing about Twitter is that you can use it however you want.  It’s simplicity allows you customize it do fit your “needs.”  How I use Twitter personally differs slightly from what I advise clients.  Does that mean I’m wrong? Or that the advice I dispense is false?  Nope, just tailored.  So what do I like to use my Twitter for (@jessebouman)?  I have three main uses for Twitter.  The first being, sharing and absorbing interesting links.  These links can be related to my profession or just fun links that I may not have otherwise discovered.  Second is communicating with people whom I may or may not know personally.  If I ask a question, people will answer it, as I will reciprocate answers to their questions.  Lastly, I use Twitter as an outlet for useless rants or info.  This is what many people associate Twitter with, useless one liners that benefit no one.  You probably don’t care that @jessebouman is stuck in traffic in LA…again, unless he’s supposed to meet you.  It’s all how you interpret Twitter, that’s what makes it so effective.

How can companies use Twitter?

Everyone (Ok, 93% according to a Cone Business in Social Media study) says that companies and organizations need to be on Twitter.  I would agree, as long as the companies understand what they’re doing or find someone (like myself) that can help educate them or implement a social media strategy on their behalf.  Too many people/companies believe that they “get” social media because they have a profile on Facebook and/or Twitter.  Nope.  At it’s core, social media is a fish net of many different conversations.  Companies can use this to their advantage by listening to their target demographic, understand what they’re “saying.”  Just like a conversation, companies need to be respectful and seamlessly integrate themselves into conversation.  That does not mean blaring promotional marketing messages.  Number one reason why people hate being connected to companies online, mindless SPAM.  Want to be more effective with your company’s Twitter?  How about, answering questions that your consumers have?  Can’t find a store?  Poor customer service?  These are questions that can be answered quickly via Twitter, which helps mold your company’s online reputation, and builds brand loyalty.  Consumers who have positive relations with company’s online profiles are much more likely to become consumers or continue their patronage as well as spread positive word of mouth.

Twitter is a fun, simple tool that has many uses.  It can be a powerful connector for individuals and businesses alike.  Use it wisely and prosperity will follow…or at least a bunch of interesting links.

In an age of mass narcissism and more personal information being spread among dozens of mediums than ever before, remember, you never know who is “listening”.  Give heed to the story of @theconner (a Twitter name) and his fateful 140 character tweet.  Upon being offered a job from Cisco, he (or she?) sent out this tweet:

“Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work”

Someone at Cisco saw the tweet and now the job offer may be in jeopardy.  So remember folks to be mindful what you put on your social networks and blogs.  You never know who will be watching/reading.  Despite my PSA, I will continue to vlog for you.  It’s a risk I’m willing to take.  By the time I attempt to run for public office, maybe my YouTube antics won’t be so hurtful in a smear campaign?

Read the blog post on the story by Oliver Blanchard here

and

Connor Riley’s own take here

So I had this rad vlog planned out to do today, but like ALWAYS, my roommate is sitting outside my door watching TV. Seriously, I know, I should be able to tape with someone on the other side of the wall if I am going to post this for (potentially) millions to see (realistically dozens). However, I just lose a little something with the knowledge that he’s right there, hearing me cackle away at myself. I could go on about this guy, but I won’t bore you with my roommate tantrum and get to the “good” stuff….Twitter’s ruthless rule over my life. This is probably the 1,329,438th “Twitter Runs My Life” blog article on the blogosphere, but I’m putting in my two cents. First of all, for everyone out there deficient in the newest social media, Twitter is:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro blogging service, that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. [Wikipedia] Basically Twitter is an away message that informs everyone what you’re doing at any given time (if you choose to inform everyone). This can be something useful like “New Blog Post at:___” or something mundane like “Watching Gilmore Girls”. Either way, you’re updating people about your life. At first, I signed up for Twitter to see what the fuss was about. Quite frankly, I wasn’t that impressed. But in an effort to be more in tuned to all the social networks, I acquiesced to my initial hesitation and started to “Tweet” more regularly. I began to begrudgingly post tweets to get more involved and acquire Twitter “friends”, but I soon found myself Twittering like crazy. During my normal day, I’d think to myself, “Hmm, maybe I should Twitter this.” Some of my recent tweets are, “Installed Gmail chat!” or “New Gmail theme…awesome!”. Goodness, I am a dork! Twitter is seeping it’s way into every facet of my life. I find that I have to resist making tweets because who really cares that I just switched toothbrushes and love my new bristles? Twitter is a fascinating site that I’ve found to be quite useful as well as consuming. It’s a great news source. I “follow”news sources like CNN and the NY Times, which give me up to date news stories. There are certain blogs I follow via Twitter so I know when they’ve posted something new (I guess I could subscribe to their RSS). I also follow friends to keep informed about their daily lives. Basically I can feel like I’m connected to a person without ever speaking to them and in some cases, knowing them. This is why I am approaching Twitter obsession. I like to be “in the know”. Twitter allows me to do this very easily. I am also very self absorbed and actually think people care what I am doing at all times. Twitter is my enabler. Did you know I can post tweets from the web on Twitter.com or on my desktop from Twirl, or on my phone via Twitterrific? That’s too many places! That’s not all of the options either. I can’t get away! I have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. I am willing to give up some of my privacy to peer into the lives of others. It may not be the healthiest thing for me, but it could be worse, I could be smoker. If’ you’d like to know a little more about me and my Twitter obsession, follow me on Twitter at:

Yesterday was a historical day…to say the least. It was a day that I wasn’t sure would ever happen in my lifetime. Even as a twenty-five year old in the 21st century and seemingly limitless opportunity, I was still hesitant to believe the United States America could elect a black president. Maybe I was too pessimistic, but I am so glad that I was wrong. It’s been 24 hours and I am still in shock.

It was only a few short decades ago that blacks were still being discriminated against in the worst possible way. There were separate bathrooms and water fountains for people of different color. This is still our parent’s and grandparent’s generation, we know people who experienced this horrible time. We’re not talking about Abraham Lincoln’s era, we’re talking about the 20th century. Now, after many brave fights, by men and women stronger than I, the United States has taken yet another step toward racial equality. I can only imagine how proud the would be 79 year old Martin Luther King Jr. would be today.

I am still having a difficult time expressing my joy over yesterday’s results. Not just because of the aforementioned historical context, but because I believe that Barack Obama is the change the United States needs right now. The leader, the voice, and the visionary to lead us out of the economic recession and war. This is the first time I voted for the winning presidential candidate and have confidence in this nation’s leader. I have confidence that Mr. Obama will steer this country in the proper course.

I’d like to finish this entry with my admiration for Barack Obama’s campaign team. I find their efforts remarkable, they were ahead of the curve and understood that there were two campaigns to run, a tradtional campaign and a tech campaign. The internet was flooded with viral videos campaigning for Mr. Obama. He invigorated the youth of America, connecting with them using mediums they are familiar with. For example, Barack Obama is the most followed person on Twitter, for those of you who just asked yourself what Twitter is, my point exactly. Barack Obama and his campaign team just completed one of, if not the greatest, campaigns in history. Congratulations to Barack Obama and everyone involved with his campaign (including my two friends Willie and John) for their hard work and determination. Thank you for putting the effort to elect our first black president, Mr. Barack Obama.