Wifarer Offers Turn-by-Turn Directions Inside Large Venues

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Wifarer

Quick Pitch: Indoor positioning technology app guides users through large venues.

Genius Idea: Wifarer is partnering… read more

Freelance Training from Tuts+ Premium

Are you a passionate freelancer, or looking to make the leap into freelancing full time? We’re excited to announce that FreelanceSwitch has partnered with Tuts+ Premium to offer in-depth video courses and eBooks for freelancers as part of a monthly membership.

What you’ll get:

Freelance Bootcamp video course from James Clear… read more

Respect Thy Typography

Good typography shouldn’t have to rely on ornamental crutches to stand tall. Yet despite all the tools and knowledge available to us, we readily embrace a flourishing, decorative typography, with cheap tricks used in a misguided attempt to make it “pop”. This ancient art may rapidly be gaining popularity, but… read more

Pinterest to Release New Profile Pages This Week

Pinterest is planning to release redesigned profiles this week, according to CEO and co-founder Ben Silbermann.

“I’m so excited about it,” said Silbermann (pictured, left), who spoke at the South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday. “We wanted to make it more beautiful … to make your profile different… read more

Homeless Hotspots: Not a Terrible Idea

A couple of days into my first-ever SXSW experience, I remarked on Twitter how awesome the Wi-Fi connectivity was at the convention center. Perhaps that’s why I never saw the Homeless Hotspots; I was never desperately searching for connectivity. I did see homeless people—much as you would in any major… read more

I Don’t Do any Advertising; All I have is a Blog

A Guest Post by Elizabeth Bull

I don’t consider myself to be a blogger, but I’ve found that my business blogs are my most powerful marketing tools. This may be quite a strange concept in the digital world, with the likes of real-time website analytics, visitor tracking and such, but in… read more

When The Project Is Over – Getting Rockin’ Referrals

For freelancers who provide professional services, testimonials are an important tool. So are their first cousin – referrals. As a matter of fact, RainToday’s 2009 study, “How Clients Buy”, showed referrals from colleagues and other service providers topped the list at 79% and 75%, respectively, outpacing personal recognition/awareness (73%)… read more

Weekly Poll: What Do You Use To Browse The Web?

What Do You Primarily Use To Browse The Web?

During Apple’s recent announcement of the “New iPad,” Tim Cook dropped the term “post-PC” so much that it became distracting. One thing is for sure, Apple wants to drill this concept into your brain. They know where the future of the… read more

Jason Mraz Picks Instagram Contest’s Best Snapshots [PICS]

Jason Mraz’s Instagram Challenge

Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz gave a verbal thumbs-up to Instagram and printing services that bring the… read more

8 Best Practices for Food Brands on Pinterest

Janet Helm is the chief food and nutrition strategist of North America for Weber Shandwick. She is the author of the blog Nutrition Unplugged and co-founder of the Nutrition Blog Network and Healthy Aperture. She has been a contributor to Cooking Light magazine and is currently partnering on a book… read more

Should I Continue Freelancing or Find a Full Time Job?

Who am I? I’m Allan, a designer who went from freelancer who was grinding out a meager living to co-founding a highly profitable web shop, now we build our own apps, we host conferences and workshops.

Running a business is crazy hard. Freelancers fail for so many reasons. We often… read more

QR Codes and Microsoft Tags: New Promotion Generation

MS TAG PRO and CONS

Feature
Pro
Cons

CMYK colors
More attractive
More expensive to be printed

Small footprint
Less invasive, more info in smaller area to cover
Not really useful, particularly if displayed on screen, posters or billboards

New technology
Appealing and visual based
Less supported

The content is on MS servers
More detailed metrics
You can change the content whenever you… read more

Break Into the Venture Capital World with Enloop

Running a business takes money. In most cases, you need quite a lot of it, and at times the revenues won’t be enough to keep the business afloat. Sure, you can dip into your savings or get a loan, but the ideal solution would be to bring in investors to… read more

3 Ways to Woo a Startup Into Hiring You

With the unemployment rate hovering at 8.3%, there’s a lot of competition for jobs. You know you’ve got the right attitude, the right qualifications and the passion a young tech startup needs. So how can you convey that to a company? By standing out.

Engineer Loren Burton created a website to… read more

49 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed

This has been quite a week in digital culture. Between Apple‘s revealing of the new iPad and the beginning of the 2012 SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, Mashable has a multitude of new digital media resources for you. Don’t worry if you’ve fallen behind — here’s our weekly features… read more

Pinterest’s First Investor Explains the Secret to the Startup’s Success

“I was Pinterest’s first investor.” That’s a sentence I bet you wish you could say. Here at SXSW, I find myself sitting opposite angel investor Brian Cohen who happily owns that distinction. In other words, he found, as he calls them, a couple of young guys from NYU (Ben Silbermann… read more

Nike Releases FuelBand API at SXSW Music Hackathon

Nike will unleash the application programming interface (API) for NikeFuel — the company’s metric for tracking physical activity — during a music hackathon Sunday at South by Southwest.

NikeFuel is the technology behind Nike’s FuelBand, a waterproof wristband introduced in January that measures a user’s movement and syncs with an iPod… read more

To Follow or Not To Follow: Should Small Businesses Follow Everyone Back on Twitter?

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Marketers know that Twitter is a valuable tool used to reach out to thousands of customers. But it’s not just the output of content that’s valuable —… read more

Linkswitch #97, Analytic Tricks, Fun Website Design, Your Path

Every other week we roundup some of the highest quality articles and resources that benefit freelancers from across the web. We present these articles here on various helpful topics. This week we have articles on Google Analytics tricks, a fun approach to websites, and finding your own path.

11 Google… read more

Here’s What Happens When You Hate Your Job

Brent Daily is finally contributing to the GDP again as a founder of RoundPegg, a company culture intelligence platform that quantifies culture to help companies hire for culture fit and engage employees.

You’re really good at what you do, but you were just passed over for a job that you would… read more

Best of the Week #213

It’s time for our best news of this week. We have a lot of graphic and web design, a bit of architecture, ads, tech news, awesome reads and other crazy stuff! So take a look at the links we’ve selected for your inspiration and to keep you updated about what’s… read more

Emma: Communicate in Style

I like email better than any other means of communication. It’s simple, quick and cheap. Unlike a telephone call or a face to face meeting, you can handle emails at your own convenience too. If you take spam and email overload out of the equation, I’m sure a lot of… read more

Domain Names 101: How to Avoid Dot-Com Disasters [INFOGRAPHIC]

The overflow of quick and witty reaction tweets to the new iPad name proves a name is never just a name. This applies for domain names, too. Here are tips to help you avoid these classic dot-com disasters — poolife.com, therapistsfinder.com or IPallover.com.

DomainNameSales.com, a name registration and web hosting company,… read more

10 Innovative Uses of Facebook Timeline for Brands

1. Fanta

The soda company’s branded Facebook Timeline page took advantage of the Leap Year by pretending that the… read more

Crowdsourced Philanthropy: Is It Worth the Risk?

Kellie Clapper is an assistant vice president of public affairs at State Farm Insurance. She is helping State Farm launch Cause An Effect, the company’s first crowdsourced philanthropy program, which gives people a chance to bring home one of 40 $25,000 grants to their neighborhood.

As brands look for ways to… read more

KONY 2012 May Be Flawed, But Slacktivism Isn’t the Enemy

Unless you’ve spent the past week unplugged from the social web, you’ve probably made note of an exceptionally viral 30-minute documentary called KONY 2012.

The film aims to make Joseph Kony, the leader of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) famous for his crimes against humanity, particularly kidnapping and abducting children,… read more

20 Impressively Inspirational Email Newsletter Designs

In this collection, you will find some inspiring email newsletter designs that we have collected by browsing through hundreds of websites to find out the cream of the crop. Email newsletters serve as an exceptionally excellent way that lets you stay connected with your customers, subscribers or community members. With… read more

How To Do Keyword Research (What You Need to Know?)

Search-engine optimization (SEO) is a main ingredient in website upkeep and an inescapable part of online marketing. The process of keyword research is vital to good SEO. Keyword-stuffing used to be the master card in terms of SEO, but those days are gone. Keyword research still carries weight, and website… read more

How Product Announcements Affect Apple’s Stock Price [CHARTS]

Much of Apple’s market value hinges on the reception of its products. Will people love the new iPad? Will the next iteration of the iPhone change the mobile game?

Product announcement events are so important to Apple’s marketing that they can really move the needle on the company’s stock price.

SEE ALSO:… read more

4 Ways Restaurants Should Use QR Codes

Hamilton Chan is CEO and founder of Paperlinks, which provides the leading QR code infrastructure for businesses. Codes generated through Paperlinks app can be scanned by the free Paperlinks iPhone app or by any QR code reader on any smartphone platform.

Despite criticism, the QR code continues to be a major… read more

New iPad: Is Your Content Ready for the HD Tablet Revolution?

David Clarke is CEO and Co-Founder of BGT Partners, a 2011 and 2010 Ad Age Best Place to Work in the U.S. BGT creates interactive marketing and technology solutions for global corporations that strengthen brands, develop more engaging relationships and transform businesses.

It’s time to take tablet design seriously and evaluate… read more

SXSW Networking: 6 Ways to Up Your Game

Scott Gerber is the founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes youth entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment and underemployment. The YEC provides young entrepreneurs with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a business’s development and growth.

On Friday, the ultimate crossroads… read more

Sorry, New iPad, I’m Still Hunting for a Cheaper Old Model

Last week I insisted I wouldn’t drop $500 on the new iPad even if it shot laser beams and turned into a flying car.

Now we know the new iPad does have some neat features: a super-high resolution retina display (it’s “resolutionary,” according to Apple‘s oddly punning marketing), a new camera… read more

The Best Way to Say Thank You

I am a great proponent of saying thank you. I’ve written about gratitude on this blog before and know that you can’t go wrong by thanking someone. Who doesn’t like to be thanked?

I recently read a post on Business Insider about why an email thank you is preferred, and… read more

Behind The Scenes Of Tourism New Zealand (Case Study)

In 2011 we saw the rise in popularity of two relatively new trends: responsive Web design and the use of HTML’s canvas. While some websites had experimented with both, in the last 12 months we’ve seen these trends move from the fringes firmly into the mainstream.

Responsive Web design is more… read more

Ask FreelanceSwitch: Getting New Clients and Bookkeeping Software

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at getting new clients and bookkeeping software. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Question… read more

Are You Falling Into the Pricing Trap?

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

When Molly first launched her catering business, she offered deep discounts to family, friends, referrals and pretty much anyone else. Tom took the same approach when he… read more

Dollar Shave Club Video Also Used to Woo Investors

By making the audacious claim that “our blades are f**king great,” startup Dollar Shave Club’s video has been a hit with consumers — pulling in more than 600,000 views in two days and netting 5,000 orders. But before that, it went viral with investors as well.

Michael Dubin, the… read more

Social Media Privacy: 3 Questions to Ask Before Authorizing Third-Party Apps

Jamie Beckland is a digital and social media strategist at Janrain, where he helps Fortune 1000 companies integrate social media technologies into their websites to improve user acquisition and engagement. He has built online communities since 2004. He tweets as @Beckland.

Never completely off the radar, privacy concerns recently stepped back into the spotlight…. read more

iPhone 4S Upgrade on AT&T Claims to Add 4G Service — But Does It?

If you download iOS 5.1 onto your AT&T iPhone 4S, you’ll notice something new — your phone now has 4G. Or at least, that’s what it claims.

Let’s be clear: iOS 5.1 does nothing to change the speed of your handset’s data connection. But it does mark the end of… read more

How Your Business Can Get the Most From SXSW

Sam Decker is founder and CEO of Mass Relevance and former CMO of Bazaarvoice. A licensed Twitter partner, Mass Relevance integrates real-time social content experiences for media and brands through a hosted platform.

What are you doing at SXSW Interactive to help your business? 



Most of the impact you can get… read more

How Brands Are Using Promotions to Market on Pinterest

Pinterest’s traffic and engagement are spiking, and marketers want a piece of the action.

After launching branded profiles, many businesses are now developing promotions on the platform, encouraging users to follow the profiles of individual brands and pin items from their websites.

Most recently, British Midland International (bmi) launched a “Pinterest Lottery.”… read more

5 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

I love articles and blog posts telling me what NOT to do. I always read them with a little trepidation, hoping I’m not making the mistakes the writers are warning me about. But it’s also a good way to learn.

I’d much rather learn from someone else’s mistakes than… read more

Smugmug’s Camera Awesome App For iPhones [REVIEW]

This is one review I am excited to write. I have been a fan of Smugmug for years and years, paying for their Pro account annually and enjoying the ease of use on the site. I am also a recent iPhone convert and have enjoyed playing with various apps as… read more

Compelling Marketing Materials, No Matter Your Niche

I love notebooks. I am, after all, a writer.

In the world of iPads, smartphones, and other technological devices, there is still something wonderful about a notebook.

I have always been a pen-and-paper person. In college (in the late 90s before PDAs) I kept everything in my trusty planner. I carried… read more

Smashing Email Newsletter Turns Two Years Old: Comment and Win!

Two years ago, we launched the Smashing Email Newsletter. Today, we’d like to reflect on some of the greatest newsletter articles of the past year and celebrate this anniversary with our 100,000 readers with a fabulous book giveaway!

Back then, we planned to launch the Smashing Newsletter only if we had… read more

When The Project Is Over – Gathering Testimonials

In my previous post, I wrote about conducting a follow-up meeting after a project. This is the perfect time to ask for testimonials and referrals. You’re still fresh in your client’s mind and, providing the project went well, they think you’re the bee’s knees. The meeting, or better yet,… read more

Social Network Links Professionals With Free Lunch

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: GetLunched.com

Quick Pitch: GetLunched.com is a new way to make professional connections over lunch.

Genius Idea: Everyone loves… read more

Forget the iPad 3 — Apple is Launching the iPad HD

As an editor, I’m pretty much contractually obliged to be cautious. So many rumors are constantly swirling around the next hot Apple gadget that one has to keep an open mind about all of them — every last one could be wrong. The company could teach the NSA a thing… read more

Is the Philadelphia Cell Phone Jammer a Hero or Pest?

No service? Maybe you’ve been zapped by a cell phone jammer.

A Philadelphia man has stirred up controversy after he frequently used a device on a public bus to create a cell phone dead zone.

A reporter for NBC10 in Philadelphia recently tracked down the man, who was using a cell… read more

5 Huge Digital Marketing Trends You Can’t Afford to Ignore

Jonathan Gardner is director of communications at ad company Vibrant Media. He has spent his career as an innovator at the nexus of media and technology, having worked in communications leadership roles and as a journalist around the world.

Digital marketing is a discipline in flux. We face an onslaught of… read more

Is a Retina Screen on the iPad 3 Overkill?

When Apple raises the curtain on its big show this Wednesday, it’ll unveil the iPad 3, which will almost certainly have a retina display that features a pixel count of 2,048 x 1,536 — a truly amazing spec for a tablet. But is such a high-resolution screen really necessary?

Yes,… read more

Basketball Coach’s Halftime Tweets a New Take on Mid-Game Interviews

Is the sideline TV sports reporter destined for extinction? Colorado State basketball coach Tim Miles recently took a big step toward eliminating the quick mid-game Q-and-A that’s a staple of hoops broadcasts.

During halftime of a game against UNLV, Miles sent a public halftime Twitter update on his thoughts about… read more

Power Pinterest User Chosen to ‘Live Pin’ Event for Fashion Label

Fashion blogger Christine Martinez, the fourth most-followed Pinterest user in the world, has been busy packing for an island adventure and documenting on a Pinboard what she’s stuffing into her travel bags.

But Martinez isn’t pinning to any of the 41 Pinboards on her profile, which nearly 1 million users follow…. read more

Delta Wants You to Shop Amazon While Flying

Delta Airlines announced on Monday that it’s offering free in-flight Wi-Fi for passengers — so long as they’re using it to access e-commerce giant Amazon.

Travelers onboard all Delta and Delta Connection flights with Wi-Fi connectivity will be able to visit and shop at Amazon.com and Amazonwireless.com free of charge. The… read more

Can Online Sales of T-Shirts and Coffee Mugs Predict Who Will Win Super Tuesday?

Can the sales figures of T-shirts, coffee mugs and bumper stickers accurately predict political elections? Yes they can, says online retailer of custom-made swag CafePress.

CafePress users have created an abundance of 2012 candidate-themed swag, from “Plan 999″ shirts celebrating former candidate Herman Cain’s economic plan to the classic “hope” Obama… read more

5 Ways to Find Work as a New Freelancer

When I first started freelancing, I was unhappy in my job. I was working in Boston during the dotcom bubble burst of the early 2000s. There was nowhere for me to go in my current position, and the constant layoffs and cutbacks were making me nervous. So I retreated… read more

YouTube vs. Self-Hosted Video: Pros & Cons for Webmasters

Video is a favorite way to attract new website visitors. As you know new visitors, means higher traffic. The higher traffic – the more chances to spread your ideas worldwide. The more juice you input in your ideas, the more new people will stop by at your site. This circle… read more

Plain Text or HTML?

Plain Text or HTML? is a post from: Free Email Templates

Email Template: Plain Text or HTML?

Through the advent of technology a lot of things have changed in the world. Indeed a lot as evolved in the communication world and many people have been able to change and advance with technology…. read more

48 New Digital Media Resources You Might Have Missed

Been away from Mashable for a few days? Maybe you were sorting through hundreds of Oscar memes. Perhaps you’ve been busy working on integrating your brand with Facebook Timeline. Or have you been trying to figure out what the iPad 3 will look like?

For whatever reason you’ve missed our… read more

Lady Gaga the First to Hit 20 Million Twitter Followers

Lady Gaga has become the first person to attract 20 million followers on Twitter, blasting through that landmark number on Saturday.

Gaga topped fellow pop icon Britney Spears in August of 2010 to become the most-followed person on Twitter.  Currently, Spears has 13.5 million Twitter followers — roughly 6.5 million less… read more

Facebook Briefly Incorporates ‘Interest Lists’ [VIDEO]

After Facebook launched Timeline for brand pages on Wednesday morning, a feature not mentioned in any of the company’s marketing materials briefly appeared on them: a menu item titled “add to interest lists.”

The option quickly disappeared from pages, but it left speculators wondering if Facebook might be plotting a… read more

How Employers Are Paying in 2012 [INFOGRAPHIC]

For those of you who have been working hard for your companies under tight financial constraints during the last few years, a silver lining might be coming your way. Thanks to rosy outlooks of employers in companies of all sizes across the country, it looks as though 2012 is going… read more

4 Reasons Why Networking Is Critical to Going Pro

A guest post by Lara White from PhotoMint. In this article, she explains why networking is critical for photographers looking to go pro. To learn more about how to get business by networking, check out PhotoMint’s new ebook, Get Connected: Build Relationships to Drive Your Business.

When you make the… read more

How to Take Your PR Pitches to the Next Level

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Often the most visible element of public relations, media relations is a tried-and-true tactic that can influence opinion, change behaviors, and generate new leads and sales. PR… read more

Linkswitch #96, Productivity, Multitasking, Go Viral

Every other week we roundup some of the highest quality articles and resources that benefit freelancers from across the web. We present these articles here on various helpful topics. This week we have articles on finding the best productivity app, multitasking effectively, and getting your posts to go viral.

20… read more

Best of the Week #212

It’s time for our best news of this week. We have a lot of graphic and web design, a bit of architecture, ads, tech news, awesome reads and other crazy stuff! So take a look at the links we’ve selected for your inspiration and to keep you updated about what’s… read more

Movable Ink Serves Live Content in Your Email

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Movable Ink

Quick Pitch: Insert live-updating and device-specific content into your emails.

Genius Idea: Improves the relevance and… read more

How to Maintain Traditional Customer Service in the Social Media Age

Duke Chung co-founded Parature in 2000, with a vision to provide superior customer support software accessible via the Internet. Today, Parature’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product suite supports millions of end users worldwide.

You’ve been monitoring your Facebook wall and Twitter pages, responding to customer inquiries. But what are the next steps you… read more

10 Strategies for Non-Profits on Pinterest

Non-profits are utilizing Pinterest as an extension of their organizations, using photography, infographics and other visuals to show supporters more about their missions.

Pinterest’s goal is to connect “people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.” Non-profits, then, can use the social site to connect people based on… read more

Lytro: Shooting Matrix-Style ‘Bullet Time’ Video Isn’t Far Away

The Lytro camera, which launched this past Wednesday, takes photos that the user can refocus after the fact. It’s a cool trick — and you can experience it via the photo below — but it’s really just scratching the surface of what the technology behind the camera can do. Soon… read more

To B or Not to B? Weighing the Benefits of Benefit Corporations

Aiden Livingston is a cause marketing expert and the author of two books on the subject. He is also the Marketing and Communications Director at Call2Action, a New York-based social enterprise that creates online tools to help non-profits.

At first glance, a Benefit Corporation seems like a good thing. I… read more

Buy or Sell Forgotten Deals On CoupFlip

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: CoupFlip

Quick Pitch: Buy and sell Groupon and LivingSocial vouchers.

Genius Idea: Somewhere between 20% and 40%… read more

Why Pinterest Aligns Perfectly With The Today Show’s Content Strategy

If you’ve skimmed the TODAY Show’s website recently, you may have noticed something familiar. It looks a heck of a lot like Pinterest.

In fact, Pinterest is influencing website design all over the place. Companies are favoring intensely visual, accessible design elements similar to the pins on Pinterest.

TODAY has found… read more

How a Mobile Game Dominated the App Store Without Any Press

Draw Something, a Pictionary-like game for iOS and Android, had 1 million downloads before it had a single search result in Google News.

“There was nothing written about us,” says Dan Porter, the CEO of a company called OMGPOP that created the app. “[Reporters] weren’t interested. I tried, but I… read more

Facebook Timeline for Brands: The Complete Guide

Now that Facebook Timeline has finally rolled out for brands, companies have endless opportunities to refresh their social media strategy. Sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it? Let’s break it down.

As of Wednesday, brands can opt in on the new features. If you’re not familiar them, be sure to review them here… read more

Quick Look: MobDis

Quick Look posts are paid submissions offering only a brief overview of an app. Vote in the polls below if you think this app is worth an in-depth AppStorm review!

In this Quick Look, we’re highlighting MobDis. The developer describes MobDis as a mobile marketing platform for agencies servicing local businesses…. read more

Why Email Marketing is Still King

You have Twitter followers, connections on LinkedIn, and people who like you on Facebook—but how engaged are these people with your brand?

There’s at least one person out there who believes that it’s not these social media platforms, but email marketing, that makes the most sense when it comes to… read more

Why I HATE Twitter… And LOVE It!

In a recent article, I made a generalization about Twitter only being used to drive traffic to a designer’s web site or blog. There were a couple of comments, stating I was wrong. Sure, it was a generalization to save 1,200 words, telling people what they already knew, but in… read more

Facebook Ads Announcements: Everything You Need to Know

Facebook gathered hundreds of people into the Museum of Natural History in New York on Wednesday for its first-ever Facebook Marketing Conference. At the top of the agenda was Premium, a new suite of products for marketers designed to leverage the social network’s access to your friends and friends of… read more

‘Hunger Games’ Wants You to Tweet for Advanced Screening Tickets

Lionsgate announced a campaign Wednesday for fans of The Hunger Games to unlock free advanced screenings of the upcoming film by tweeting specific hashtags related to their nearby cities.

To generate buzz for the upcoming film, the studio launched the campaign 24 days before the film’s March 23 release. Mirroring the… read more

Facebook Brand Timelines: 6 Big Changes Every Marketer Needs to Understand

Victoria Ransom is founder and CEO of Wildfire Interactive, the global leader in social media marketing software. Victoria and Wildfire will host a free webinar on March 2 at 10 a.m. PT, entitled “Timeline for Brands: How to Make the Switch,” further outlining best practices for brands in transitioning to… read more

How Ford Kicked Its Social Marketing Strategy Into Overdrive [VIDEO]

You don’t have to look very far to notice that there are a lot of car companies trying to get in the social game — you can see plenty examples in this year’s Super Bowl ads.

It wasn’t always this way for Ford. In 2009, they recruited Scott Monty to… read more

Facebook Introduces Ads That Appear When You Log Out

Ads will start popping up on mobile News Feeds and as you log out of the site, Facebook announced Wednesday.

Although mobile ads had been reported by Bloomberg in December, the idea of a log-out ad, which will go live in April, is new. Mike Hoefflinger, director of customer marketing at… read more

For Marriage Proposal, Man Uses Meme and Asks Internet for Help [PICS]

Memes are all the rage on college campuses right now, but those viral little gems have just sneaked into the land of love.

Self-described web geek Len Kendall proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Katie Holland, over the Internet with a meme of himself emblazoned with “Katie I love you so much,… read more

Should You Hire a Social Media Manager?

As a freelancer, you do everything—manage the books, handle the sales, and make the coffee. All this on top of your actual job, be it writing, photography, graphic design, event planning…whatever.

There are some things you can outsource. You can hire a bookkeeper to keep your finances straight. These people… read more

28 Inspiring Typography Examples within Poster Artwork

Advertise here with BSA

Print work can be very challenging and has a growing demand base. Designers are always on the edge following new trends to attract an audience. Poster designs are one such area where art and marketing can really shine through together.

In this inspirational gallery I’ve put together… read more

50+ Fresh Examples of Creative Coming Soon Page Design

When launching a new web app, or site, it can help to start marketing early. A “coming soon” page has several different purposes. Firstly, it allows you to show a teaser of your new app to people and to start the ball rolling with building the excitement. Secondly, it allows… read more

Design before computers ruled the universe

Source

read more

Blending Ads into your Website Layout

Advertise here with BSA

Advertising is the age-old medium which has been transformed via the Internet. Ads can be served on websites in different ways than TV or radio shows. Google AdSense is the most notable company, although there are plenty of alternatives to consider. Not to mention the growing… read more

Ads Worth Spreading: TED Announces Winners of 2012 Marketing Challenge

CANAL+ – The Bear

… read more

How Pinterest’s Female Audience Is Changing Social Marketing

Curt Finch is the founder and CEO of Journyx, a company that offers time-tracking and resource management software. Connect with him and Journyx on Facebook and Twitter.

As the new kid in town, Pinterest is poised to make some major waves in the social media scene. Facebook, Twitter and Google+, watch… read more

How to Take Gorgeous Photos of Your Kids: 29% Off Today Only

Today is 29 February (at least it is here in Australia as this post goes live) and we’re celebrating the ‘leap year’ with 29% off our super popular Kids Photography eBook – Click!

One of the team here at dPS HQ – Shayne Tilley our marketing guy – celebrates his birthday… read more

The Marketer’s Guide to Pinterest [INFOGRAPHIC]

Pinterest, the darling digital pin board that’s turned the social media world upside down, is now a top traffic driver for brands. That’s a good sign marketers should get their butts up to speed on the latest pinning tips and tricks.

Fortunately for you, MDGadvertising has created an infographic explaining the… read more

Twitter Is Selling Your Old Tweets

Twitter has sold a bunch of old tweets to a firm called DataSift, which will analyze them for marketing purposes.

The Mail Online reports that DataSift is the first such company to get access to the tweets, which go back two years. Another 1,000-plus companies are on DataSift’s waiting list.

DataSift… read more

LowePro DSLR Video Fastpack 350 AW [REVIEW]

Use In Real Life

I know those numbers often don’t mean a lot without real world use. I’ve tested a number of LowePro and other packs and my expectation for this pack as that I could carry my main body with power grip and longer lens plus a couple of lenses…. read more

The Top Myths About Working From Home

I found an article on startupsmart that I couldn’t resist reading and sharing with you. The story is about the top home-based business myths and I know you freelancers out there will be able to connect with at least one of these.

The Hours are Easy

PLEASE! If anything, the hours… read more

25+ Professional Resources for Getting Started as a Freelance Editor

Launching into a career as a freelance editor is relatively easy. Unlike our web and graphic design colleagues, editors can start working on their own without too much investment in expensive software or equipment.

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How Startups Can Build Lasting Relationships With Journalists

Dmitry Dragilev is the marketing lead at ZURB, the interaction design firm behind ZURBapps, a suite of apps that helps people quickly design great products through rapid prototyping, iteration and user feedback.

It’s a week before launch and you’re hoping to score some awesome traffic from a well-known publication. Here is… read more

Banner Ad Lets You Play Piano Like Schroeder [VIDEO]

Do you have what it takes to be a world-class pianist? If you’re like most people, the answer is no, but an interactive banner ad from MetLife gives you a little taste.

The ad, created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, features Schroeder, the Peanuts character, at his piano. A headline asks,… read more