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SocialRadar Now Available For Google Glass

SocialRadar, the application that gives you real-time information about the people around you, announced today a new, free app for Google Glass. The app is the first of its kind for the Glass device, combining real-time social network information from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare and Google+ with geo-location data from your Glass device to empower you to make smarter real-world connections.

"We see a huge potential market for our app related to wearables and we're excited to be one of the early leaders in tech development," said Michael Chasen, founder and chief executive officer at SocialRadar.  "Our app provides tremendous value to wearable technology by making you more socially intelligent about the people around you. According to IDC, wearable devices, like Google Glass, will reach 19 million units in 2014 and then dramatically grow to 111.9 million in 2018."

How People Use SocialRadar:

Get actionable social intelligence.  With SocialRadar, you can walk into a room or attend an event, and with a quick glance at your Google Glass, recognize that there are 20 people near you whom you know - six work colleagues, four people from your college, two old high school friends, someone who plays tennis, and seven friends-of-friends. Screens on Glass will tell you that one of your friends recently just moved to town and another just got a new job - and that job is at a place where you are also applying to work so you reach out.

See where your friends are. When you are looking to go out in the evening, you can pull up SocialRadar for Google Glass to see the places where your friends are hanging out. You can use the map to locate large groups of friends and then use the Radar Range, SocialRadar's proprietary location technology, to find them at a party.   

Meet new people. SocialRadar helps you meet people with common backgrounds, such as the same former employer, philanthropic causes, hobbies or interests – such as fellow Glass Explorers. In a new city, it's natural to have social anxiety. SocialRadar is a portable icebreaker – along with Google Glass itself - empowering you to make connections with people in an unfamiliar place. You can even be alerted if you choose, when those who share your interests are close by.

Lose the nametags. At a business lunch, you may not remember how you know someone across the table that you are sure you have met before. Now you don't even need to awkwardly pull out your phone to find out. SocialRadar for Google Glass can remind you, as well as pull relevant social network data on that person. You no longer have to pretend that you remember that person; rather, you can now wow them with relevant topics that spark interesting conversation and demonstrate that you've been keeping up with what's been happening to that individual.

Network like never before. At a tradeshow like CES or SXSW, you want to connect with people who have similar interests, but it is hard to know who is there. SocialRadar for Google Glass illuminates connections in the room and guides you to that one person with whom you have been dying to network.

The SocialRadar app for Google Glass is available for free at http://socialradar-glass.appspot.com

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Sciedu Press: Launching New Journals on Medicine Case Report

Sciedu Press is research publication agency in Canada, which handles the publication and promotion of all scientific research and education. Their aim is to spread awareness of scientific knowledge all over the world. Their dedication and love for these subjects can be seen by their name Sciedu, which is an amalgamation of science and education. What sets them apart is that they don't only handle research work from Canada, but from all over the world.

The main expertise of Sciedu Press lies in the field of education, culture, engineering, business, medicine, biological and social sciences. They sponsor as well as support research projects, international networks and corporation in science, education and culture. They want to be able to bring scientific educational research into the hands of the masses. 

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IMPACT14. Sharpening a market intelligence

The three-day conference will kick off with a special evening welcome reception. Then, in a single day, Internet marketing professionals will hear two special keynote addresses, choose from nine in-depth breakout sessions with the industry’s leading experts and experience the IMPACT Awards dinner. The following morning, a farewell brunch will offer an opportunity to discuss what’s been learned and strengthen connections.

Benefits of attending IMPACT14 include:

up-to-the-minute access to the latest industry and solution developments

unique market intelligence on key trends and issues

best practices and techniques to build market share and business growth

opportunities to network and share with leaders and peers

increased professional value to the attendee’s organization and the Internet community.

“We are rapidly growing IMA to becoming the world’s largest and focused organization as it relates to Internet marketing and Business executive relationship introductions. Those experiences include newfound relationships, social engagements and thought leadership that are both cutting edge and relevant to each member’s organization. This year’s event in September we will top 100 sponsors and 1000 guests, making IMPACT14 the go-to conference for all things Internet marketing” says Sinan Kanatsiz, chairman of the board, IMA.

Internet Marketing Association to Assemble Leading Industry Experts and Practitioners for IMPACT14 Conference Sept. 24-26 in Las Vegas. More info here.

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How Consumers Choose Businesses (and how businesses can take advantage of social media to engage with customers)

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Cenovus continues to expand its oil sands operations in northern Alberta.

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T.J.Maxx conducts a live fashion experiment to understand how women use fashion to express their best self throughout their lifetime.

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Shoppers Want to Share Private Information... For a Price

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OpinionLab research finds that 8 out of 10 shoppers do not want stores to track their movements via smartphone. Data security (68.5%) and spying (67%) are top concerns cited by consumers around cellphone tracking in stores. Nearly half (43%) of shoppers are less likely to shop at a favorite retailer if the brand implements a tracking program.

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Overstock.com Survey Says Moms Prefer Shoes or Jewelry over Breakfast in Bed on Mother's Day

According to an Overstock.com survey of more than 800 national consumers, 54 percent of mothers noted they would prefer receiving a pair of shoes or jewelry rather than be treated to breakfast in bed on Mother's Day.

In the jewelry category, 56 percent of women surveyed prefer earrings as a gift. Necklaces ran a close second and bracelets third. Overstock.com's gift center provides assistance for shoppers in finding any item that fits their mothers' wish lists.

"As a mother myself, I must agree with the results of this survey.  I hope my sons are reading this and shop the Gift Center at Overstock.com," said Stormy Simon, president of Overstock.com. "It will definitely steer them in the right direction."

Nearly 75 percent of shoppers plan on buying a Mother's Day gift or card for someone this Mother's Day. The survey also revealed that the average intended amount to be spent for mothers and mother-like figures is $133.  Even so, a Mother's Day card is the most common gift for mothers and stepmothers. Overstock.com has the following shipping deadlines in conjunction with the Sunday, May 11 2014 Mother's Day Holiday:

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by Simply Measured

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Mattel Completes Acquisition of MEGA Brands

Mattel, Inc. announced today that it has completed the acquisition of MEGA Brands Inc.  through a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., for approximately US$460 million. MEGA Brands, a trusted family of leading global brands founded and based in Montreal, is the No. 2 player in th$4-billion construction building sets categorywith its MEGA BLOKSbrand as well as a competitor in the $2-billion arts & crafts category.

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Yahoo and Live Nation: Live concerts, every day, whole year

By BW

Yahoo! Inc. today unveiled the first of its new original long-form shows, a new partnership with Live Nation for live streaming concerts.

“We are in a time of rapid and dramatic change in how people read and view content online. Our goal is to not only enable the future but also to help invent it,” said Kathy Savitt, CMO of Yahoo. “Yahoo is focused on connecting artists, storytellers, great content producers and brands with the audiences they want -- at scale, across devices, every single day.”

Savitt also announced a new initiative that will bring millions of viewers live programming and unscripted moments across music, sports and entertainment: Yahoo Live. As part of the initiative, Yahoo will launch a new Live Nation channel on Yahoo Screen. Beginning this summer, Yahoo and Live Nation will begin producing the largest collection of U.S. concert live streams on the web: one live concert, every day, 365 days a year.

The Live Nation Channel presents new ways for brands to reach music fans through sponsorships that enhance the viewer experience with content such as exclusive interviews, backstage sneak peeks and even special performances. Kellogg’s, one of the world’s leading CPG brands, today was the first to announce a sponsorship with Yahoo and Live Nation.

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How to Increase Breakfast Sales in Canada

Most Canadian consumers eat breakfast on a regular basis. More than eight out of 10 consumers (82 percent) say they eat breakfast at least sometimes, and 32 percent say that they always eat breakfast.

But even among those who eat breakfast regularly, there are times when breakfast is skipped. Forty-three percent of Canadian breakfast consumers told Technomic they skip breakfast at least once a week. To help lure these customers—and drive incremental traffic and sales—foodservice operators should tailour breakfast programs to meet consumers' most important needs, including convenience, value, health and variety, to name a few.

"There are opportunities to increase breakfast traffic in each restaurant segment," said Darren Tristano, Executive Vice President of Technomic, Inc. "But in order to do so, operators must highlight their strengths. Limited-service breakfast customers tell us that value menus, breakfast sandwiches and portability are important to them, while overall menu variety, all-day breakfast items and kids' breakfast options are particularly important to full-service breakfast consumers. Zeroing in on the core needs of your breakfast customer is integral to building the daypart's success."

To help foodservice executives understand the latest behaviours, preferences and attitudes of consumers regarding breakfast, Technomic has published its Canadian Breakfast Consumer Trend Report. Interesting findings include:

Breakfast is a price-sensitive meal: 52 percent of consumers who eat breakfast at home do so to save money; at least three out of 10 say it is too expensive to purchase breakfast from limited-service restaurants (31 percent) and full-service restaurants (43 percent) during the week.

Consumers link breakfast and health: 73 percent of consumers feel it is unhealthy to skip breakfast. Healthy breakfast options are a top traffic driver at both LSRs and FSRs, and open-ended data reiterates this call for healthy breakfast fare.

Don't forget about coffee: About 63 percent of foodservice breakfasts include coffee. Additionally, consumers cite the availability of their preferred coffee as a key reason why they visit their primary breakfast source.

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IBM Study Identifies How African Businesses Can Overcome the Technology Adoption Gap

IBM today announced the results of a new study entitled "Setting the pace in Africa: How IT leaders deliver on the potential of emerging technologies," which found that while nearly 87 percent of African IT leaders rank new technologies such as analytics, cloud, mobile and social media as being critical to business success, only 53% are pushing forward with adoption.

IBM's survey findings also confirmed that 36% of the African businesses embracing emerging technologies could be considered "Pacesetters" amongst their peers in terms of their focus on prioritizing and rapidly adopting technologies. The survey of 180 Africa-based IT leaders across 29 industries in Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco was conducted by IBM's Center for Applied Insights, in collaboration with the IBM Center for CIO Leadership.

"Africa is characterised by an innovative mindset, and a billion-strong market ready for innovative products and solutions," Nesbitt said. "Regardless of individual realities, the opportunity for business growth through IT adoption cannot be denied. The Pacesetters in Africa's business community have seen the potential and taken action to help them realise it. With the right strategy, their peers can follow suit."

To access the study please go to www.ibm.com/ibmcai/africa

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FuzeBox, a leading cloud-based provider of real-time communication and collaboration services, today announced findings from a national survey on meeting and workplace behavior. The study found that our always-on, connected lifestyle is leading to a more distracted and less-efficient workforce.

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Detailed Analysis of Learning Management Systems Identifies The World's Top Systems

Published by E-Learning 24/7, which not only publishes a regularly updated list of the top LMSs but also a list of the top rapid content authoring tools (comprising some 168 vendors), and the work of the internationally-known corporate online learning industry analyst, Craig Weiss, the current top ten LMSs in the world are:

ExpertusOne

Growth Engineering

Blackboard

Instructure

eLogic Learning

IMC-Clix

Docebo

Biz Library

Meridian Global

CM Group LTD

In addition, this latest report on the state of the learning management system (LMS) industry includes perceptive comments on LMS market trends and forces, as well as developing trends in LMS features. Craig Weiss also presents a continent-by-continent analysis of the LMS market.

According to Craig, the LMS industry is stronger than it has been in the past with new systems appearing and, in many cases, with modern interfaces, beneficial features and useful components. Key issues over the next year will include the likely degree of influence of business intelligence, built-in customer relationship management (CRM) and Big Data on LMSs.

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2014 Will Be the Year of the Small Business

A poll conducted by Gallup and Wells Fargo at the end of 2013 shows that about one in four small business owners is more optimistic about the future of their business than they were at the same time a year ago. There are several factors that may account for this optimism: the stock market is rising, government is supporting small business, consumer confidence is increasing, and small business lending is starting to pick up again, making it easier for business owners to secure the capital they need to start or grow their business. There is good reason to believe that 2014 will be the year of the small business.

However, 28 percent of the small business owners who responded to the poll said they had grown less optimistic about their business' future over the past year, and there are legitimate factors contributing to these feelings as well. Many small business owners are concerned about factors that are beyond their control, such as the overall health of the economy, the controversy over health care reform with the introduction of the new healthcare reform bill, the political infighting going on in the federal government, and the growing economies of other countries.

On the other hand, many small business owners were concerned about factors that they may have some level of control over: one in eight respondents said that attracting new customers and business opportunities was their greatest concern going into 2014. Maintaining the current customers is also a challenge as there is a lot of competition and the internet has provided the customers with more choices as a lot of information is available before hand