Steve

Looking for some Insta-tips for your Instagraming?

This guide from The Next Web is well worth a read.

The ever evolving Facebook news feed algorithm. It’s where many a social media manager spends their time, hoping to discover the secrets to engagement beyond their wildest dreams…

Revamped Facebook Community Guidelines

Great to see Facebook trying to make its community guidelines clearer. I also like the emphasis it places on the individual to edit their own news feed. Yes, social networks have a duty to you as users, of course they do, and so do you as a user of the community. A saying that has always stuck with me ever since I started working in ‘social’:

You get from social media what you put in

Why Would I Buy An Apple Watch?

There’s obviously been huge reaction to the announcement of the price and release date of the Apple Watch. Reading all of the press around it, comments on Facebook, tweets in the Twittersphere there seems to only be only one consensus - negative.

Why? I think there’s a few reasons:

The Name: Apple called it a ‘Watch’. That instantly means everyone has made the association it should be a stand alone product that sits on your wrist. 

The Apple Watch isn’t that. 

It’s a companion device for your phone. In the same way Google Glass is a companion device. Without a phone, their function is pretty limited. That doesn’t mean Apple won’t create a standalone product in the future. I think they will. For now though, they’ve done the classic Apple “We’re only going to roll out a few features every year to maximise the amount of revenue we can make from our new product” strategy. There’s plenty of reasons why they might have chosen that route - the market was growing, they want to lead rather than follow, etc, etc - but for now what we have isn’t the watch everyone was expecting. Yes, it is a watch in that you can read the time on it and it sits on your wrist, but it’s as much of a watch as Google Glass, and you could tell the time on that too!

The Battery: Following on from the point above, if it were a standalone product the battery would be good enough that you don’t have to charge it once a day (or more). It’s a completely valid argument and for anyone that says this is a deal breaker - get a Pebble. Same goes for it being waterproof (although not all watches are waterproof!) And why would you make it waterproof if it essentially doesn’t work unless you have your phone with you? I know, right.

It’s Made by Apple: I think this also has to be factored in. Nowadays everyone expects Apple to release the greatest products in the world, EVER. But actually they don’t do that as often as you’d think. The iPod, iPhone and iPad, yes, definitely, completely, they’ve changed the world forever. Now take a minute to walk through all of the other Apple events they’ve held. The products they’ve released. There’s tonnes! Not every one is the greatest product in the world, EVER and for some it took a little time too. Remember when Apple released the iPad? How many people cried out “it’s just a huge iPhone”. It was back then. It isn’t now.

After all of this, do I still want one? Yup.

Incubus - Absolution Calling

I'm a long time Incubus fan. I've seen them a few times, each better than the last. Their music has grown with time. From the early days of Nu Metal to the rock of today. They've reinvented themselves with age, and I can't help love their sound.

It’s Beautiful. Obama on Vox

It's beautiful. I'm talking about the videos and the content layout. The interview is outstanding too, but making what could have been a simple head and shoulders interview engaging and different is where the talent lies for me in the Vox Media Video team.

From the on video animations that almost appear from the hands of Obama through to the simple fonts used and large header photo that leads each section of the transcripts and films. There's plenty for content producers to learn from here.

How I missed Rammstein joining spotify I’ll never know. Apparently it happened at the end of November. Whilst the world (Including me!) debated the strengths and weaknesses of Taylor Swift withdrawing her minimal support for online music streaming, a band I actually adore joined by favourite music streaming service (yes, I’m a paying member).

Seriously, who needs Taylor Swift on spotify when there’s Rammstein!

TURN IT UP!

To briefly bring this back to tech… spotify really does need to improve its search and discovery functions. I can’t rely on the ‘Browse’ tab if it’s not going to feature music I favour. I’ll admit my music taste isn’t always that easy to pin down, but based on all of this information they collected from me in 2014, (plus I attended Download festival in 2013 in which Rammstein featured as a headliner) you’d think they’d be able to somehow get it in front of me that a band I like is now on their product… 

This is my everyday. Ask any content creator. Especially those working in social media. Constraints are everywhere. Should you think outside the box? Of course. But, thinking inside the box has some pretty spectacular results too.

Real People React to the BlackBerry Passport

I've made it pretty well known my feelings on BlackBerry in the past so I'll let the video do the talking on this occasion...

This is BlackBerry's new flagship phone and as they accurately point out on their website, it;

"challenges the smartphone status quo"

Have you tried Siri “hands free” yet?

Download iOS8 and you get an exact copy of “OK Google,” but using Siri. It only works when plugged in which is a bit of a shame. Useful for those late night/early morning searches for apps or the web when I can’t be bothered to move my arms yet (because that happens all the time. I’m sure it happens to you too? No. Ok, just me).

Social Sharing Should Be Easier, Surely?

Before you start, I know you can share using the native sharing icon at the bottom of Safari or in the drop down menu of Chrome, but surely sharing should be more connected to the apps you have on your phone?

Hyperlapse Brings Professional Video to the Masses

It's always cool when you see those time lapses at the opening titles of Sherlock or other such programmes. Time lapses are cool and Instagram has just brought cool to the masses, as it did with photography not to long ago.

The Hyperlapse app from Instagram arrived a couple of weeks ago and since then thousands of people have been hyperlapseing their world. Making people move at speed on the streets or making objects like helicopters appear like toys in fast forward.

Some of the best looking Hyperlapse's, aren't actually those that use the full speed capabilities of the app. Some people will probably have realised this software is extreme image stabilisation software - that's where the key lies to this amazing product. It's like having a steady cam without any of the gear to carry around. That opens up all sorts of opportunities.

A couple below of what I mean. 

With the right lighting you can create your own cinematic masterpiece for 15 seconds. 

Speaking of 15 seconds, that appears to be about the right amount of time for one shot (unless you have a lot happening in the background!) I tried the Hyperlapse app with some more traditional time lapse software that I'd use with a GoPro and it didn't quite have the same results. Primarily because the GoPro is taking hundreds or thousands of pictures over a set space of time. The Hyperlapse app takes video in real time and speeds it up. It therefore has limitations.

Saying that you can always import the footage and put it through further image stabilisation and speed it up further.