Most companies these days use a variation of Google and Apple products. I often see Macbook Airs and iPhones connecting to Google Apps for collaboration. Apple has the cool devices that have long battery life, although Google does now as well. Google has the online collaboration tools such as Google Docs and Apple is trying to get there as well. For me, it comes down to what works now and what works fast. If it takes to many steps, I won’t have time to do it. That is where the idea for this post came from.

A friend of mine is a community manager for a busy multi-location conference. She is all over the place and her Macbook Air and iPhone hold it altogether. It helps that she is amazing at her job. As a busy person who is responding to tweets, posting photos to Instagram, writing blogs on the sessions and keeping after the event photographer (this guy), she is busy. Anything that could shave off a second or two off of her workflow is helpful. When she comes across content or is sent content, it needs to be easy to share. Android has done a better job of allowing you to manage and move your content then iPhone has. This is one of the main reasons I am using an Android phone as my primary mobile device right now.

Android has robust Sharing. It’s almost silly how easy it is to share content between apps in Android. For example, if you have a bunch of images in Google Drive, it is easy to share those images to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or any other app that you might want to send the image to. Since there is no easy way to post one photo to multiple social networks including Instagram, this is the next best thing. If a new article was posted and needs to be shared, Android will allow you to share it right into each app easily including Pinterest and other social networks that are not integrated with something like Hootsuite.

Here is an example: You have a group of photos in Google Drive (or Dropbox) and you want to post them to Instagram. The process for doing this on an iPhone is to save each photo to your Photo Library, then open Instagram and open the photo in Instagram so you can crop and post it. This is quite a process for posting several photos, or even one if you are in a hurry. What if the photo just came through an email, or was in a blog post? How would you go about sharing it to Instagram? It would involve many steps. In Android, it only involves a few. In the image below, I outline how to take a photo from Google Drive to Instagram in only a couple of taps.

In the image above from left to right I am viewing an image in Google Drive, I choose the send option to send it to another app, select Instagram from the list of many options and then it opens in Instagram ready to crop. Very quick, and with a couple of taps of the back button I am back in Google Drive ready to post another photo.

To post an article from a website to Pinterest you would have to copy the link from your web browser, open up Pinterest, tap to create a new pin, choose to provide a link, paste in that link, choose the image from the website you want to pin, add a description to their pin and then post the pin. To do this from Android all you have to do from the website is tap share, choose Pinterest, choose the image to pin, change the description if you want (it already provides a description from the site) then tap pin. Check out the image below.

I think you are getting the idea now. It is super easy to share content around in Android. When I come across articles that I want to read but don’t have the time, I save them to Pocket or Evernote easily by using the Android Share feature. When I want to send a post or share an article in Buffer App or Hootsuite, I send it through the Android Share feature to the app I want to send it to. It is actually just as fast if not faster than doing it on a computer. In my downtime, I can find articles to share, send them to Buffer App and fill up my cue of posts.

Though Android may not have the variety of apps that iOS has, it is catching up fast and all of the important apps are already there on Android and work just as good. My hope is that Apple will add this flexibility to iOS but even if they do it will probably require apps to allow it. Android already works this way.

If you are a Community Manager and want a better way to push content through your mobile device, I suggest you give Android a try. I use it because it saves me time and the workflow is much more robust.

Let me know your thoughts. Are you a Social Media Manager or Community Manager who manages their accounts through a mobile device? I would love to hear your thoughts and tips on how you quickly and effectively manage social media communities on your phone and/or tablet.

The post Android for Social Media Community Managers appeared first on Jerad Hill - Freelance Wedding Photographer, Website Designer and Blogger.

New Services

Apple continues to add value to their platform by adding new services like iTunes Radio, AirDrop for iPhone and iWork for iCloud.

iTunes Radio: Many have said that an unlimited listening platform would hurt music sales in iTunes but I think it will work to their advantage. These days, when people listen to music and hear something new that they like, they go and download it. I have been an Rdio user for a few years now and when I really like a song, I often download it. Those who like to own their music and be able to access it anywhere will buy songs. iTunes Radio will work as a radio. It does not look like you will be able to listen to entire albums. From what I can tell, iTunes Radio is like Pandora but integrated into the music app. You will have to listen to ads but if you are an iTunes Match subscriber, you will have ad free listening.

iTunes Radio is very similar to Google Play Radio which was released at Google I/O just last month. Both services have curated music variety channels they produce. You can create your own channels based on a specific genre of music, artist or song. It’s pretty cool. Being that I have been using Rdio for so long, I tend to listen to an album or create my own playlists of music I know already. I am looking forward to moving back to a radio style listening experience.

AirDrop for iPhone: AirDrop for iPhone will be fantastic. I have been very tired of emailing myself photos or using a third party app that usually crashes or wrecks my photo library. The ability to share files with someone near you through AirDrop will make sending photos to my wife much easier. When I take a photo of our boys she always wants me to send it to her and this is usually a pain. With AirDrop enabled on your iPhone or iPad, you can send files to others who have AirDrop enabled and are near you. I will learn more about this feature once I get back to my office. Here in the conference center in Seattle I am pretty sure nobody else has iOS 7.

iWork for iCloud: I have not spent much time looking at iWork for iCloud but it will be nice to be able to edit docs online with out having to open them up in an app. Being that my workflow is entirely Mac and so is my office, we don’t really need to worry about collaborating with those who use other platforms such as Windows. What I am hoping for is an easy way to collaborate with documents that are saved in iCloud. Google has done well with this. Being able to share a document with others and work on it together is a neat feature. For Apple, I think that taking iWork to the cloud will make it easier for those unfamiliar with iWork to experience it. It will also make it easy to edit documents should you find yourself on a computer that does not have iWork installed on it. For people like me who have their MacBook Pro with them at all times, it will not matter as much. Apple even said that the native iWork apps will provide a better experience than the iCloud version. I am sure that there will be many more features added in the future as this is just the beginning of cloud document management for Apple.

OSX Mavericks

It’s not as catchy of a name but it’s the new OS coming for Mac and it looks fantastic. Apple has added many features that users such as myself have wanted. I am very excited about the features that will make it easier for multiple displays to be used with out effecting your single display use. Using a second display with my MacBook Pro has been a pain because when I disconnect that screen, all of my windows get reorganized. I like things to be where I left them and it looks like Apple has made it easier to use a second monitor.

There are a few hacks that I have used for years now that are being introduced into OSX Mavericks such as tabs in finder. I always hated having multiple finder windows open. Using tabs has made it easier to manage and get around different folders. I use TotalFinder which makes it easy to do this and easy to hide your finder window and bring it back when you need it. We will see if tabs in finder will be enough to get me to remove TotalFinder altogether.

I am super excited for Tagging. I always try to create a file structure that will help me remember where I saved files. I always end up with a couple of copies of files because I forget that I had already downloaded something and saved it. Tagging will make it easier for me to view items that may be in different folders but are part of the same project.

Battery life is going to be drastically improved in the new version. I have often struggled with the desire to have a long lasting battery and a powerful laptop. My MacBook Pro is maxed out with the most powerful processor and memory on the market because I need it to work quickly so I can get on to the next task. Longer battery life with out having to buy a new laptop sounds great to me.

Safari is looking great. Since Google announced the decommissioning of Reader, I have been trying to decide what I will use to read websites using RSS. I may end up using Safari for this. I currently use Google Chrome because I like having access to bookmarks, tabs, browsing history and pretty much everything else across all of my devices but now Safari will have this functionality as well. Though Google Chrome is pretty robust and works well, I may switch back to Safari for a while to see how it performs. As I write this, I am using Google Chrome but I will be giving Safari a try once OSX Mavericks is released.

iCloud Keychain is going to be a game changer. Password management in Google Chrome and most other browsers has been hit and miss. I have tried managing passwords using Chrome and the passwords are often not found when I try to access the same site on other devices. The only thing that is going to be a downfall of iCloud Keychain over Google Chrome Sync is the fact that iCloud Keychain will only be for iOS and Mac devices where as Google Chrome Sync works across all devices with Chrome installed which includes Android.

I have often avoided Calendar in OSX because it is a pain to use. I use Fantastical because it is much easier to use and manage calendar events. With the added features and Maps integration into Calendar, I think it will be much easier to manage events and tasks in Calendar than it was before.

iBooks coming to the Mac will actually make it useful to me. I purchase most of my books through Kindle because it works on all devices. iBooks is adding some really nice note taking features which will make it easy to read and take notes. For the classroom, this will be epic. I am pretty excited to see where this goes and how my kids will use it to learn in the coming years.

Mac Pro

I could not be more excited about the announcement of the soon to come Mac Pro. Most of the time I do not need that kind of power but when it comes to doing video, I need it. Allowing my iMac to render video during the day brings it to a crawl and I can’t accomplish much else while it is doing it. The Mac Pro usually can handle those tasks quickly and still have extra power to work on extra tasks. I am sure the price points will be similar but I am eagerly awaiting more info on this product.

iOS 7 and the No New iPhone

I installed the new iOS 7 yesterday and I have a love/hate relationship with it so far. I like many of the new features added, which I will explain below, but the design is going to take a lot of time to get used to.

The new flat design is not appealing to me. The shapes and designs look more like a mock up than they do actual user interface elements. This is not the first time I have disagreed with Apple’s design of things but I am pretty sure they know what they are doing. Being that about 2 months ago I switched to Android as my primary phone, I will have to spend more time with iOS 7 to see if it will make me want to switch back to iPhone as my primary device.

Apple did not announce a new iPhone, and I think that is smart. There is a small amount of people out there that would switch phones for slightly better performance in low light. This was the main reason I switched to the HTC One as my primary phone. I usually have my iPhone on me as well or with in reach, but the HTC One has been my phone since it came out a little over a month ago.

There are many new features in iOS 7 that will make it easier to use and more efficient. Many of the new bells and whistles in iOS 7 are just upgrades to already existing features. Here are a couple of my favorites.

• Control Center – Now we have an easy way to do things like switch off Wifi, turn on the flashlight and adjust screen brightness.
• Multitasking – More apps will have access to multitasking and apps will be updated with the new content when you launch them instead of launching them and then waiting for new content.
• Notification Center – Now you can view notifications in the lock screen. The new notification center is much more robust and easy to manage.
• AirDrop – Now you can share files with other people from iOS device to iOS device using AirDrop. Much easier to get photos and other stuff to your friends.
• Photo App – Photos are managed much better. Instead of a huge list of images, everything is categorized and grouped, sometimes automatically for you.
• Siri Updates – Siri is much more useful and smarter now. For me, I will use Siri to see tweets, read iMessages and turn on/off features of the phone.
• Near Me Apps – You can see apps that are popular near you which is cool because you can see which games or social apps are popular in your area which makes using them more fun.

What is iOS 7 Missing?

In my opinion, Sharing is still broken in iOS. By broken, I mean that it never existed. In Android, I can take a photo in Snapseed, edit it and share it right to Instagram with in seconds. It is a nice workflow for making sure my images look good on their way to Instagram. When I come across an article that I want to share, I can share it to any of my social apps easily with a few taps. You can accomplish these things in iOS but you have to save your images then open them with the other app or copy an article link and paste it into the app you want to share with. It’s a process I try to avoid. I do not understand why iOS does not want to make it easy to share content to any app. I understand that they have Twitter and Facebook integrated into iOS but that is not good enough in a world where we are posting to multiple social networks and profiles. I don’t understand why any community manager or online social person would want to use anything else other than Android right now.

Typing should be on it’s way out. It is so much more efficient to Swype your words. Google has integrated this type of data entry into it’s core keyboard and many other keyboard apps on Android support different variations of Swype. Swype allows you to create words by dragging your finder over the letters as you spell out the word. To spell the word “phone” you would tap down on the letter p and drag your finger across the keyboard as you made your way over h, o, n and e. Once you get the hang of it you can knock out entire sentences very fast. I am so used to it that when I have to type normally on a smart phone it’s annoying. Apple should allow developers to create keyboard replacement apps like Android has allowed.

Innovation also seems to be missing from iOS 7. Though Apple has innovated some neat new products this year they failed to do much other than add some new flavor on top of features already had in previous versions of iOS. Being that they completely redesigned the look and feel of the iPhone operating system, I feel that was a cloak that covered up the fact that they should have developed some truly new features we didn’t know existed.

Apple Knows Best

I know that Apple has not just been sitting on their hands over the last couple of years. They have tons of amazing talent that I am sure is developing amazing technology that they are not ready to put out yet. I know that a huge part of it comes down to how much life they have left in other products. They didn’t release a new iPhone yet because they don’t have to. People are still buying the iPhone 5 and I bet sales will jump now that people know there is no iPhone 6 coming in the near future. Besides a better camera, I don’t need anything else out of my iPhone 5 as far as the device itself goes. Time will tell whether or not iOS 7 will be enough to keep my interest. Google didn’t announce a new version of Android at Google I/O this year so you can bet Android is just going to get better this year. I sure hope that Apple has a few bells and whistles left to add to iOS 7 before it’s final release.

It is evident in their new Mac Pro that Apple can innovate. That device is beautiful and will be a powerful trophy that will live on the desktop because it’s so nice to look at. The desktop computer no longer lives on the floor, I think that is what Apple aimed to do with the new Mac Pro.

The Macbook Air is also a revolutionary product. You can see that every pc manufacture has been trying to copy it as more and more laptops start to look like Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros. The fact that your laptop can last all day on a single charge is amazing. At these conferences that I attend we are all often sharing wall outlets to keep our laptops charged. Apple has definitely built technology that you can not afford to live with out.

What do you think?

How did you feel about the keynote? Do you think that Apple innovated this year?

The post And They Said We Can’t Innovate appeared first on Jerad Hill - Freelance Wedding Photographer, Website Designer and Blogger.

The church I attend in Modesto, CA is truly blessed with some amazing talent. These people are extremely passionate about music and it is evident in their abilities that it is more than just music to them. I am fortunate enough to get to experience their gifts and passion just about every week as many of them lead worship at the church I attend. Some of these talented people have been posting some of their works to Soundcloud, which has made it available for me to enjoy as well. I thought it would be cool to post some of those songs for a couple of reasons.

The first reason being that the music these people create speaks truth. Music these days is very empty. Though the music itself may be catchy, the lyrics are dead. I often find myself seeking out instrumentals of certain songs because I like the music but can’t stand the lyrics. The songs I am posting below are a great composition of good music and lyrics that speak truth. Our world needs more of this.

The second reason is to express my appreciation to these people who produce their works and put it out there for us to enjoy. It is obvious that these people are more talented than most of the artists that get signed to major record labels every day, but that is not their passion or purpose. They work tirelessly each day to grow their gifts and talents to a new level and do not settle for contentment.

Scott Butler

Aside from having the dynamic and variable voice I have ever heard in public, this guy is a fantastic and humble person. I was even blessed by him so far as to have him sing at my wedding as my wife and I walked down the isle together as a married couple.

John Staub

I have not known this guy for long but he is growing on me quickly. His musical abilities and flexibility as an artist is amazing. He has brought a new dynamic of music and worship to our church which has been a great blend with the other amazing talent our church is blessed to have.

Chad Pippin

Perhaps one of the most talented guitarists I have ever seen, this guy can shred. Chad comes across to me as more fo a behind the scenes guy, even though he is on stage and leads songs often. His technical quality commands attention even if that is not his intention. Sometimes I just stand there and watch him work his guitar like a tool he truly and completely is in one with. Though I do not know him well, I have known Chad for many years and have seen him embrace several musical influences.

Big Valley Grace Worship

I can’t possibly play this song loud enough.

Check out “Shining Like the Stars,” a full length production of original music produced by the Big Valley Grace Worship Team. The full length album as well as another album titled “Here for You” are available in iTunes, Amazon or Google Play Music and to stream on Rdio or Spotify.

Timothy Dalrymple & Vanessa Frances Dalrymple

Though Tim is now leading worship with his wife up in Oregon, he was a huge part of the growth of the Worship Department at Big Valley Grace. I have watched his musical ability grow over the years as he has led various rolls in the worship team and bands that he has created or been a part of. Tim excels at multiple instruments which is just amazing to me. One week leading vocally on guitar and the next week ever so dynamic and precise on the drums. Also a very humble and discerning person. I do not know his wife Vanessa very well but I am familiar with her music. She has an extremely dynamic voice which brings words to life.

It’s impossible for me to list all of the musical talent that I have been blessed to encounter through the church I attend. Our church is pretty large, so it is hard to connect with everybody and know where to find their works and personal projects. Here are a few more names I hope to get to see some personal work from in the near future if that is even a direction they will potentially go. If not, it does not matter because they inspire me regardless.

Jared Lee – Guitar/Vocals
Stephen Douglas – Guitar/Vocals
Ben Miller – Guitar/Vocals

I know that I am forgetting names and people who’s musical gifts and talents have inspired me and taken my worship experience and my general experience of music to a higher level. I hope some of this music I have embedded in this blog inspires you or at the very least brings you some enjoyment.

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Since the rise of social media, our circle of influencers has changed. Social media allows us to connect with people who’s opinions we trust and vice-versa, even if we do not have an in-person connection with them. This has not only changed us, it has changed the way businesses need to reach people as well.

Deciding how to handle Social Media in your business is challenging because there is no single undisputed correct way to do it. I have been an early adopter of all social media platforms since I dialed into my first BBS (Bulletin Board System) to read posts about my Apple IIgs in the mid 80’s. Even though every social network has it’s distinguishing differences, the opinions of our friends and those whom we follow are typically the main focus. On Twitter, you can retweet something, on Facebook you can Like pretty much anything and on Google+ you can +1 to show you like something. All of these retweets, likes and +1’s are seen by our friends.

A couple of months ago, I clicked the Like button on a high school friend’s new startup business called KitchenBox. The other night, I get a Facebook email from another friend who asks if I had ever used KitchenBox because he is considering a kitchen remodel for his home. When I posted a photo of my new Fitbit Flex activity tracker wrist band, I received multiple comments back asking me what I thought about it from friends I rarely see in person and a few from people I have never met in person. A couple of times each week, I am asked by someone what I think about a product or service I expressed interest in one way or another on one of my social media profiles. Because I personally have done this, I am certain that there are people who simply observe and make decisions with out taking the time to ask about the product or service first.

The internet put perception on steroids. We used to look at our neighbors and think to ourselves, “they look happy, I need one of those too.” Now we watch our Facebook friends posts and likes and come to similar conclusions multiple times per day.

As a business, this means that you should be connected to these social networks in a way that will allow people to like, share and connect with your business, products and services. Businesses can be more personable online and your business should take the opportunity to do that. Create a Facebook page and post something that your type of customer might find interesting. Use social media to keep your customers or potential customers informed about issues related to your industry. Share photos that your customers post of them using your products. There are so many ways to create “likable” content for people to see on social media with out it taking much of your time.

If a Facebook Like turns into a new client, how much ROI is that over what you would have had to spend on traditional marketing? Not everything you post will turn into new business, but it can lead to new business. It’s all about scattering seeds, which could sprout anywhere. This is the Word of Like. It is not the typical conversation that we used to have but it accomplishes the same thing and it’s much more scalable.

Create content that people can share. Build trust by answering questions publicly on social networks. Showcase what your current customers and clients are doing with your products and services. Constantly look for ways you can be helpful with out being overly self-promoting.

If you are lost when it comes to Facebook, check out this free course I posted last year about Facebook Pages for Business: http://bit.ly/intro-to-facebook-pages

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Today, Square announced the availability of the Square Stand. Besides providing a great service, they also produce fantastic Youtube content around their products. Below is the video announcing Square Stand, which is a table top register replacement that works with Square and your iPad

The Square Stand is a register case for your iPad replacing the iconic Square card reader with an all-in-one register experience. You can even configure it to work with bluetooth cash drawers and receipt printers.

Point-of-sale systems can be very expensive to own or lease and they get outdated fast. This is why you typically see old systems in businesses these days. It takes years to return on the initial investment. Square has turned that upside down by allowing you to use a piece of technology you most likely already have, your iPad.

I am waiting for Square to come out with a more robust card reader for the iPhone. As convenient as the Square card reader is, I still store it in my bag out of fear that the reader could get snapped off in my headphone jack.

Great job Square, another innovative product that I am sure will bring even more business your way despite the high 2.75% fees on swiped transactions and even higher 3.5% + $0.15 per transaction fees for keyed in transactions. To be honest, it would be worth marking your products up 1.5% to make up for the fees to make Square more cost effective than it would be to invest in a turnkey system from one of the major POS providers.

Check out the Square Stand: https://squareup.com/stand

Check out my Photography listing on Square: https://squareup.com/directory/jerad-hill-studios

Resources:
Square Fee Schedule: https://squareup.com/help/en-us/article/5068-costs-and-fees

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I use Amazon because it is easy to list items and the selling process is easy. Buyers on Amazon do not hassle you with 100′s of questions before buying like they do on Ebay. The fact that you don’t have to deal with Paypal is a huge plus for me. You simply list an item and when it sells, you ship it. Amazon pays you by depositing the payment into your checking account. It is simple! I even use Amazon’s built in shipping so I don’t have to hassle with getting tracking numbers and posting them to comments in the sales. When I sell something, it takes me minutes to process the order and have it ready for shipping.

Check out the video, it will help you through the process of signing up and managing selling screens. It is not 100% obvious with Amazon, but once you get the hang of it you can sell items pretty quickly.

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1. Monitor Social Media and the Search Engines: Unsatisfied customers go straight to Social Media to voice their complaints these days and it’s usually before they contact your company to try and fix their issue first. Staying on top of conversations concerning your company will allow you to interject and attempt to solve the issue publicly. There have been many examples of companies successfully reaching out to upset customers through social media to fix their problems. Reconciling their issue as publicly as you can will show their friends that your company stands behind their products and services.
2. Don’t Put All Of Your Eggs In One Social Media Basket: From Search Engines to Social Networks, there are a lot of places people can find information about your business. Have a presence on all of the popular social networks and create positive content about your products and services on your website in the form of articles or a blog. Video content posted to sites like Youtube also give you an opportunity to showcase what you offer.
3. Do Not Get Into Arguments Online: When you argue with one of your consumers online it becomes public record. Other people can watch as you try to defend yourself rather than defend your customer. Nobody wants to do business with someone who comes across selfish. If the matter can not be dealt with in a positive manor online, end the online conversation with an opportunity to talk to the consumer directly. Make sure that you do handle their situation so that if they decide to return to the conversation online, the have nothing else negative to add.
4. Promote the Reviews Your Customers Leave: We all understand that self-promotion is not always the best way to go, but when your customers leave positive reviews of your business online, you should do whatever you can to get those reviews to the eyes of more customers. You can embed reviews you have received in your website, quote them on other social networks or even print them out for others to see. When your customers review your business, encourage them to share their reviews on their own social media profiles.
5. Monitor Related Search Results to your Business: Make sure you are on top of what your customers see when they search for your business, your competitors business and anything else related to your business. Dig down a few pages past the first search result page. Take advantage of a free service from Google called Google Alerts. You can set up specific alerts that can be sent to your email every time your business, website or other keywords are mentioned online.

Being a business owner or manager is much more involved than it used to be. Making sure your numbers are scaling in a positive direction will involve keeping track of what others are saying. The sphere of influence each of us have is much larger than it used to be. Information travels fast and once it’s moving, it is harder to stop. Your online presence should start with your website, not your social media. From your website, your web presence should extend out to social media, forums and other online communities. Being proactive rather than reactive.

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So now that you know how I feel about the printed business card, let me give you some awesome alternatives to the common business card which you can use to set yourself apart from the rest. My brief descriptions below are also accompanied by a tutorial video from iCopilot.Net.

Business Card Alternative Apps

The Card (iOS) – Website
The Card is an electronic business card app for your iPhone. You simply input your contact details and the app makes it easy to email that information to the recipient. All you have to do is launch the app, put in your contacts email address which you can get by asking them for it, then add tags to help you keep your contacts organized and hit send. The app also syncs those new email addresses you collected in the process to your Google Contacts account that comes standard with any Gmail or Google Apps account.

Checkout the tutorial on The Card at iCopilot.Net – The Card for iPhone Tutorial

Evernote Hello (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry) – Website
Evernote Hello connects to your Evernote account, which you can get for free over at Evernote.com. Evernote makes it easy to collect pretty much anything and keep it organized in Notebooks. Think of it as having a nice paper notebook organizer for each subject except instead of paper, it’s in your phone, computer and on the web for easy access. Evernote Hello allows you to collect and share contact details. If the other person has an Evernote Hello profile and the app on their phone, you can simply swap contact details with each other using the magical power of technology. You can also manually enter the contact details or have the recipient manually enter their details. It also prompts them to take a headshot using the phones front facing camera. If they give you a business card, you can scan it and hand the card back to them. Explain to them that you went green before it was cool.

Checkout the tutorial on Evernote Hello at iCopilot.Net – Evernote Hello Tutorial

Bump (iOS, Android) – Website
Bump revolutionized the way people shared contacts by creating an app that allows you to swap contacts by bumping phones. You download their free app, create your profile in the app and then swap contacts with a bump. The other user simply has to have a Bump account and the app open as well. The app uses your position and the position of your contact by GPS and magically connects your phones to share contacts. The bump activates it. The secure connection is then ended and you can both go on your marry way. Bump also allows you to send photos, videos, documents other apps and other contacts using the Bump app. As a last resort, you can always email the card to your prospective contact if they do not have Bump installed on their phone.

Checkout the tutorial on Bump at iCopilot.Net – Bump App Tutorial

If you must accept a paper business card you can scan it into your phone using Evernote Hello or Cardmunch from Linkedin to import the cards data into your phone using amazing OCR text recognition technology and then proceed to crumple the card up in the most amazing fashion as see in the above video. There are also services that scan and transcribe business cards for you. I currently use Shoeboxed.com to scan and archive all of my business cards and business expense receipts.

Of course I had to recreate the business card drop scene from the Youtube video.

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February Articles on JeradHill.Com:

• Vegan Friendly Restaurants in Modesto – An SEO Post
• Don’t Give Up On Being Creative – A plea to keep creating
• A Valentine’s Parody Video for my Wife
• The Year of the Hashtag – How Social Media will organize in 2013

February Articles on my other websites:

How To Effectively Mobile Market – These days everybody has a smart phone in their hand and a constant connection to the internet. Reaching the mobile connected user has never been more important. Here are some ideas and best practices: Read the article

5 Reasons Your Business Should Use Pinterest – Pinterest is a great way to share what makes your business unique and fun. I use Pinterest to share things that I am interested in and create inspiration to keep my motivated. As a business, you can use Pinterest to connect with potential customers who have interests that your business is in line with. Read the article

Locked Vs Unlocked Smart Phones – Making the decision to go with a locked smart phone through a wireless provider vs. purchasing an unlocked device outside of a major carrier. – Read the article

Keep Your iPhone From Becoming A Distraction – With apps for everything, it is easy for our “Smart Devices” to become a distraction. Read about what I did to my device’s homescreen to prevent distraction with out having to delete all of my apps. Read the article

Google Nexus 4 Wireless Charger – Qi Inductive Charger – I review the new wireless charging dock from Google for the Nexus 4. Read the article

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Smart Phone Review - The Galaxy Note 2 is big, that should not come as a surprise to anybody, but is it too big? Read the review

HTC One X+ Smart Phone Review - I was excited to hear of the update to the HTC One X. I owned the first version of this phone and loved the look of the phone. It had been a long time since people had stopped me to ask what phone I was holding. Read the review

Speck Products Candyshell Grip Case for iPad Mini - I am a huge fan of the Speck Candyshell grip case. Since it’s release I have purchased it for each device I have used and continue to use it on my iPhone 5. As an iPad Mini case it is the perfect case for the casual user who wants a solid case for gaming, reading or watching movies on their iPad Mini. Read the review

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