Google made many announcements yesterday at their Google I/O conference in San Francisco, one of which was about a Google+ redesign! These updates will create a responsive design that will change depending on screen size, or can be automatically customized by the click of a user’s mouse button. We already know that the beauty of many Google products is in their simplicity; it seems that Google will continue in its minimalist path with its new platform updates. As we already see on many other social networks, starting on Twitter, and now Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, etc., the hashtag will start making an [...]

Google announced yesterday that Google users will have their Gmail, Google+, and Google Drive storage combined into 15 GB of unified cloud storage.  The purpose of creating a unified storage system is to make it more seamless to share and upload files between the 3 Google platforms. While this is not exactly an increase in space – Gmail originally provided 10GB of space while Google+ and Google Drive shared a combined 5GB – it allows you to allocate the space more freely by determining exactly what you would like to use the space for. We’ve mentioned before in one of [...]

Instead of the traditional, incremental Facebook changes we are fairly familiar with, the social media giant has some pretty hefty developments underway. The company’s mobile innovation initiatives, which are being coined as the next evolution for Facebook Platform for Mobile, includes the introduction of Open Graph. This feature allows developers to better and more fully integrate their applications into the Facebook experience, making it easier for users to share their stories about music, movies, fitness, books, and more. The best part is, users can share activities through apps without having to log in to Facebook. It is becoming that easy. You [...]

Every individual has experienced the pain and suffering that goes along with a web page that opens as slow as molasses. Often times, the frustration of how long it takes deters you from even wanting to see whats on the page. Thus, businesses whose online IT infrastructure do not support quick page uploads can really effect their bottom line. Check out the infographic below to see how loading time can have negative side effects for your company!                                               [...]

In the super fast moving world of PPC marketing one topic is really shaking things up: Google AdWords Enhanced Campaigns. In the beginning of February Google announced the rollout of Enhanced Campaigns. These new “Enhanced” Campaigns have brought so many changes that the SEM blog world has exploded with posts about it. So, why in the heck would we write another post on the topic? I’m actually NOT covering what new features Enhanced Campaigns are bringing. You may already have read articles that cover these changes. Rather, I’m going to introduce some tips and strategies that will help you leverage [...]

In this technology ridden world, it is an expectation that companies of all sizes and industries have well-developed inbound marketing tactics, including highly engaging Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and Pinterest pages. Gone are the days of customers having to step foot in a store front to interact with a brand. Social media front runner, Nordstrom, is one of the smart and savvy companies who has hired experienced staff to specifically manage its social networking platforms.  Clearly, this is a marketing strategy to stick to. Check out the infographic below to see what other social internet retailers are on top of [...]

Today, Twitter is officially seven years old, and definitely has a plethora of reasons to celebrate. Founded in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, the social networking service has become a medium unto itself, with 500 million registered users, 340 million tweets daily, and 1.6 billion daily search queries. How will Twitter continue to innovate in the years to come? What Twitter is now…. The real question that should be asked is, “what is twitter not?” It has become a platform for everything and anything, including even a toaster with 2,000 followers. For many young professionals, their twitter account is a [...]

Each year, SXSW, a mecca for anyone who lives and breathes technology, music, and film, launches new digital trends that get our juices flowing. After all, in 2007, the festival single handedly helped to boost Twitter into the giant it is today, and Foursquare three years later. One of this year’s themes highlighted the rise of entertainment apps. Fandango’s “Fanticipation” app tracks moviegoer interest of new movies on its mobile and web platform, prior to its weekend-box office opening. Movie lovers can gain an insight on movie performance levels without having to wait until after the weekend. What is the [...]

Last week Pinterest started rolling out a new look and, along with it, Pinterest Analytics. We’re a little bit nuts about data here at OttoPilot media, so we’re excited to see how this new analytics platform stacks up and how it can help businesses with their social media strategies. Upgrade to the new look and verify your website If you have a business account and/or an account that lists a website, you’ll be able to “Switch to the new look.” from the top right drop down menu. In order to see Pinterest’s new look and start using their analytics dashboard, you [...]

OttoPilot’s Alexandra Gibson must have done something wrong in her past life to invoke some bad Google karma. On July 1,  2013, Google will be shutting down her beloved Google Reader in order to consolidate and commit its focus toward other Google projects. In all seriousness, many of us were fans of Google’s feed reader and will be sad to see it go. Luckily, Google is giving us over 4 months to find a worthy RSS feed aggregator alternative. Today I’ve taken the plunge to find the best Google Reader replacement out there, and here is what I have found, along with [...]