We recently told you that half of the world's biggest companies weren't effectively using social media to talk to their customers. Now it turns out that some of the biggest names in retail are getting the timing of their social media campaigns wrong. That's according to the latest research from tech analysis company Yesmail Interactive, which looked at companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, American Apparel, American Eagle, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Diesel, Eddie Bauer, Express, Forever 21, The ...

South African banking giant Nedbank today launched a smart and feature phone app suite to its staff. Speaking at the Nedbank Leadership Summit the group's CEO Mike Brown announced that a beta version of the app suite would be available to the company's employees: I am really excited about Nedbank's digital journey....we have built a foundation that enables unrivalled security and on-going app releases to meet customer needs for anywhere anytime banking. Can't wait to get going myself! The announcement ...

Hello, what have we here? It seems the social network giant has sneakily launched a location-based mobile app that lets you find out which of your friends are close by. According to Tech Crunch, the app also allows users to see who else is using the app in the area, even if they're not 'friends', and easily send them a friend request. Is it just me, or does this all sound suspiciously similar to what SXSW darling Highlight does? The app ...

We've told you about the nifty tricks you can pull using Google's various services. It's latest may not be the most technically brilliant, but it is still important. Type Gay Pride, LGBT, gay, lesbian, NYC Gay Pride and SF Gay Pride into your Google search bar and you'll get a rainbow ribbon below your search bar: As Mashable reports, Google has always had a pro-gay rights stance. In a 2008 blog post company co-founder Sergey Brin expressed opposition to Proposition ...

Microsoft today confirmed that it would be buying out business social network provider Yammer for US$1.2-billion. According to an official press release from the Redmond based tech giant, Yammer will join the Microsoft Office Division, while the team will continue to report to current CEO David Sacks. “The acquisition of Yammer underscores our commitment to deliver technology that businesses need and people love,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft. “Yammer adds a best-in-class enterprise social networking service to Microsoft’s growing portfolio ...

Angry Birds in space not enough for you? How about Angry Birds on a Formula 1 track? Well, you're in luck -- the Finnish gaming giant launched a themed web version of their fowl-flinging game today, as part of their sponsorship with Caterham F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen. It's all chequered flags and red starting lights in Angry Birds Heikki -- the game takes place on Formula 1 race tracks around the world. Currently, the only level available is set on ...

The Raspberry Pi, single-board computer, has been shipping for a few months now and you're lucky if you can fit in an order. A month ago, over 20 000 boards had been sold, and suppliers are struggling to keep up with the demand. We decided to take a look around to see why the boards are proving so popular so quickly after launch. Raspberry Pi at school Eben Upton, one of the core designers behind the board, envisioned bringing hardware back into ...

Olivia Fox Cabane makes her living by teaching people the skills needed to be charismatic, influential and persuasive. During her career, she’s been invited to speak at Harvard, MIT, Google and the United Nations. And through her new book, The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism, Cabane wants to change the way you think about charisma. While most people think charisma is so something you’re either born with it or you’re not, Cabane believes ...

Ok so Pinterest is the next big social network, but how can the fashion and retail industry harness the power of this growing platform? I’ve already given you some general Pinterest tips in a previous article, but considering that you can create boards from any topic or trends imaginable, I thought I’d invite you to the inside track of how to use Pinterest for more specific areas.  Here are 8 simple steps to turn the unfamiliar territory of Pinterest into ...

I’ve had several conversations about the email subscription popups new visitors to sites are likely to see. Many of the most experienced people in the business are in favour of them. The results are also focused are in their favour, but there are some “marketing gurus” who are very vocal in their opposition. Never one to leave a debate like this to gut feeling and guesswork, I decided to actually look at my own stats to see what story they ...