Facebook believes in "social by design." In other words, something is not social unless your deigned it to be social. Social needs to be a core part of what you do and not just utilising social websites. Understanding this concept is key to designing social media strategies. A strategy becomes social when it leverages the social aspect of life rather than uses a social network. There are three primary social elements that we should be thinking about when we develop a social ...

Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is a timeless, Pulitzer Prize winning novel, both rich in symbolism and conspicuously relevant in its contemporary application. As a parable for entrepreneurs, it is practically without parallel. A simple tale that sees a man set out to achieve a goal, and tackle the challenges that befall him and his determination to realise his ambition. The Old Man and the Sea's succinct, powerful grit registers as a fundamental guide to business. It’s ...

One thing missing from most social networking sites is the most basic form of communication: talking. Sure, conversations are happening all the time, but generally take on a written form as opposed to a verbal one. Online sharing platforms (that don’t involve actual speech) are increasingly becoming the commonly and socially accepted way to converse. To let people know where we are, we check in. To arrange or RSVP to a party or event, we do so on Facebook, or Google+. ...

The world of wine is about to get super social and dramatically less snooty. Real Time Wine, the 140-character wine blog is now available in the form of beautiful apps for iPhone and Android phones. Real Time Wine makes it easy for those who don't consider themselves intrepid wine connoisseurs to venture out and try something new “Most wine buyers are not wine experts,” says founder Andy Hadfield. “The challenge of discovering new wine at the right price is so great ...

"More wood behind fewer arrows". That's been the operating rationale of Google ever since Larry Page returned as CEO in 2011. Hardly surprising then that the product cull that began with Google Labs is ongoing. As part of what it calls its "spring cleaning" efforts, the internet giant is killing off iGoogle, Google Mini, Google Chat Talkback, Google Video, and the Symbian Search app. Although it wont be officially killed off until November 2013, we've got to admit we're pretty ...

Scientists at the CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research have found a particle consistent with the illusive Higgs Boson, sometimes referred to as "the God Particle". That's big. Finding the Higgs Boson particle is one of the primary reasons the multi-billion dollar Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was built in the first place. If you're not sure what the hell a Higgs Boson is, Business Day science editor Sarah Wild has a fairly comprehensive explanation that most people should ...

Google is looking to get its hands on Yahoo's ad technology. In fact, it's been looking for some time now, having made its first offer three months ago. An inside source speaking to Business Insider said that offer, made while Scott Thompson was CEO, didn't make it past corporate development. According to Business Insider, the likes of Accenture and IBM have already looked into buying the embattled internet giant's ad technologies. This is one of those "inside source" stories that sort ...

This is interesting. One of China's biggest social networking powers Tencent has been granted the exclusive rights to distribute Call of Duty Online in the country. The multiplayer game, which involves missions familiar to anyone who's played the Call of Duty Modern Warfare series, has been in development for the past two years. Free to play, it makes its money through in-game purchases. The game's publisher Activision Blizzard today announced the deal with the Chinese company, in what it ...

Let's be serious for a minute folks. Getting a loan from a bank can be a right royal pain in the arse. Surely you could save a load of admin if you, the willing borrower, could sit down at your computer and find a willing lender? That's exactly the premise behind a RainFin, a social lending company that says it wants to completely change the way people borrow and loan money in South Africa. The company provides a compelling alternative ...

Egyptians have won the right, for the first time in 7000 years, to democratically elect their president. From the outset of the revolution Egyptians took to social media to express their opinions, thoughts and concerns. Subsequent to the first round of the recent  presidential elections, two candidates went head to head into the runoff which led to two polar opposites competing: Ahmed Shafik, the last Prime minster for the former regime and Mohamed Morsy a former Muslim Brotherhood member. The first ...