Author Archive

1. Microsoft Product + Free Xbox

Students receive a free Xbox when they buy a new Windows 7 PC for $699 or more. Or grab the latest Windows 7 software by itself for a cool student price of $64.95 versus a full retail price of $199.99.

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It’s August, which means you’re already thinking about back-to-school preparation. A big part of that process is shopping for the gadgets and software that will help prepare your student for a serious education.

We’ve collected a list of sites that offer student discounts on some of the most popular products: Sony Vaio laptops, iPads, Xbox consoles and Intel developer software, to name a few. Plus, did you know your student could qualify for a discounted phone plan?

SEE ALSO: 25 Twitter Accounts That Will Make You Smarter

Scroll through our selections and add your own suggestions for back-to-school deals in the comments below.

Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, Pinopic

More About: Mobile, Tech, accessories, back to school, college, deals, education, features, lifestyle, trending

If you operate a website, you’re currently tied to one of 22 different top-level domains. We’re talking .com, .org and the ever-elusive .biz.

In June, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) agreed to create new generic top-level domains (gTLD), allowing companies and organizations to apply for domains that engender a more specific brand presence. For example, a car company could reserve .car or .bmw if it wished. Google applied for a staggering 101 gTLDs, including .lol.

This new opportunity comes with a hefty price tag — $185,000 simply to apply and an additional $25,000 annual fee, should a company’s domain application be accepted. For companies like Amazon…
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More About: Business, ICANN, domains, gtld, infographics, web

Throughout history, women have strongly impacted buying habits — they control 85% of purchasing in the U.S. And so, brands have tapped their influence by creating strategic marketing campaigns that relate personally to the female audience.

Although a different beast, social media marketing continues to make headway by targeting a powerful subset of connected and engaged women, especially mom bloggers with big social followings.

A survey conducted by Women’s Marketing Inc. published new findings that shed light on social media marketing and women. We’ve pulled three important lessons from the data, which will help businesses to refine their marketing tactics, especially as they pe…
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More About: Marketing, Mobile, Small Business, Social Media, features, open forum, trending, women

1. Evernote Web Clipper

Attach Evernote’s Web Clipper extension to your Chrome, Safari, Firefox or IE browser to save important text, photos and links – from news articles to pictures of your dream car.

File these clips into Evernote folders, where you can access them later for information and inspiration.

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You’ve heard a ton of positive stuff about Evernote, but rather than learn about its seemingly endless functionality, you’ve left the app sitting lonely and unused in the Productivity folder of your iPad. After all, Evernote offers so many features, it can get overwhelming — especially when you’d so much rather take a big old nap.

In an effort to help you learn more about Evernote’s potential, we explored its branded products and partner apps. Apart from Evernote’s basic note, memo and archive tools, these products expand the functionality of the app for a richer, more organized experience.

SEE ALSO: 7 Photo Editing Apps to Use With Instagram

Use these tools to document your trave…
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More About: Mobile, android, apps, evernote, features, ipad, iphone, organization, trending

While we recommend you turn to reliable blogs and media outlets for social media marketing advice, sometimes it’s best to target the source itself.

That’s why we’ve collected five official Facebook marketing tools created by the social network. They’ll guide your business in its quest for marketing tips, news and case studies. Who knows? You may even become inspired enough to create a completely innovative Facebook campaign no one’s ever heard of.

SEE ALSO: 10 Facebook Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Take a peek at the following resources and, as always, please share your own Facebook marketing advice in the comments below.

1. Facebook Studio

If you’re looking for example…
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More About: Facebook, Marketing, Small Business, Social Media, open forum

1. NBC Olympic Coverage

As the official Olympics broadcast network for the U.S., NBC has been preparing for and ramping up its coverage of the games for months. Its Pinterest pins tell this year’s Olympic story in chronological order, dating back to May, when the torch was lit in Olympia, Greece.

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The Olympics are comprised of highly visual events. Think of the dust that settles on the floor after a gymnast chalks her hands. Or the rippling back muscles of a graceful pole vaulter. Or the swaying flag above a gold medal winner.

Already, Pinterest users are collecting and sharing powerful images of Olympic athletes and London attractions to celebrate the games. We’ve found 13 accounts and boards overflowing with everything from news coverage to party ideas, and it’s all Olympic-themed.

SEE ALSO: How to Follow the 2012 Olympics Online

What kinds of Olympic images will share best on Pinterest? On social media, in general? Where are you accessing user-curated Olympics content?

More About: Social Media, Sports, features, olympics, photography, pinterest

Prefabrication isn’t new. In fact, most everything around you is prefab: that picture frame on your desk, your computer monitor, even the light bulb above your head. Prefab simply means an item or components of an item are pre-assembled in a factory before the final product reaches you.

Even prefab homes have been around for decades. The mobile home revolutionized functional, affordable housing. For its time, modular housing was incredibly waste-efficient, too, compared to the on-site building processes of today, which can exhaust more than 30% of building materials.

Rather than overload our landfills, however, contemporary architectural firms and design companies are rethinking wh…
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More About: Business, Global Innovation Series, Tech, design, environment, features, home, lifestyle, mashable, sustainability

1. CATatelier

The French word atelier refers to a workspace dedicated to the fine arts. We’d say cat accessories comply.

The shop announcement reads: “Hats, accessories, and clothing for your fashion-forward feline. Handcrafted by a detail-oriented perfectionist cat-lover, trained in costume and prop creation.”

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One day, you’re sitting at home enjoying a glass of wine by the fire. But you can’t completely relax — not when that blank wall space above the fireplace mantle continues to taunt you, begging for a piece of fine decorative art.

Suddenly, a breakthrough! You’ve discovered the perfect solution to that dull, white wall space: a painting of a sloth, curled up in his tree with a bag of Cheetos.

And you know the perfect place to commission such an outstanding piece: Etsy. Comprised of creative, crafty and often kooky shop owners, the ecommerce platform houses nearly any handcrafted item you could possibly imagine.

SEE ALSO: 10 Weirdest Things for Sale on eBay

Whether you seek a wi…
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More About: Etsy, Small Business, accessories, animals, ecommerce, features, humor, lifestyle

1. designboom

Designboom curates innovative products, architecture, art and creations from all over the world. Tap the site and its Twitter feed for mind-blowing and colorful inspiration you can apply to your own spaces.

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Pinterest may be the more visual platform for design inspiration, but Twitter often supplements photo appeal with design inspiration, tips and news. These blogs and personalities share interior design case studies, DIY tutorials, affordable luxury products and gardening knowledge — all via Twitter.

SEE ALSO: 10 Upcycled Gadgets for Your Home and Office

Meander through the gallery above to discover leaders in the home and garden space, who just happen to maintain valuable Twitter presences. We can’t catch them all, so please share your own design favorites in the comments below.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, ooh_food

More About: Twitter, blog, design, features, home, lifestyle

A read through most online privacy policies is enough to make your stomach acid curdle. And social media companies have more access to personal data than most.

Some collect information you expressly give them, like your credit card and telephone numbers. Others gather data based on how and where you use their services. This might include anything from device and browser information to location intel. And some of it gets really specific — think about your last search query or ad click. It’s probably all “fair” game.

Depending on the type gathered, social networks use data to enhance location services and target advertising (now you know why that sunglasses website you visited three m…
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More About: Facebook, Google, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube, data, infographics, pandora, pinterest, privacy