1) Virtual Insanity
There’s been much discussion and excitement surrounding virtual reality, but little real action taken. To date, the barrier has largely been the high cost. Big companies can play with the technology, because they can afford it. Luckily, this is no longer the case. We are particularly excited about the Oculus VR developer kit and Atheer goggles. For just a few hundred bucks, developers can start tinkering with this awesome technology. What are you getting for Christmas?
2) 2014 Search Manifesto
Check out these insights from Jim Yu of searchenginewatch.com on how what to expect, and how to prepare your SEO strategy for 2014. Solid stuff. Read more here.
3) Facebook Likes & Shares Don’t Impact Google Rankings
A recent study confirmed that Facebook likes and shares aren’t impacting Google search rankings. In fact, it appears Google isn’t using likes to discover, index, or rank content at all. The takeaway here (from an SEO perspective) is that marketers don’t need to worry about sharing every bit of content on Facebook in hopes of ranking higher in Google. Click here to read more.
4) Users Not So Excited About Parallax
The first real study of this popular web design style suggests it’s not as mind-blowing to users as it is to the designers and web developers so bent on using it everywhere. In fact, some users even found it disorienting. A reminder to developers and designers everywhere: Don’t use a style or technology for it’s own sake. Read more here.
5) Instagram Ads
Instagram released a report this week on how their first ad clients fared with initial campaigns. Ads rolled out November 1st for Instagram featuring Ben & Jerry’s and Levi’s. It looks like early efforts were effective. Expect to see more ads in your Instagram feeds this spring. Read full post here.
6) Shazaam Adds Auto Music & TV Recognition to iPhone App
Instead of pushing a button, this new feature allows users to keep Shazam running in the background where it will automatically recognize songs on the radio and shows on TV, even when you’re using other apps or have your phone locked. Read more here.
