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Monday, May 28, 2012

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ALL STORIES IN BUSINESS & MARKETING

6 Brands Get It Right on Viddy

Sunday, May 27, 2012 6:57 PM

Amy-Mae Elliott

Viddy, the hot social video editing and sharing app, has racked up millions of ordinary users and a whole host of celebrity participants.

Perhaps leery of video, brands are not signing up to the network quite as fast. Nonetheless, there are some early-adopter corporate Viddy accounts worth checking out. We've taken a look at six brands currently using Viddy in smart and savvy ways.

SEE ALSO: How to Get Started With Viddy

Discover which brands we're highlighting and why. We have included a sample clip from each, so have your say in the comments below: which brand is using the service most effectively and why?

1. DVF

The Diane von Furstenberg fashion brand is a big user of the social video platform.

As well as using Viddy to show mini-clips of Diane and "everyday" footage, DVF joined forces with Viddy during New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

DVF staffers used the app to shoot exclusive behind-the-scenes footage as they prepped for the show, encountered celebs. The event highlights were then cross-posted to the DVF Facebook page.

Giving fans an insider glimpse is a clever way to make the most of short-form video -- viewers feel like they can enjoy special access to a brand they admire.

2. Red Bull UK

Because it only recently added its Viddy account, Red Bull UK has only created a handful of viddys, but every single one is worth watching.

The beverage brand keeps tight to its sports/action message with footage of the recent Red Bull-sponsored Empire of Dirt BMX contest. Such events are ripe for the "highlights reel" treatment. The content is incredibly shareable, and Red Bull's editing of the clips is simply superb.

We hope to see more of the same in the future from Red Bull -- we think the brand has found a match made in heaven with Viddy.

3. General Electric

General Electric has made great use of Viddy with its small selection of well-edited clips, which offer viewers a peek at its cool technology and premises.

While the company has only posted three clips so far, they are perfectly suited to Viddy's 15-second format. Each provides a visual insight to the brand in a format that is accessible and fun for Viddy's youthful audience, especially when longer, more explanatory YouTube videos might not.

4. Warner Bros Records

Warner Bros. Records appears to be testing the Viddy waters. It has created a dozen clips, featuring just one artist: American rapper Waka Flocka Flame.

The clips are primarily behind-the-scenes footage from music video shoots. They are surprisingly effective, thanks to Viddy's cool filters and music effects.

While we like the style the Warner Bros. viddys thus far, we might question the need in the future for separate Viddy accounts for individual artists. Perhaps the brand can reserve the main account for a "best of" collection of curated content.

5. Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has uploaded a variety of content to Viddy, from light-hearted "guess the airport" challenges to in-flight footage to what can only be described as good, honest plane porn.

Recently, the airline used Viddy to host fun competition. It challenged users to create a Southwest-themed Viddy for the chance to win roundtrip plane tickets to the Sundance Film Festival.

With fresh content every few weeks or so, it seems Southwest plans to use the platform as one tool in its wider social media dashboard, taking advantage of the unique proposition Viddy offers brands.

6. The Muppets

Finally, The Muppets brand is no stranger to social media, and it got in on the Viddy action quite early on.

Ahead of the release of The Muppets movie in November 2011, the Disney-owned entertainment brand teamed up with Viddy for a production pack, which contained content and special effect filters that featured The Muppets. The super-shareable clips featuring each of the main characters were also posted online to promote the movie.

The Muppets-Viddy partnership is particularly exciting, as it shows how the tool could play a part in movie marketing. For example, it would be the perfect platform to issue a series of teaser clips.

We look forward to seeing how other brands use Viddy, as more sign up to the service. Have you seen any other interesting uses? Have your say in the comments below.

Facebook May Launch Smartphone by Next Year [REPORT]

Sunday, May 27, 2012 5:41 PM

Samantha Murphy

Facebook may be gearing up to launch its first-ever smartphone by next year, a new report suggests.

According to The New York Times, engineers have been sought by recruiters to work on building hardware for a Facebook smartphone. This would be the social network's third attempt to develop a smartphone, the report said, citing sources close to the matter.

The news comes as search engine giant Google completed the acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion earlier this week. This move could help Facebook counter that with its own foray into the smartphone hardware business.

Rumors about a possible Facebook phone have been circulating for the past few years. Although Facebook was reportedly first working on a smartphone in 2010, sources said the initiative stopped due to development complications. Meanwhile, AllThingsD has reported Facebook and manufacturer HTC were working together to develop a mobile device under the code name "Buffy."

It's believed that "Buffy" may still be in development. Hiring engineers to work specifically on building Facebook phones would position the company to explore other smartphone projects, as well.

Do you think a move into the smartphone business would be smart for Facebook or would it overextend itself? Would you buy a Facebook phone?

AOL Squatter: Young Entrepreneur Caught Living in Offices [VIDEO]

Sunday, May 27, 2012 4:55 PM

Samantha Murphy

A 19-year-old entrepreneur has been caught living and working out of AOL's Palo Alto, Calif. offices, putting in long hours to get his startup off the ground. Sure, companies pride themselves in having employees with intense work ethics, but this guy wasn't even an AOL employee at the time.

Eric Simons -- who stayed at the office for two months, crashing on office couches, eating the company's food and exercising every morning at the gym -- was previously a member of a tech incubator program called Imagine K12, which is how he gained access to the building.

The AOL squatter stayed at the facilities while working on his own company, Class Connect, a startup he pioneered to help teachers teach more effectively.

Simons only spent about $30 a month squatting at AOL offices. His stay ended when he was finally caught by a manager.

Image via Flickr, MarioAnima

BONUS: Exclusive Look Inside the New Facebook HQ: You'll Like This

Tell-Tale Signs Your Employee is Overworked [INFOGRAPHIC]

Sunday, May 27, 2012 3:11 PM

Lauren Hockenson

Are you stressed at work? You're not alone: A recent Gallup poll indicates that on-the-job pressure is the top reason for employee dissatisfaction in the American workforce, and nearly half of American workers say their job is "very or extremely stressful."

And whether you notice it or not, you're broadcasting clear signs that should indicate to your employer that you are overworked and need a change of pace. The infographic below, developed by Column Five in conjunction with employee wellness company Keas, shows exactly how employees behave when they've been pushed to their limits. Workers tend to develop classic symptoms when their workload gets too much to bear, such as poor memory, fatigue and bad time management. They also exhibit odd behaviors, working too much or too little in response to the level of stress in the workplace. Employers should be watching for these key symptoms and redirecting overworked employees to a more manageable situation.

Of course, the consequences of ignoring these signs can be major -- 66% of employees suffer from stress-induced health issues, including but not limited to high blood pressure, headaches, sleeplessness and more frequent periods of sickness. Overworked employees are also more likely to have drastically decreased productivity and play hooky than those who are satisfied with their workload. The overall result is clear: Overworked and stressed workers are never good for a company.

Check out the infographic below for an inside look into how overworked employees behave -- and how it all can be fixed. Do you ever feel stressed at your job? Let us know in the comments.

Infographic research and design by Column Five

Social Media Job Listings

Every week we post a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we publish a huge range of job listings, we've selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

Social Media Strategy Director at Likeable Media in New York City

Online Marketing Manager at USA Football in Indianapolis

Social Outreach Manager at Awesomeness TV in Los Angeles

12 Ways to Optimize Your Resume for Applicant Tracking Systems

Sunday, May 27, 2012 12:04 PM

Mona Abdel-Halim

Mona Abdel-Halim is the co-founder of Resunate.com, a job application tool that tailors and optimizes your resume for a specific job. You can find Mona and Resunate on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

You filled out the job application, updated your resume and clicked "Submit." But as the days or weeks pass, you never receive a phone call or email from the employer. What happened?

Unbeknownst to many job seekers, a whopping 72% of resumes are never seen by human eyes. Why? Well, employers large and small now use applicant tracking software to parse the information from your resume and map it into a database called an ATS (applicant tracking system). From this information, the system will assign you a score based on how well you match the job the employer is trying to fill, and then rank and sort all candidates. Naturally, the potential employees with the highest scores move on, while others are left in the dust.

Wondering how you can optimize your resume and rank highly in the employer's ATS? Here are several tricks to improving your resume's score.

1. Use Language from the Job Description: Look through the job listing to determine the skills required. Identify industry terms, buzzwords and jargon the hiring manager uses most frequently in the description and incorporate these words into your resume when possible and applicable -- the ATS is looking for these keywords.

2. Get Rid of Images and Graphics: Remember, the ATS is breaking down the information you're providing and sorting it into different "buckets." It will not be able to read or understand an image.

3. Choose Fonts Carefully: Stick with standard web-safe fonts like Arial, Georgia, Impact, Courier, Lucinda, Tahoma or Trebuchet.

4. Don't Hide Keywords: Think adding in a bunch of keywords in white text is the best way to rank highly? Think again.

5. Get Rid of Irrelevant Information: Only include past positions and skills that are relevant to the job at hand. Irrelevant positions just end up as filler -- a waste of valuable real estate on your resume.

6. Don't Use Any Special Characters: Standard bullets are fine, but other characters (such as arrows) can cause issues that could prevent the ATS from correctly parsing your information.

7. Avoid Fancy Borders and Shading: Stick to simple templates that are easy to read.

8. Pump Up Your Skills Section: Most employers use their ATS to search by specialized or technical skills. Make sure your resume includes any special skills you've attained, such as computer programs, strengths, competencies and other abilities. Spell out your skills and include industry-specific abbreviations or acronyms that the employer may also search for when finding candidates with the right experience.

9. Create a Customized Professional Summary: Include a list of bulleted achievements and qualifications that relate to the job description and desired skills.

10. Ditch Spelling Errors: The ATS will miss important keywords when they are misspelled. Avoid mistakes: Spell check, read your document backwards and have a friend (or two) look it over. You can never be too safe.

11. Place Contact Information at the Top: Don't forget to include vital information, such as your phone number and email address. The ATS may even send an email after you've applied to the position with additional instructions -- so check your spam folder religiously to ensure you don't miss further communications.

12. Tailor Each and Every Resume: Different ads will contain different keywords and phrases. If you want your resume to be one of the top rated for each position, you must tailor your skills and experience to each opportunity.

Unless you know your highly stylized resume won't be taking a trip through an ATS, it's best to save your infographic resume for the in-person interview and upload a .doc or PDF instead.

Do you use the above tricks to avoid the resume "black hole"? Let us know in the comments.

Social Media Job Listings

Associate Product Editor at Rodale in New York City

Online Marketing Manager at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment in Burbank, Calif.

Membership/Community Manager at Word of Mouth Marketing Association in Chicago

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, vicky_81