Here’s what caught my eye this week:
Tech News
1. Google I/O starts today. Follow along with live blogging from TechCrunch, engadget, or Google.
2. Google is predicted to announce a Spotify competitor at Google I/O this week. According to sources, the streaming service will not have a free tier, but will operate a subscription model similar to rdio and Spotify. [NYTimes]
3. Have you seen the video for the sixth batch of 500 Startups? Its pretty amazing. Lyrics and video in the link. What’s interesting about this year’s group is that 20 companies come from outside the US, making up 70% of the entire class. [TechCrunch]
4. Flipboard released a new update to its iPad and iPhone apps this week, making it easier to share with friends. A new section called Flips by Friends contains articles your friends are curating into magazines. [Flipboard]
Digital Marketing
1. Do you know Edgerank? Edgerank measures affinity, weight, and time decay to figure out when and where to show brand posts to users. Postrocket has put together a great infographic showcasing Edgerank and best practices. [Mashable]
2. YouTube has launched a Trends Map to provide context into “what’s trending now.” You can search by age, region, or popularity by shares or views. [The Verge]
3. Real-time social media marketing is coming to center stage more often that not these days. According to a recent study by eMarketer, 50.2% of social network users think it would be effective for brands to create timely ads/posts during major events. Users are more likely to be positively affected, interested, and have stronger consideration of the brand by real-time marketing. [eMarketer]
4. How do you develop a social media strategy? This article from Inc. Magazine has some great stepping stones to creating a solid strategy.
5. Content marketing is vital to any brand’s success, and Jonathan Lister of LinkedIn gives a great overview of why content marketing matters, and some tips on developing a strong strategy for any brand. [Fast Company]
6. ESPN and Twitter are growing their partnership by integrating ESPN clips deeper into the Twitter stream. Ads will be shown inside these video clips with ESPN committing that marketers who buy those ads will also buy a minimum ad spend of Twitter promoted posts. [TNW]
Lifestyle News
1. Around the world in 80 Instagrams – this is why I love social media! [Mashable]
What inspired you today?