CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-19 03:50:01 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 4 +1s)

5 Things That Will Make You More Creative And Productive

Creative people are always fighting a battle of #creativity vs. #productivity. Well, I do anyways-- I cant speak for you.

I can agree with almost all of thesez tips:
- Know when you work your best
- Work on what you want forst
- Go for quantity over quality
- Know how you work
- Forgive yourself

Now I understand the "quantity over quality" point, but as an artist whos OCD about quality, I cant force myself to work in that way.

How about you? Any of these you relate to? Any you disagree with?

2013-05-19 03:31:20 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Cheat Sheet for Two Dozen Esspresso-Based Drinks

Coffee drinkers and caffeine addicts rejoice! This well crafted cheat sheet shows how to make some of the best esspresso drinks! No barrista required!

Though, you will need an esspresso machine. And sadly, I dont have one. Doh! Eother way, still pretty good info!

What drink is your favorite? Or which one would you most want to try?

#twt

2013-05-19 03:06:43 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Some of these are really good! Got any other life-hacks you would add?

2013-05-19 02:54:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

The Iron Man of iPhone Cases

After seeing Iron Man 3 earlier today, its no wonder thats the first thing I thought of when I saw this. One epic phone case.

Now, as a purist, I still have yet to wrap my iPhone 5 in a case. Though, i'm beginning to think its time.

I'm a real minimalist though, so something bulky like the linked case wont do. Any suggestions?

2013-05-19 02:17:18 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Yessss.... +Patton Oswalt's filibuster speech from #ParksandRec animated!

#ParksandRecreation  

2013-05-18 23:24:19 (20 comments, 1 reshares, 24 +1s)

Seeing Iron Man 3

Super excited! It's been a while since my wife & I have been on a date. She actually wanted to see this movie. Did I pick a #winner or what?!

Have you seen Iron Man 3 yet? Verdict?

2013-05-18 02:25:05 (9 comments, 7 reshares, 50 +1s)

"If our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?"

Our God by Chris Tomlin

Someone needs to hear this today. I know I did.

I created this on my iPhone while traveling. Don't you love technology?

Apps used:
iPhone camera
Aviary
Piction

#christianity

2013-05-17 13:48:48 (7 comments, 16 reshares, 34 +1s)

Hangouts Easter Eggs

Some of you may already figured out the hidden Easter Eggs in the new Hangouts.  Here is the full list to have some fun with them. Keep in mind that those codes only work with Hangouts on Google+. 
Not in video calls, Chrome Extension or mobile.

#io13   #googleplusupdate   #hangouts   #eastereggs  

2013-05-17 03:09:01 (7 comments, 39 reshares, 32 +1s)

Military Robots Will Patrol World Cup
Can you say, #skynet ?

This headline intrigued me. I thought it was going to be just a few little high-tech RC cars with cameras roaming around. Nope-- 30 Military grade remote controlled mini tanks, each one costing $100,000. 

Oh, and it even gets better-- they've got #drones  too. 

The next thing you know, they'll be announcing the name of their computer running everything is called VIKI. (Movie reference anyone?)

Do you think this is a bit overkill? (Let's hope not!)

2013-05-16 19:17:17 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

5 key steps for business social media success by +Dave Kerpen 

“Over 1.1 billion people in the world are on Facebook, including over 175 million Americans, or 1 in 2 adults. Twitter recently surpassed 400 million accounts. LinkedIn boasts over 225 million users. Small business owners are trying to take advantage of these trends, but few are fully reaping the rewards.For many business owners, the temptation is to use social networks to promote themselves and broadcast their messages. But if you stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a customer, you’ll understand that the secret to social media is in the “social” more than in the “media” – it’s in being human – being the sort of person at a cocktail party who listens attentively, tells great stories, shows interest in others, and is authentic and honest. The secret is to simply be likeable.”
Here are 5 key fir... more »

2013-05-16 15:26:35 (3 comments, 8 reshares, 13 +1s)

Understanding Google's new design: It's all about cards.

From The New Yorker: "A card will be the atomic unit of information display across all of Google."

See what I did there? I put what we journalists call a "pull quote" as the top line. The reason is that I know in your stream you will see only my "headline" and my first line, and I wanted to make it compelling enough for you to click and read. 

Welcome to the new Google+. 

Some people are complaining about this, saying its anti-writer, anti-words, pro-photos or too much like Pinterest. 

In fact, Google+ always displayed only the first few lines of each post, but now they're displaying fewer. 

Let's be clear about why this is happening: Google is fully embracing the cards interface. A card is a unit of information that could containany... more »

2013-05-16 13:59:26 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 10 +1s)

Good info about the hard decision to break away from XMPP.

2013-05-16 13:53:06 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 11 +1s)

The Google #IO13  Keynote In 3 and a Half Minutes

If you're looking for the cliffnotes version of the +Google IO Keynote from yesterday, look no further. They guys over at +The Verge have put together the ultimate highlight reel for yesterdays mindblowing presentations.

2013-05-16 13:37:39 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Tomorrow, the White House is kicking off "We the Geeks," a new series of Google+ Hangouts to highlight the future of science, technology, and innovation here in the U.S.

Our first hangout includes an extraordinary panel of innovators from around the country who will discuss the elements of an "all hands on deck" effort to pursue Grand Challenges.

Tune in tomorrow at 2pm ET: http://at.wh.gov/l4lUD

#hangoutsonair   #WeTheGeeks  

2013-05-16 23:31:20 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

Your approach to mistakes defines your success by +Penelope Trunk 

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.  ― Albert Einstein

"When things go bad for any business, it’s so easy to feel like a failure.

I understand that feeling. It’s the feeling of wanting to give up when things go bad in your business. There are lots of ways to get past that moment. Each entrepreneur finds one that works for them."

Some tips
1. Focus on the big idea
2. Take action
3. Surround yourself with people making mistakes and SURVIVING

What do you do when you hit a road bump?

Full article on Penelope Trunk
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2013/04/22/your-approach-to-mistakes-defines-your-success/

#Motivation #Inspiration #HolyKaw  

2013-05-16 19:35:20 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

Design Thinking: Training Yourself to Be More Creative

In this webinar Professor Bill Burnett gives you a taste of what will be taught during the Innovation Masters Series course being held this June 19 -21, 2013 and December 11 - 13, 2013 at Stanford University.

Presented by the Innovation Masters Series: Design Thinking and the Art of Innovation course: http://scpd.stanford.edu/design/

2013-05-16 04:51:31 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Testing New Auto-Enhanced Photos

We took a walk after dinner today (HT +Jesse Wojdylo) and I decided I'd take some photos to see what the result of the auto-enhance would be. 

It worked beautifully. 

2013-05-16 04:01:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

New Look for Circles: Inspired By Twister

My wife's first response to the new look of Google+'s Circles was,

"Ooh, Twister!"

See why I married her? She's brilliant! Haha! Who wants to go play a few games of Twister now?

#googleplusupdate  

2013-05-16 01:22:42 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Default cover photos

It probably goes without saying that I am in love with the new Google+ stream design and find it absolutely beautiful.

Another change you may not have noticed has to do with the default cover image. On the old Google+, the profiles which didn't feature a cover photo displayed a grey-to-black gradient over the upper portion of the screen. With the Google+ redesign, those profiles which lack a cover photo are decorated with one of several default cover photos supplied by Google. 

I must say, they're gorgeous!

2013-05-15 22:42:01 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Bugs With Hangouts iOS App?

I'm getting this Network error message a lot while using the app. It also seems like the badge notifications are pretty buggy.

So far, seems like there are a bunch if kinks to work out, but overall I'm pretty pleased.

#googleplusupdate

2013-05-15 21:26:14 (20 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

Screenshots of the New Google+

Wow... this is so beautiful that I don't have words. Home run +Google+  team!

Even the new messaging is looking hotter than ever! I could play with this thing all day long!

#googleplusupdate  

2013-05-15 20:15:29 (13 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

Trying Out the New Hangouts App on iOS

Loving it so far. As with all the other #googleplusupdates today, I am just in awe of the direction +Google+ is headed.

Of course, we always knew it was the future, didn't we?

2013-05-15 19:24:14 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 13 +1s)

One of my inactive Google+ pages has the new layout. Doh!

2013-05-15 18:17:14 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

Full Details On The New Google+

Man, I am so excited about the rollout of the new Google+! Beautiful. Functional. Depth. 

Way to go +Google+ team! You guys are #rockstars ! I can't wait to start using it! 

What are your thoughts on the new Google+?

#googleplusupdate   #googlepluslove   #evang+  

2013-05-15 17:43:25 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

The new Google+
http://goo.gl/E7iaK - #io13 - #gpdliveblog 

2013-05-15 15:53:19 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Google I/O Goes LIVE!

You can watch the live stream via the link below for #IO13 ! Who else is excited?!

2013-05-15 14:51:42 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

Personal Branding Pages: Your Online Business Card

A little while back I wrote about the importance of having a personal branding page and gave some tips on how to make it #awesome !

I recently updated mine (dustinstout.com) and thought it would be good to revisit this blog post (below). I went through and updated where necessary. Hope it proves helpful!

Do you have a personal branding page? Leave a comment below with a link to it!

2013-05-14 19:31:15 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Oh, You Know-- Just an Instant 400% Increase in Traffic.. in the last 10min...

Since posting my Essential Guide to What Colors Communicate post (https://www.facebook.com/brandsoftheworld) less than 30min ago, my site stats pretty much freaked out. 

Thanks to +Brands of the World for the Facebook share! I don't think I've ever gotten that much traffic from FB! lol

2013-05-14 19:08:52 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Launch In T-Minus... uh, -2 Years

I had an idea for a site today and decided to plug the domain into my browser to see if it was already taken. Sure enough it was. 

To my surprise though, it looks like the site was supposed to launch in 2011! Makes me wonder... what the heck happened?

The image below is exactly what you see when you visit www.createmedia.com. 

Kinda sad. #failuretolaunch  

What are you working on that you haven't launched yet? 

Personally, I've got a few thing myself that I have yet to launch. Maybe this is a subtle reminder to stop dreaming and start creating (http://dustn.ws/10yqmfw).

2013-05-14 18:59:35 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 15 +1s)

What Do Colors Communicate?

Earlier today I posted a link to an article on How To Be More Creative. In that post one of the things you can do to be more creative is to add the color blue to your workspace. 

Now, I'm fascinated with the study of color and psychology. My previous research (linked below) shows that there are some proven reasons why the color blue may be great to stimulate #creativity !

What do you think? Do you believe that colors can have an effect on your  #creativity ?

2013-05-14 14:35:34 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 15 +1s)

The Ten Twitter Commandments

Okay g+niuses, I know that all of you are sold-out plussers, but there are some great tips in here is you're still active on twitter. 

I originally posted these here: http://dustn.ws/x8RphM

The attached photo album contains all the slides I created for my Twitter Commandments so feel free to browse through them and share! You can give a +1 to the ones you agree with most!

Question: Which of these commandments do you think could also apply to Google+?

#SocialMedia  

2013-05-14 16:59:04 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 17 +1s)

10 Steps To Become More Creative

I don't care how un-creative you think you are. #Creativity is like a muscle. If you work it out, it gets stronger. If you neglect it, you will get creatively weak.

My 3 favorites from this article are,
- Work from a new space
- Take more walks
- Stop multi-tasking!

HT +Jason T. Wiser & +Sheila Edeliant

2013-05-14 05:48:18 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Official Steps to Connect YouTube with a Google Plus Page...

This connection that allows for a fully branded experience between Google Plus and YouTube has been in beta for about a month now (April 10, 2013). It is great for finally letting a Google+ Page Run its own Hangouts on Air... fully branded at all times!

At 2:30 in this video it appears that we have even more options from which to choose. One of the new options is to "create a better name"... which will create a new Google+ Page.

I've been helping clients make the connection for a while. And there are some very helpful folks to assist you in the Google+ Community mentioned below. When you get it working, it is very valuable. The ability to have multiple managers for your Google+ Page AND your YouTube Channel is very helpful and something we have needed for quite some time!

Here are a... more »

2013-05-14 04:30:03 (2 comments, 7 reshares, 10 +1s)

Does Your Website Convert Well?

I've been doing some testing of my own on dustn.tv to see what converts and what doesn't. I'm no pro at this sort of testing, but I've been learning some interesting things about what compels people.

This post by +KISSmetrics gives some great examples of companies that are doing things right. In a nutshell:

- Make your unique value proposition clear
- Test your calls to action
- Test your headlines
- Create short forms

#business #marketing

2013-05-14 04:10:03 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 12 +1s)

Businesses Need To Shift The Way They Think To Get Millennials On Board

The next generation isn't buying like the ones before it. They think about things differently. They are motivated differently and they see the world around them differently.

This article is a must-read. It not only informs about the way millennials think, but it gives some practical, actionable ways to go about reaching them.

Churches would be wise to take this advice too.

#business #Marketing

2013-05-14 03:55:26 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

4 Reasons Why Iron Man 3 Is More Successful Than Iron Man 2

There's some pretty good points made here. I can't say I disagree with any of them. He makes some solid points, and the data can't be argued!

2013-05-13 22:24:21 (12 comments, 9 reshares, 72 +1s)

Google Further Unifies Gmail, Google+ and Drive

Google's digital domination gains more ground as it extends it's storage limit to 15GB across +Gmail, +Google+, and +Google Drive. 

Who else was part of the initial invite only release of Gmail and was blown away that you could have 1GB of storage? Haha!

2013-05-13 19:46:06 (13 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

Interview: Larry Deane

I got to do a Hangout On Air with entrepreneur, developer, and professional blogger +Larry Deane a couple weeks ago. In this interview I ask him the following questions:

- Where did your journey in #SocialMedia  / #Marketing  / #WebDesign  / Development begin?

- How has your faith shaped the way you interact with social media and blogging?

- What is the best piece of advice you have for an aspiring Social Media Rock Star?

- What is your favorite social media platform?

- What is the most fun project you're working on right now?

It was great to speak with Larry and see just how similar our journeys were! 

2013-05-13 16:25:30 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

12 Most Magnetic Ways to Curate Awesome Content by +Susan Silver 

"A community manager needs to stay organized. It is the only way to stay on top of our PR, marketing, and outreach responsibilities. One of the most difficult aspects is finding the great content to share when there isn’t a marketing message going through the pipes. That, for me, is the real interesting bit that I do daily.

Of course, there is a limited amount of time in the day. Telling your boss that you surfed YouTube for three hours looking for viral videos is not likely to get you a pay raise. No, you have to be observant and find more ways to bring that great content to you. Stop looking for it and spend more time optimizing the opportunities that are right in front of you."

1. Facebook wall
2. Twitter lists
3. Evernote
4. Google+ What's Hot

Where do youfin... more »

2013-05-13 14:07:41 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Need Some Awesome Product Shots for Your App or Website?

This is just plain #awesome ! If you have an app, blog, website or product that you would like to have some great photos of on a mobile device, desktop, or laptop, this FREE resource is absolutely phenomenal!

HT +John Saddington +Pressgram 

#marketing  

2013-05-13 14:00:00 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

LIVE Television Coming Straight to Your Mobile Device

abc plans on rolling out a "LIVE" button within their app in specific (limited) marketplaces over the next few months. This will allow users to tune into shows like Good Morning America LIVE.

Is it Live according to Eastern Time Zone, or is it specific to the user's time zone? What do you think?

2013-05-13 13:45:05 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division is coming to abc! As a +Marvel Entertainment fan, I was a bit skeptical, but after watching this, I have to say I'm pretty excited to watch the pilot!

What do you think?

2013-05-13 13:30:05 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us

If you're still not familar with the idea of #Tribes, this post highlights the major concepts of +Seth Godin's book and gives some interesting perspective.

It's been 5 years since this book was released and it is even more true today!

Are you familiar with the #tribes concept? What are your thoughts?

2013-05-13 13:00:01 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 12 +1s)

Ground Control To Major Tom: First Song Recorded In Space

In case you missed it over the weekend, this cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was recorded from space!

Superstar celebrity astronaut +Chris Hadfield has been a continual source of fascinating content from the space station. This, by far, is the best thing yet!

Now who else, besides me, wants to go record a music video is space?

2013-05-13 04:54:41 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Rebooting My RSS Feeds with Feedly - Starting from Zero!

It's been a while since I've used RSS feeds. After some significant life-changes (having a baby) my RSS and content consumption flow has been, for lack of a better word, crappy. 

So now that I've revisited +feedly after not being on it for well over a year, I think its time to reboot and start from scratch. 

I know-- crazy right?! I'm going to completely get rid of all my RSS subscriptions and begin with a clean slate. 

Of course, I do have a few sites that I already have in mind to start over with-- +Mashable, +The Verge, +ChurchMag, +WP Daily, and a few others-- but I wanted to ask your help!

What are the must have feeds in your RSS reader of choice? Leave a comment below with your 3 favorite feeds!

Also, if you're a pro with Feedlyand... more »

2013-05-13 04:30:22 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Mothers, You Are A Gift

A last minute message as #MothersDay  wraps up. To all the women out there who have aided in the raising of a child (and that doesn't mean you have to have birthed one yourself)-- thank you! Happy Mother's Day!

2013-05-13 03:17:44 (9 comments, 5 reshares, 17 +1s)

Jesus Is The Way, The Truth, and The Life

As promised, here's the blog post for the graphic I released last week!

#Jesus  made some pretty bold statements. One such statement is when he declared that there is no other way to get to God than through himself. 

This rules out the possibility of "all religions lead to the same place".

#Christianity   #sacredsunday  

2013-05-10 19:44:46 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 14 +1s)

2 Keys to Writing a Great First Paragraph to Every Blog Post

Excellent write up from +Marcus Sheridan about one of the most difficult things about writing-- the opening paragraph! 

If you're like me, you painstakingly toil over this first paragraph because you understand that it can make or break the entire post. Marcus breaks down a simple methodology that will help you be more efficient. 

HT +Jay Baer 

#blogging   #writing  

2013-05-10 19:09:58 (18 comments, 15 reshares, 25 +1s)

Karaoke for Free Gas At Costco

This video will have you smiling for the entire 5min! For this performance, this guy and his wife should have gotten at least a month of free gas! 

Would you have done some Karaoke for free gas? If so, what song?

I probably would have picked done something from either NSYNC or BSB. #dontjudgeme  

HT to +Amy Lynn Andrews 

2013-05-10 14:47:18 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Five traits of a kick ass Plusser

Today’s Fab Five Friday is all about YOU Google+! I want to talk about the traits that make a kick ass Plusser. There are some people who are really rocking Google+ so I analyzed a bit to see what the successful people were doing and came up with some resources to help you get there too.

So, is you a kick ass Plusser or ain’t ya? A kick ass Plusser:

1. Posts consistently on Google+: reliable

2. Comments on other's posts: engaging

3. Shares others posts: generous

4. Hangouts out with their Plusser peeps: social

5. Rocks a few communities: super social

Five people who rock Google+  for me: +martin shervington +Ray Hiltz +Rebekah Radice +Jaana Nyström +Linda Dee 

Who are your five kick ass Plussers?

So, isyou a kick... more »