Interesting Social Marketing and Other Tech News
by Pat Marcello 
on Monday, August 16th, 2010 | 5 CommentsWow! It's hard to stay away from this stuff, even when you're unable, isn't it? I mean, it's just compelling as hell to learn what's happening in our world day to day. I must admit that I lost a few days, but here are some of the cool items I picked up just going through the mail I missed:
- PayPal is rumored to be working on a new micropayment processing service. Considering that people are interested in social games and such, and using their cell phones to do purchasing, this is probably a smart move. Look for it before the end of the year.
- Chairman, CEO, and President Mark Hurd resigned from HP last week, following an investigation into sexual harassment claims. Though, if proven guilty is reason enough for him to resign, the quality of HP products has fallen over the past few years. Having been a staunch supporter of HP computers and after recommending thousands of dollars of equipment to friends and family, I won't be buying another HP product for quite some time. I had nothing but problems… with the last 3 computers from there, and the last 2 printers, plus a monitor. My faith in them is completely destroyed. So, bye-bye, Mr. Hurd. I hope your successor can turn that brand around.
- Look for your Tweet Meme buttons to change in the near future. Twitter released it's "official" button last week, and Tweet Meme has decided to integrate what Twitter wants into what they have been doing. I hope the look doesn't change. You can see the small button under this post. If you click on it, that would be very cool. Go 'head… You KNOW you want to.
- Have a Google Website? You can now add surveys to ask customers what they want. Sweet!
- Notice anything missing at Facebook? On August 23, Facebook will not only be removing the boxes from the left side of your pages and profiles, but they're also doing away with the "Boxes" tab. It will be a cleaner look. They seem to be testing it, and my page came up naked once or twice. I like the cleaner feel. What do you think?
- A new feature at Amazon.com will allow you to add your recommendations to Facebook and to see those of your friends. Maybe looking for something to read will be easier? Or, when choosing products, a recommendation from a friend or two is pretty powerful. Will you use it and come to rely on it, do you think?
- Sorry to know that Google Wave didn't work out. It seemed like a good idea, but having tried it at OE, I can say it hung and was a total PITA. Google Voice is open, though, and totally cool. Give it a look see. It gives you a "Google" number, and when people call that, it will ring you no matter where you are, or you can let it take messages. So far, I've had three messages from people I don't know.
And in personal news, I return to work tomorrow and I ordered an Android phone, which will arrive tomorrow. I'm excited! I'll let you know how that goes.
