4TM Social Media Services

Workshop Fully Booked (Thu 25 Feb 2010)

David Sim — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:04:06 +0000

We’re delighted to announce that our social media introductory workshop in Forres this Thursday is fully booked. We will be joined for the first time by Tom Minter of the brilliantly named Socks for Happy People.

We intend to make audio, video and text from the event available for those who haven’t been able to make it this time.

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Tom Minter to Co-Present at 4TM Event

David Sim — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:28:50 +0000

We’re delighted that Tom Minter, of Socks for Happy People fame, will be co-presenting at our social media presentation on Thursday 25th Feb 2010. Tom has developed one of the most successful brands with a conscience in the UK, and has used social media to its max.

The event will be held at Horizon Scotland, Forres from 10am – 12:30pm, followed by lunch.

Rave Reviews for 4TM’s Festival Workshop

David Sim — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:21:29 +0000

This week I was delighted to work with Rene and team up with Festivals Edinburgh. We delivered a workshop on social media implementation to a number of affiliated festival managers and organisers.

The venue was the 99 seat Netherbow Theatre, part of the Scottish Storytelling Centre (an amazing venue – intimate and fully equipped).

It seems the very knowledgeable audience love it too. Thanks for the feedback on Twitter, including…

tarawwdundee: @4TMSocialMedia was at the presentation today – you guys rocked! Lovin your work!

@ExhibitionDJCAD: enjoyed presentation by @4TMSocialMedia, didn’t realise that blogs much quicker to register in google than normal websites…

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We’re back!

inverness — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:43:22 +0000

Yes, the Inverness Twestival team @tuminds @tartanangel @marchindley @ @jasonshand is back!

Not only did we had great fun, we also raised money for the Highland Hospice. We’re getting together again to discuss the plans for this year’s Twestival held on the 25 March 2010. In the meantime if you like to join us and help out please don’t hesitate to register your interest.

Join us, have fun and raise money for charity at the same time!

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3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology

Blair — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:53:00 +0000

The modern American school faces rough challenges. Budget cuts have caused ballooning class sizes, many teachers struggle with poorly motivated students, and in many schools a war is being waged on distracting technologies. In response, innovative educators are embracing social media to fight back against the onslaught of problems. Technologies such as Twitter and Skype offer ideal solutions as inexpensive tools of team-based education. More…

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The Guardian Comes Up With An App Worth Paying For

David Sim — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:15:40 +0000

The Guardian newspaper has launched its iPhone app. They’re far from the first: Sky News, the Telegraph and the Independent have all launched applications over the past year.

The Guardian app differentiates itself by charging to download it. A whopping great £2.39, which is the same as nine Daily Stars. And it doesn’t even have much in the way of topless lovelies either.

Executive summary: it’s brilliant.

The Guardian, and their developers 2ergo, have understood that mobile applications aren’t simply about slapping the existing website onto an iPhone and making the font a bit smaller.

It is a complete newspaper in your pocket. I spent much of last night attracting worried eyes as I laughed like a lunatic at Charlie Brooker’s column. UK news, world news, comment, culture, sport, business, media, life and style… they are all there. Most newspaper web sites and applications are bland. They refuse to differente themselves from the really-unfair-because-they-get-the-license-fee BBC site by using what makes them special – insight, analysis and opinion. Lesson 1: a cut down size does not mean you have to have cut down content.

Impressively the app includes interlinking of information. An article about Barak Obama’s speech on climate change connects through to articles on the environment, climate change, world news and Barak Obama. The background to the story, and sometimes differing opinions, are right there. You can also see other articles by the same author. Lesson 2: Computers are pretty good at linking information together. Duh!

The app also seamlessly blends in audio content. Wake up to the soothing tones of the Guardian’s news briefing while soaping in the shower. Go to sleep with David Cameron outlining his policy on climate change. Lesson 3: The iPhone is not paper. You can do things like this.

If you’re the sort who ignores the protestations at Copenhagen and insists on flying, the application has an offline mode. I hear it is also quite handy on the Tube, so environmentalists and sweaty armpitted businessmen can enjoy it too. You can customise the layout of the app, pushing content you love to the front, which is ideal given the amount of content updated daily. Lesson 4: Think how people might use it.

The application integrates with Facebook and email. Lesson 5: We live in a connected world, and you can only do your brand good by allowing sharing. How do you do that with a rigid paywall?

The only thing currently lacking is user generated comments, although it is sometimes debatable whether they really add much value. And, as one reviewer noted, you can’t do the crossword.

There are further lessons for Mr Murdoch, who wants to make people pay for access to his newspapers online. We will pay for something in which we see value. We are not a nation of spongers as his comments inevitably suggest. The paid Guardian application is number 1 for news on the iPhone, and I actually feel a little guilty because it is a one off fee, rather than a subscription. The Times mobile web site offers cut down content and does nothing to take advantage of the capabilities. We iPhone users love having a powerful information and communication tool in our pocket. If News International steps up and takes advantage of that, we will happily put our hand in our pocket.

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Thai Tourism board promoting Scottish beach!

Rene Looper — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:23:54 +0000

The Thai Tourism board used a picture of one of our beautiful Scottish beaches on the Western Isles to promote their white beaches and blue waters! Great promotion for VisitScotland and it just shows you how stunning the Scottish scenery is. It can easily be mistaken for a tropical destination!

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The decade in travel: Technology and terrorism

Rene Looper — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:20:59 +0000

Good article at the The Associated Press on the changes in Tourism over the past 10 years. From the article:

Expedia and Travelocity began accepting online bookings in 1996, but the phenomenon of using the Internet to routinely book and plan travel has exploded in the 21st century.

In 2009, for the first time, more than half of travel bookings were made online, according to Douglas Quinby of PhoCusWright, a travel industry research company. (If you’re surprised that online bookings make up only 50 percent of travel, consider this: Most group travel, most cruises, many complicated itineraries and even the majority of lodging reservations are still booked through a travel agent, by phone or in person, Quinby says.)
But the Internet’s impact on travel is not just in booking; it’s also in planning trips. Instead of buying a guidebook, today’s traveler might consult a destination Web site. To find a restaurant, you might go online to Yelp or Chowhound, or ask friends for a recommendation through Facebook or Twitter. For hotels, you might visit TripAdvisor.com, which started allowing customers to post reviews in 2001 and today has over 30 million of them.
Technology has even changed the way we drive to our destinations. MapQuest started offering directions online in 1996, the same year GM introduced Onstar. Google Maps dates to 2005. An early handheld Garmin GPS device sold for $589 in 2003; today’s Garmins start as low as $89. But you might not need one if your phone has a mapping app.

Travel and Technology, a combination that is embraced here at 4TM! :)

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Social Media in Drumnadrochit

Rene Looper — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:27:55 +0000

Doing presentations on Social Media takes me to some great places and today is no exception. Today I’m travelling down to Drumnadrochit at the shores of Loch Ness to present for an audience of the Drumnadrochit Chamber of Commerce. It’s only half an hour so can just touch on Facebook, Twitter, a little bit on YouTube and blogging.

The presentation strats at 7pm at the Glenurquhart House Hotel, near Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness.

Looking forward to it and will keep an eye out for the monster! ;)

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Take Care Who You Befriend on Facebook

David Sim — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:37:27 +0000

Sophos has discovered that a high percentage of people will befriend fake Facebook users – and in doing so risk identity fraud.
In the study nearly half of those invited to become a friend of the fake user agreed, potentially giving a fraudster access to personal information, including date of birth.

Our advice – only befriend people you know in real life. If you want to connect with your customers don’t invite them to become personal friends. Set up a Facebook page for your business and allow them to become fans of that. That way, the only information they can have access to is your business information, and not your personal details.

Overall, beware of sharing personal information like telephone numbers or home addresses on Facebook at all.

If you want to know more about Facebook pages and how to create them, become a fan of 4TM on Facebook and just ask!

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