Well, here’s the first astonishing fact: 95% of the new app is pure mobile web. As opposed to the usual 40% – 70% split between mobile and locally sourced content, LinkedIn is pretty much fully mobile now. And yet it runs as smoothly as if you were pulling it off a new laptop.

The look of it is the definition of modern: whilst looking pristine and simplistic it also packs a punch with all of the information you could ever want jammed into each page. The spacing is clear and clean so despite the masses of information, it is very easy to take in: and is quite easily one of the most impressive apps to date with it’s high usability factor – and the fact that it was built by a team of only four developers!

The new app also gives you your own personalized setup: it presents you with four clear options after signing in. You can have a look at the ‘YOU’ section which visually and clearly lists your profile, your connections, who has viewed your profile and your recommendations. The second is your inbox, so you can prioritize those important messages that always get forgotten about. Now they are put to the forefront of your mind!

Lastly, and most impressively is the ‘all updates’ tab, in which the new app really shows off. Personalized to you and in magazine format, it allows you to flick through the pages of your newsfeed quickly and easily. Page one documents all the hottest new articles relevant to your interests and business in a clear format with links, which are also extremely easy to share withclear buttons and super quick processes. Other pages document with fantastic clarity exactly what your connections have posted about/appeared in or have said so you can keep up to date. You can also see what they have posted about in discussion boards in the fourth option ‘Groups and more’ – and being a live stream, you will never miss an update!

MAXX are raving about the new app simply because it links three paramount things together so simply and effortlessly: Astonishing design, with a skilled and precise build for usability, and the use of mobile internet. Three key aspects of web success, and with LinkedIn setting the mark, we can only hope to see more and more of these superior apps finding their way onto our tablets and phones.

If you are in need of help with LinkedIn, professional web design, or a refresh of your identity and branding, don’t forget to contact MAXX. Do not forget we are on Twitter and Facebook too!

Here are some hints and tips on how to make you and your business look great on LinkedIn, and how to create yourself some leads…

1.)   Business pages are NOT the answer.

Many businesses have stumbled upon LinkedIn, cheerily added their group page and have left it at that, assuming people will stumble across it from all corners of the earth with awe and enthusiasm. However, sadly this is not how the world of LinkedIn works.

Business pages, are in effect, null. They are necessary to describe the nature of your business, but LinkedIn from the very start, has been about PEOPLE, and the individuals that make up a business. Your business is more likely to attract attention if the employees associated with it are posting interesting, relevant content, and actively engaging with others.

Remember – the phrase is not ‘Social Advertising’ (putting your content up there and leaving it), but ‘Social Networking’. I.E, building useful connections and contacts whilst also showing off how brilliant your business and work ethic is!

2.)   Interaction is key

Look at your newsfeed. There probably isn’t the endless stream of irrelevant posts you are subjected to every morning on Facebook and Twitter. On LinkedIn, all content is far more qualitative and useful: there is also a little less of it! Because of this, it is far easier to notice trends. Who posts the most? These people look good – they look professional and in the ‘know’. They are also exactly like you and me – only they spend ten minutes a day posting interesting content and sharing their knowledge. Here are some things you can do to impress:

• Join & post in groups relevant to your business: Post content of your own or create interesting discussions. This generates traffic to your blog or website, and also makes you look like an influence in the business world.
• Comment on others posts: Commenting on other people’s posts put you across as an actively social and desirable business, who thinks about the bigger picture. It is a brilliant opportunity to make new connections and develop leads.
• Answer questions ALL THE TIME: There are many lost users out there looking for advice. Be active and make sure you answer at least three a week – you will look brilliant.

3.)   Be Smart

It’s common knowledge that certain times of the day are more appropriate for posting content. Take 11 ‘o’ clock for example. Everyone has had their cup of tea, looked at their articles and are well into their own work, so it is a relatively useless time to be posting updates. By the time they are checking LinkedIn, your post will have been lost to history.

However: if you post at peak times, people will be actively looking for inspiration. It is a case of trial and error, finding which times work for your business and client-base – but well worth the experiments. For instance, optimum times for MAXX are at the very start of the day (especially on Mondays) and late lunchtime. This is because not only are the UK doing their afternoon reads: the US are waking up and doing their morning reads!

If you would like help with LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, then don’t hesitate to contact MAXX’s social media manager (that’s me!). MAXX produce Social Media, fabulous print and web design work and SEO. Don’t forget we are also on Facebook and Twitter!

Klout and Kred are very similar but have distinct differences as they are from competing companies (who take residence in the same building!) who both measure the impact of your company or your personal social media impact. It’s a way of not only scoring your success over the likes of Facebook and Twitter, but rewarding users and measuring HOW people respond to you.

Rewards, you say?

Klout offers rewards in terms of influence. For instance, if you have a high score on Klout for influence, companies in association with Klout are likely to offer you freebies, deals and prizes in exchange for a tweet or a Facebook post about them. They call these ‘perks’. However, without the right amount of Klout or Kred, it may or may not be worth these firms presenting you with giveaways. The average score for any Klout user is around 20, and anything above that you may well be eligible for perks. That’s why you need to work hard on your Klout – to maintain the good things in life!

What a Klout profile should look like.

So, they sound pretty similar?

Klout was the first Social Media measurement tool of its kind, and is now used by the likes of Audi and Disney. It measures the influence you have over certain platforms, and then gives you a score out of 1000 as to what actions have gone well for you that day and why/how this occurred.

+Kred however, mentions and identifies influencers who are inspired to take actions from your posts – a key difference in contrast to Klout. It measures how you inspire others: focusing on the expanse of your outreach (the number of people looking at you and being influenced by you.) and the likelihood that people will act upon your posts (taking into account their Kred influences as well).

Both platforms make it possible to pass along +Kred and Klout to other users they respect, and also to help their ratings. In this sense they become a Social Media platform as well as an analytics database. And although they are both good platforms at giving you an incentive to get better at honing your Social Media skills: it is debatable at how accurate the levels of ‘influence’ really are. As Obama has a lower score than some local bloggers, it could be criticized for not taking enough factors into account.

MAXX are sure that as Klout and Kred grow they will become more influential in the way that users use Facebook and Twitter. Already with over 1million daily users, we are sure it will develop into an integral part of our daily routines. It’s definitely worth watching the Klout and Kred space!

If you need help with Social Media then don’t hesitate to contact us! MAXX are great at making you look good online as well as on paper. Don’t forget we are on Twitter and Facebook too!

IS YOUR WEBSITE CONFORMING TO THE NEW COOKIE LAWS?

The law states that if a website makes use of cookies, especially if they are not considered necessary, the visitor to that specific domain must:

• Be clearly notified that their information will be collected whilst browsing the site.
• Be provided with the information on the types of cookies used, the purpose of storage, and what will be collected.
• Note their consent.

Originally implemented last May, websites were then given an extra year to sort out the heavy implications of the new law, it becomes fully policed on May 26^th 2012.

WHAT IS A COOKIE?

A small file that collects specific information about your actions on a website. Google Analytics uses cookies to track your progress through a site. Some cookies collect your details and remember where you have been on a site and what you have clicked on.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

If you are a business that makes use of cookies on your website, you will need to abide by these requirements. This means more terms and conditions integrated into your privacy policy and in some extreme cases the opportunity for users to give their consent for you to use cookies to collect information. Although the law is intended to target things like Spyware, it has become entangled with the day-to-day use of cookies on all websites.

For a website using a lot of cookies it could mean the development of a pop up box delivered to every user before they access your site, requesting permission. This is obviously unworkable and would result in severely reduced visits.

So a reasonable work around seems to be, as long as your cookies are considered only a minor intrusion, and are essential for the working of your sites, updating your privacy policy is a good place to start. At MAXX we have updated our privacy policy in relation to the cookies we use, find our example here (scroll to bottom). In our privacy policy, we clearly state what cookies we use, the time the cookie is set for and what data will be collected.

This amendment to your privacy policy, assuming there are no cookies on your site collecting unnecessary data, will be sufficient to keep you within the Cookie law for now. It has not been made clear what is considered a “strictly necessary” cookie so until the new law becomes a little more specific we believe our amendments are fully inline with the spirit of the law.

However, if your cookies are “moderately intrusive” you may need to work on constructing a consent form. For help with this don’t hesitate to contact us!

Further Reading:

The MAXX approach

http://www.maxx-design.co.uk/privacy-policy.html

A website offering excellent material about the new law

http://nocookielaw.com/

An example of a website which uses a lot of cookies

http://www.london2012.com/cookies-policy/

What Google says about Analytics

http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/concepts/gaConceptsCookies.html

What the BBC have said

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13541250

An example of a website that is not compliant with the law at the moment.

http://www.parliament.uk/ is not compliant with this law as of 26-06-12.

She even got more than she bargained for when she was presented with – not the expected Hotel Chocolat ostrich egg, but a Chocolatier’s TABLE. A meter wide, containing 125 delicious individual choccies, this truly epic prize is made for sharing – have a look and see!

Samantha also won a Facebook cover photo design from MAXX’s talented design team, and a social media strategy so Genus can really get to grips with social media and the benefits it brings to business. Be sure to visit the website here, to find out more about our winning company.

We can’t wait to show you our cover photo designs, so keep checking in to our blog to see the final results! Don’t forget we are on Twitter and Facebook too.