One of the reasons for this one year-old company’s success is because of its status as the number one free app. on Apple’s app. store. It surpassed 4.5 million users in just 11 days, and now has over 10 million registered users. There’s no doubt that this app. is made to shine; lights, camera, action. Viddy has caught the eye of several celebrities, including pop sensation Shakira, RocNation mogul Jay-Z and legendary actor Will Smith.

So what can be done in just 15 seconds? Well, check out internet personality iJustine’s review of Viddy.

Will there be a Viddy for Android in the future? Who knows, there is certainly a possibility, but in the meantime, let us know what you think of Viddy (download it here for free.)

We are moving into a world where every consumer or anyone with a smart phone can become a field reporter. The journalism world is not so traditional anymore, as the online world has begun to gain more popularity. Traditional citizens have joined the world of online journalism, by sharing breaking news. The way we get information has changed, and information has become even quicker than before. Journalists must break news in 140 characters or less on Twitter and even on Facebook to gain attention and get the message across to their audience.

We find news outlets trying to find ways to be first to deliver “you heard it here first,” on so & so news. All of this competition and rush to be the first to report a story, as profitable as it might be, it can have several downsides as well. Recent research conducted by schools.com illustrates how 49.1% of people have heard news via social media that turned out to be false (see infographic below).

An example of this is NPR’s report on the execution of Troy Davis. A few months ago, while in class, our professor told us of this story (read full story here.) NPR reported that Troy Davis had been executed hours before court made a decision on the case. Well, NPR later revised the story and not many people except my professor and classmates noticed the tiny mistake that they made, and who would have known what could have happened if the world had seen the article the same time my professor did.

Several other negatives come with mishandling of social media. Take Former Rep. anthony Weiner’s Twitter scandal; you can view more outrageous social media losses here. Also share with us what you think about the direction of traditional news, and don’t forget to check your sources.

Courtesy of: Schools.com

You see, the right brain is responsible for intuition and emotion while the left brain focuses more on logistics and analytics.  So which is better?Listen to this RSAnimate, as psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist explains how our ‘divided brain’ has profoundly altered human behavior, culture and society.

All of this is bringing me to my main point or points.  I have found that when it comes to working in the professional world, both concepts cannot be ignored. Each cannot succeed without help from the other. Though right brain dominant individuals might be prone to have theatrical ideas, thinking beyond the box, left brain dominant individuals act like a GPS, guiding those ideas and turning them into something feasible and profitable.

So, next time someone asks you which side you’re on, you can share with them why you live in both worlds. Right?

For an android user like myself, the Instagram application meant nothing. Being a lover of photography, I began to fancy this app as soon as I saw what cool effects can be done with Instagram.  I’m sure you’ve noticed those Instagram postings popping up on your Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr feeds, so you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Instagram founder Kevin Systrom announced the development of an Android Instagram App at the South by Southwest conference early last month in Austin. Well on Tuesday, Instagram announced that it had published this new application to Google Play. The popular photo-sharing app has reached 1 million downloads in less than 24 hours, as many android users rush to download.

The application isn’t just about taking pictures; it offers users the ability to creatively share photos with friends; like a twitter for photos. With a profile, you can add friends with the click of a button, and you can post, “llike” or comment on pictures.

So, how does the app work for Android? I played around with Instagram on Samsung Exhibit and iPhone 3GS, and I’m not a techie, but I would have the say the image quality is quite different. The cause of this obviously depends on the phone, but they both work well nonetheless. For my android, I had to enlarge the size of my photos  to integrate into the Instagram app. As far as the effects go, the app has the same exact effects as the one for the iPhone.

The differences from the iPhone app and the Android app differ depending on your phone, but here are some comparisons from Samsung Exhibit and iPhone 3GS.

instagram Android vs. instagram iPhone

Instagram is definitely reaching out to a wider crowd; the Android app is now available for free on Google Play (formerly known as Android Market).

Enjoy and let us know what you think!

Being the 4^th most populated city in the nation, Houston is thriving in diversity, culture, entertainment and jobs. The city houses over 5,000 energy-related companies, and has grown to become “The Energy Capital of the World.”

Houston is booming in natural gas and oil, and offers great opportunities to those with degrees relating to Oil and Gas. I spoke to Mika Babineaux, Ascot International Services Vice President of Project Support & Business Development, about opportunities in the energy field. The natural gas and oil industry, offers numerous job opportunities, such as engineering, geology, accounting and many others.

While most students are struggling to find jobs after graduation, those with degrees in energy are enjoying high pay, international and growth opportunities, “You are more likely to develop, advance and accelerate your income and career in the oil and gas industry than many other industries,” said Babineaux.

 This industry is growing by the year, and since a majority of U.S. energy workers will be eligible for retirement by 2017, there is a great need for young workers.  It’s booming, and in need of new workers, which is why some companies offer jobs to students even before they graduate.   Unfortunately, many students do not see the opportunity this offers them.  “Many college students do not understand the income potential, personal growth and international opportunities available for them in the Oil and Gas industry,” said Babineaux.

In recent news, petroleum company Phillips 66 announced plans to make the great city of Houston its new home once it splits from ConocoPhillips. The Philllips 66 headquarters will be built in the I-10 and Beltway 8 area, not too far from ConocoPhillips’ current location. According to the Real Estate Landscape blog Swamplot, Phillips 66 will take over the refining, marketing, midstream, and chemicals businesses.

There’s been a great deal of buzz about SXSW lately. Well, there’s always something vibrant and out of the box about this city, “Keep Austin Weird,” which brings me to this article. The SXSWi conference gives legends and up and comers the opportunity to expose their content, and leave a lasting impression on the SXSW’ers or attendees.

During the SXSW Interactive conference, advertising agency BBH, introduced Homeless Hotspots. The agency positioned Wi-Fi carriers, known as Homeless Hotspots, around Austin to give techies the opportunity to stay connected.

“This year in Austin, as you wonder between locations murmuring to your coworker about how your connection sucks and you can’t download/stream/tweet/instagram/check-in, you’ll notice strategically positioned individuals wearing “Homeless Hotspot” t-shirts. These are homeless individuals in the Case Management program at Front Steps Shelter. They’re carrying MiFi devices. Introduce yourself, then log on to their 4G network via your phone or tablet for a quick high-quality connection. You pay what you want (ideally via the PayPal link on the site so we can track finances), and whatever you give goes directly to the person that just sold you access.”-Saneel Radia

 As the Homeless Hotspots immerged in Austin; concerns began to develop as people wondered whether it was ethical for BBH to “exploit our fellow man.” The company paid the homeless volunteers to help them promote this platform. Clarence explains how, with the hotspots there is no need to walk into buildings and coffee shops to get Wi-Fi, because with this platform you can “do it on the spot.” Before you decide how you feel about this, take some time to digest it. Take time to let it marinate, information goes through the same cycle humans go through when dealing with life’s issues.

Overall, the campaign gave way to BBH’s Beta platform by giving them a chance to see how it works while giving homeless individuals like Clarence, an opportunity to work. The homeless volunteers received money that they did not have in the first place, giving them the opportunity to make connections, verbally and through the Wi-Fi device. As far as marketing goes, the campaign used the marketing principle of; meeting the needs through an innovative way of thinking.

Engaging and keeping the viewer interested is the hard part.  Audiences learn and retain more when they have something in front of them that they can read and absorb or interact with.  When watching TV, the viewer can be passive, become distracted and multi-task, splitting their attention with a smart phone or tablet; not focusing their whole attention.  When the viewer is interested and wanting to know more, that is their incentive to focus and take in the message.  Just as good writing captivates and keeps the audience reading, the audience needs to be engaged and presented with interesting content.

We have entered the age of the Smart TV, and technology companies are combining the technology of television and the internet, which could open up many doors to new advertising for agencies.  Would it be possible to air advertisements with click able links?  Imagine watching your favorite show, and when the commercials begin, the supers are clickable!  Even with recorded TV you could have simple banner ads that appear when the programming is being viewed.  The banner ads will be clickable and take the viewers to the products homepage, landing page, social media page or a splash page.  The audience can then click on the ad and be engaged through interaction, and reading online sources that are made available on the Smart TV screen.  What is needed to proceed? HTML codes that are embedded in the video, supers in the ad that are coded to take the viewer to products information pages.

With compiled data from these clickable TV ads, we can hone down targeting to the consumers.  Knowing what their interests are, and their buying habits could decrease wasteful advertising.  Advertisers would be able to give consumers only what they’re interested in or might be interested in.  If there is not a direct response from the viewer, than those advertising dollars could be used to target someone who will respond.

This could possibly be the link needed to branch social media with traditional media.  It gives the audience another step to gain information, and to choose what they are actually interested in.  They are engaged, as they interact and learn about the brand.

Just before I went to bed last night, I checked my twitter feed on my phone. I was taken by surprise when most of my followers began tweeting the same message. They shared a message about an organization that I have known for several years, Invisible Children. So I then decided to check the trending topics and noticed #stopkony was among several trending topics that night.

Many people have viewed this organization as another scam organization trying to take our money. Power has been used in two ways, positively or negatively. Whether you are for or against this organization, it is important that you do your research before you decide whichever side you will support. Just make sure that what you give really goes to what it is for.

Communications is a very powerful tool, words have more power than anyone can imagine. People have that voice, we have that tool; in other words, the power lies in our hands. This one organization has found a way to unite the social world by creating a conversation. There’s a new revolution in marketing and advertising that is changing the world of television, social TV. Consumers are using social media network like Facebook and Twitter to connect and converse with others about the latest trends on television; in other words, they are participating in what is called “Social TV”. There is no lie that engaging content can create conversations, just look at the video shared last night. The problem lies in finding out what content is engaging in your field. Finding a way to make your brand engaging, and that alone is the tough thing to do.

Cohn Moscarelli at the Houston Rodeo Cook Off

If you don’t like crowds this may not be the event to attend, but the attractions, food and fun make up for touching elbows with a stranger.  Who knows after that, you might just grab’em for a quick dosey doe!

Cohn Moscarelli at the Houston Rodeo Cook Off

We are partnering with KILT Radio 100.3 FM and Auto Insurance Discounters to offer you a chance to win a pair of VIP tickets.  The first drawing will take place March 12^th.  So click the link and fill out the form for a chance to be entered in the drawing.  It will only take a second of your time.

If you want to have an adventure at the rodeo, and check out all the attractions, here’s your chance.  There will also be a chance to win a $100 Gift Card from The Taste of Texas to get a Texans culinary experience. MMM!

Here’s your chance to do some line dancin’ and see some great bands!

www.789auto.com/rodeo

Please enter for a chance to win.  Thanks!

Cohn Moscarelli at the Houston Rodeo Cook Off

As Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a changing;” new developments are being made, and in other words the world is evolving. Out of all the changes, we have experienced the most change in communication. The way in which we communicate and get information is constantly changing. Websites like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Tumblr and now Pinterest, are changing the way we broadcast and showcase information.

It seems things are becoming visual, there is more focus towards images than there is towards content. It is hard to keep up with, but for companies and businesses; keeping up with the trends are crucial. Like I previously mentioned, as times change, new developments are made. You can either keep up or get left behind.

It is almost impossible to juggle all these profiles, so it is important to pick one that suits your brand. With that said, Cohn Moscarelli is happy to announce our launch on Pinterest. We want to share with you, the Cohn Moscarelli experience, likes, interests, and help share everyone’s passions. If you have Pinterest, follow us at pinterest.com/cohnmoscarelli.