Hannah Law

Today Facebook announced their very own App Centre which they describe as a “a new place for people to find social apps”. It is basically an alternative way to access mobile apps that use Facebook which positions the App Centre as a bit of a rival to Apple iTunes and Google Play. (more…)

You may have read last week and over the weekend that Pinterest has updated their terms of use and actually divided their policy into 3 sections to make it easier to digest and, ideally, more relevant: terms of use, acceptable use and privacy policy.

There are a lot of sites out there explaining how these changes will affect personal use, some of the more comprehensive articles are by The Next Web and The Blog Herald but do you understand what this means for your company’s Pinterest account and what you can do about it?

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Facebook is always making changes and optimising the social network to improve the experience for users. Two recent changes have involved Facebook Places – check out the slideshare below to find out what the changes are and what your brand or company can do about them. (more…)

I completed my first ever ocean swim this year: the Cole Classic 2km. I joined a record number of other keen swimmers – 0ver 4100! – to brave the Shelley Beach to Manly adventure as part of Australia’s largest ocean swim.

I didn’t train as much as I should have so was a bit anxious about jumping into the 2km without a 1km (or less!) under my belt. I looked to Scot Ennis, a regular Cole Classic competitor, who told me I just wouldn’t have the sense of satisfaction if I only completed the 1km and with that, I signed myself up for the 2km!

Scot was right. The 2km was achievable, if long! And the sense of satisfaction was pretty good, even though I didn’t get an amazing time (44mins).

I certainly don’t consider myself an expert ocean swimmer but here’s a couple of quick tips for those thinking about venturing into the ocean for their first competitive swim:

1. Train: It sounds really obvious but it’s something I think most of us (me in particular!) are a bit slack with. Get out there and practice swimming. Not just in the pool either, train in the ocean so you get a feel for the waves and currents. 2km feels a lot longer in the ocean than in the pool!
2. Mark the course with major landmarks on the horizon: arrive early on race day so you can spot all the buoys that mark the route. Then look for landmarks (big buildings, obvious trees or boats – just be careful they don’t move during your race!) that correspond to the line of sight you’ll be following to reach the buoys. The hardest part about an ocean swim is not knowing where you’re going and all the associated metres swum in the wrong direction and the energy wasted as you keep checking if you’re heading in the right direction. Picking out the landmarks should make it much easier for you to know which direction to swim in. If you know someone who has swum the course before, they might be able to give you insider’s tips on which landmarks to look out for.
3. Swim wide: ocean swims can be chaotic, especially at the start, so avoid all the flying legs and arms by swimming wide of the pack. It’s worth swimming a few extra metres during the course to keep your body in-tact!

What is holding you back from doing an ocean swim?

Or if you have already done an ocean swim? What are your hot-tips?

Step aside, eCommerce. sCommerce – or social commerce – is the latest buzz word in online marketing.
With Groupon recently rejecting a $6b takeover bid from Google and ASOS launching a Facebook shop front that will let customers buy the entire ASOS range within Facebook, it is clear social commerce is going to be a big trend for 2011. (more…)

Why on earth did I sign up for skydiving?! I’m booked in to go on 5th Feb down in Wollongong. And I’m starting to get nervous!

Have you been?

Do you have any hot tips for me?  Close my eyes? Wear a nappy?! Create a will before I go? Help!!