Andreas Wender says, “Apps are powerful, easy to learn and, thanks to the spread of mobile devices, wildly popular. But they come with downsides: to solve a complex task, users often have to switch between apps, even multiple times.It doesn’t have to be this way—if we start looking at apps more as service providers.The Apps Eco-System: Simple And ExtensibleApps are everywhere, on smartphones, tablets, TVs, set-top boxes and watches. We also see a rebirth of apps on desktops, where installable applications have been around for some time, of course. Something has changed there, though:... [...]

Stephen Moyers says, “Many companies have trouble matching fantastic campaign content with their target markets. The result is like a Hollywood flop: bad return on investment (ROI), criticism, and a hit to your brand. Without a deep understanding of your market, you can’t develop a strong marketing campaign.Do you know what your average customer looks like? What he does on the weekends? What she reads about on social media? Do you know what they’ll likely order at Starbucks? These are the kinds of questions you should answer about your consumer base. Regardless of what you sell, high ROI... [...]

Siobhan O’Rorke says, “It’s a tough world out there for small businesses, and making your name known to other people and industry influencers can feel like an uphill battle.Well-crafted networking emails can help you make those valuable connections. The only problem is that everyone knows that—influential people can receive hundreds of networking mails per week (or even per day), and they won’t have time to reply to everyone.The key is to stand out, but without being pushy. You want to build a genuine working relationship, so forget any notions of standardized robotic emails. They... [...]

ReadWrite team says, “Two years ago VMware president Carl Eschenbach snidely suggested that he found it “really hard to believe that we cannot … beat a company that sells books.”Two years later, the truth has become blindingly clear: He can’t.What’s less obvious is just how big Amazon Web Services has become, in terms of overall value of the business. Logging $2.09 billion in its latest quarter, AWS is on a $8 billion run-rate, booming 78% year over year. So, if AWS were a standalone company, what would it be worth?“.Amazon’s Cloud Business Is Worth... [...]

ReadWrite team says, “Though the concept of blogging has been around for years, blogging continues to grow in popularity. Personal bloggers, businesses, and marketers launch new blogs every day to express their ideas and build their audience. But not everyone who wants to start a blog knows how.That’s where StartBloggingOnline comes in.Owner Mike Wallagher has helped launch more than 9,500 blogs with his free blogging guide since introducing the site in March 2013. He’d already been blogging since 2009. The StartBloggingOnline beginner’s guide will teach you the same tips and tricks... [...]

Stephen Moyers says, “Each marketing strategy is unique, but every marketing strategy should include evaluation. No matter what business you are in, be certain that you aren’t throwing good money after bad by continuing a strategy that is not performing.Some companies act like digital marketing is a magic tonic with an immediate effect that just continues on. When they fail, others think it’s because they were using standards designed for traditional marketing.Both are common problems, and they can be solved by understanding the similarities and differences between digital and traditional... [...]

Owen Thomas says, “At Twitter’s second Flight conference for developers—its third such gathering in its history—CEO Jack Dorsey struck an apologetic tone.Why apologize? Since last year, when it unveiled Fabric, Twitter is giving away an embarrassment of riches to developers, from its free Crashlytics error-reporting and analytics suite; to Digits, a login service which now offers both phone and email options; to Mopub, a mobile-friendly advertising network which helps app developers make money. Twitter has even tweaked aspects of its service, like account profiles, to help app developers... [...]

Abi Mandelbaum says, “With the adoption of any new technology come debates on how to best implement and use it. For whatever reason, people naturally like picking sides. The world of virtual reality is no different, having already been home to heated discussion on topics including Oculus versus Vive, gaming versus real-world experiences, and eye-tracking versus hand controls. However, one interminable debate that previously dominated the mobile ecosystem for years has followed developers into the VR space: native versus web applications.Initially developed as web apps, we have seen virtual reality... [...]

David Nield says, “Facebook is going big on video, including 360-degree VR-lite video. Now, in a new blog post, the company has explained a little more about what’s going on behind the scenes with its new support for immersive video clips.For the uninitiated, 360 video is filmed in all directions at once and lets the viewer experience the action in front, side to side or from behind. You don’t get depth perception and the ability to move around as you do in true virtual reality, but it’s a start.It’s also the most accessible form of VR right now: If you don’t... [...]

Doron Reveni says, “When the topic of customer service comes up, names like Amazon, Zappos and American Express often spring to mind. They should—these companies invest deeply in customer service, listening to their patrons, asking what makes them happy, and truly listening when to the answers. They treat their customers like gold, because they literally are. They’re the lifeblood of a company.Relying solely on focus groups and user experience experts alone is old school and wholly insufficient. It’s too slow, too expensive, comes with too many biases. It starts with access to usage... [...]