ALS challenge
Let’s begin with the challenge that's been taking social media by storm. It’s absolutely everywhere. I’m talking about the #icebucketchallenge. ALS stands for 'Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis': a motor neurone disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The charity created the challenge to help increase donations and raise awareness.
Here are the rules:
Within 24 hours of being challenged, people are supposed to record themselves dumping ice water over their heads, or having someone else dump the bucket of ice water over their heads. The participant should state that they accept the challenge followed by the pouring of ice into a bucket of water. They can then challenged three other people and regardless to whether you have been brave enough to face the ice should donate $10 or $100 to ASL.
Despite the critism that people weren't actually donating, the American-based ALS association released a press release stating that the trending challenge had helped raise over $22.9 million in donations, compared to $1.9 million during the same time period last year (July 29 to August 19). Pretty incredible!
There have been many famous faces taking part including Bill Gates, Simon Cowell, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey and Justin Timberlake. Here's a few of them in action...
Google introduces website call conversions
Google announced a new feature which allow advertisers to track conversions via phone directly with call in phone numbers that forward to your main office or business.
“Let’s say your Google search ads send people to your website where they research and learn more about your business. Website call conversions dynamically inserts a Google forwarding number on your website that measures the calls made by these customers. Whether they click on the number or dial it directly from their phone, you can attribute the call conversion and conversion value back to the keyword and ad that drove the customer.”
It's available for U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, and the UK only. You’ll need to insert the snippet of code on your desktop or mobile website and a unique Google forwarding number will then be generated for each AdWords ad click. Thoughts on this?
The Ultimate Content Marketing Glossary
If you’re new to the content marketing world, then this one’s for you. Loz James from Content Champion has created the 'Ultimate Content Marketing Glossary' a brilliant reference point! The glossary currently stands at 550 individual definitions in alphabetical order, but it's designed to grow organically with time. If you think there are any terms missing - just drop a line in the comment section and it'll be added.
App of the week
This week it goes to Watchup (iOS). It’s a smart way to watch video news, the app learns what you like and compiles a daily newscast with recommended videos. That’s what I call personalized!
Here's what a happy reviewer had to say:
"This app has become a must-have for me. I use it on my iPad every morning while I shave and have breakfast in order to watch videos with the latest news. Then, on my way to work, I pick up where I left it and continue watching videos on my iPhone.
The app works great and it features dozens (if not hundreds) of national and international channels, so it's perfect for aggregating multiple video sources (CNN, Forbes, WSJ, etc). Over time it learns about what you like and dislike, so it ends up being a personalized newscast. It definitely makes my life easier.”
