Holly Berry Social: February 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Love the skin you're in: 9 uplifting body-positive blogs

Among the fashion, entertainment and media industries, body-shaming and impossible beauty standards are exceedingly commonplace. But bloggers are fighting back.

Using platforms like Tumblr, an important intersection for young people and issues of social justice, bloggers are changing the conversation and showing it's possible to love the skin you're in.

From the inclusive Stop Hating Your Body Tumblr, which promotes self-love among all people, to PsychCentral's body image blog, Weightless, these nine blogs are worth your attention.

Certain images or content within these blogs may be triggering or NSFW; be sure to check Tumblr tags before you scroll. Read more...

More about Blogs, Social Media, Tumblr, Features, and Social Good

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Friday, February 27, 2015

Google backpedals on its Blogger porn ban just 3 days later

Days after announcing that it would begin cracking down on sexually explicit content on its Blogger platform, Google has reversed its decision

The changes, which would have forbid public access to sexually explicit blogs, were slated to go into effect next month. But the policy change generated substantial backlash. Major criticisms pointed out that some users had been posting non-commercial pornographic content for years; to many, the move seemed too sweeping and random

Google posted on its product forum on Friday:

Hello everyone,

This week, we announced a change to Blogger’s porn policy. We’ve had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities. So rather than implement this change, we’ve decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn.

Blog owners should continue to mark any blogs containing sexually explicit content as “adult” so that they can be placed behind an “adult content” warning page. Read more...

More about Google, Social Media, Sex, Pornography, and Tech

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15 ways you're probably misusing social media

Facebook was founded in 2004, Twitter in 2006. Even Instagram's been around for almost five years. So you can't say this stuff is new anymore.

For some strange reason, however, more marketers and brands than not are still struggling to make heads or tails of social media. Whether they're surprisingly misinformed or just plain lost, they're wasting their time and missing the boat. They're failing to take advantage of what may just be the biggest revolution in communications since the printing press.

To say that's unfortunate would be an understatement.

After all, done right, social media marketing can be a big game changer. It can be an incredibly effective way to attract the attention of your target audience, engage with them, and curry their favor. Far too many go into it without doing their homework, though, their false assumptions and inexperience undermining any chance they have for a successful social media program. Read more...

More about Social Media, Business, and Marketing

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'House of Cards' fans are confused about when Season 3 arrives on Netflix

If American history has taught us anything it's that new seasons of House of Cards arrive at 3:01 a.m. ET, not 12:01 ET, you confused East Coasters

Mashable confirmed with Netflix that all 13 episodes of Season 3 will come out on Feb. 27 at 3:01 a.m. ET and 12:01 a.m. PT, so you still have time gather snacks and beverages

Even House of Cards showrunner Beau Willimon can't keep the release time straight:

Sorry folks, had my math off with the time diff here in London. To be clear @HouseofCards launch is 12am PT, 3AM EST, 8AM GMT. Game on!

— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) February 26, 2015 Read more...

More about Entertainment, Netflix, Tv, Social Media, and House Of Cards

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Thursday, February 26, 2015

Wait, what? Kanye West publicly apologizes to Beck ... and Bruno Mars

LOS ANGELES — Out of the blue, more than two weeks after criticizing Beck for winning Album of the Year at the Grammys, Kanye West has publicly apologized on Twitter

"I would like to publicly apologize to Beck, I’m sorry Beck," he tweeted Thursday

It was the first part in a two-part apology spree in which West also said sorry to Bruno Mars, the "Uptown Funk" singer that he dissed in 2013 as being "overrated" for winning "all the motherf*cking awards and sh*t" at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Here are the tweets that West delivered to his 11.4 million followers on Thursday: Read more...

More about Twitter, Music, Entertainment, Social Media, and Celebrities

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Twitter says it tripled the number of staff handling abuse reports within 6 months

Twitter has a rampant abuse and trolling problem — even its CEO knows it. But the social network claims it has made some big strides to mend this issue

Twitter says it now receives five times as many abuse reports than it did six months ago, and has tripled the number of staff reviewing those reports within the same time period

The company also announced on Thursday that it was rolling out new procedures to deal with rule-breakers. However, it didn't describe the changes in much detail

"These new actions will not be visible to the vast majority of rule-abiding Twitter users, but they give us new options for acting against the accounts that don’t follow the rules, and serve to discourage behavior that goes against our policies," Twitter said in a blog post Read more...

More about Twitter, Social Media, Apps Software, and Social Good

via Social Media http://on.mash.to/1vDW5Ml

Facebook reaching out to users who might be suicidal

Facebook's new gender options let you choose anything you want

Facebook is now giving users unlimited possibilities when it comes to gender identity

The social network updated its site Thursday with a new custom field in profiles' gender section. The field allows users to type in anything they want.

Previously, Facebook provided a preset list, consisting of a few dozen options. Now, you can choose either male, female or custom. If you choose custom, you can type anything you want into the field.

"As before, you can add up to ten gender terms and also have the ability to control the audience with whom you would like to share your custom gender," the company wrote in a statement on its diversity page. Read more...

More about Facebook, Social Media, Tech, Apps Software, and Apps And Software

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20+ professional events in PR, marketing and entertainment

The Mashable Events Board is a great place to find leading conferences in your industry, whether it's advertising, technology, media or public relations. This week, we're highlighting five events that can help move your career forward. If you don't find something that's right for you, check out dozens of event listings featured in our complete listing.

Creating A Thoughtful Content Strategy in Higher Education Marketing

Previously we discussed important questions your team must ask when deciding if it’s the right time to start using inbound marketing without losing your more traditional audience. We looked at why you want to shake things up. We talked about who your audience is and specifically discussed how you are defining your “traditional” audience. Finally, we reviewed what inbound channels you are currently using and evaluated what makes sense for your higher education institution.

via HubSpot Marketing Blog http://bitly.com/1DtAcPX

JonBenet Ramsey investigator doesn't realize Reddit AMAs are public

BOULDER, Colo. — In his most extensive comments on the JonBenet Ramsey case, the former Colorado police chief who led the investigation into the high-profile 1996 slaying of the 6-year-old beauty queen acknowledged online that officers botched the initial handling of the crime scene.

Mark Beckner, former chief of the Boulder Police Department, participated Saturday in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. He told the Daily Camera on Tuesday that he didn't realize his comments would filter out to the rest of the world.

"I talked to the organizer, and my impression was that this was a members-only type group that talked about unsolved mysteries all around the world," said Beckner, 59. Read more...

More about Social Media and Reddit Ama

via Social Media http://on.mash.to/1Bye3SS

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Twitter's 'while you were away' feature expands to Android

Twitter's new recap feature officially debuted on iOS a month ago, but now "while you were away" has arrived on Android devices.

The feature moves away from the chronological format that Twitter has long relied on. Instead of displaying the most recent tweets, "while you were away" also displays the "top" tweets since the last time you've opened the app. It is based on an analysis of tweet engagement and users habits

Update! Now rolling out on Android: a recap of top Tweets to help you keep up w/ your worldhttp://bitly.com/17zlL1s http://bitly.com/17zlL1t

— Twitter (@twitter) February 24, 2015 Read more...

More about Twitter, Android, Social Media, Tech, and Apps Software

via Social Media http://on.mash.to/17zlKKY

How to Avoid the Risks of Bundling

Retailers, etailers, service providers, and pretty much anyone who sells anything ever use bundling techniques to improve sales and make customers happy. After all, who wouldn’t want to receive a discount on more? The problem is that bundling comes with a unique set of problems that could hurt your sales in the long run. Becoming aware of the risks is the first step to avoiding them!

via HubSpot Marketing Blog http://bitly.com/1JLgzJe

Create symmetry for our Vine challenge

Symmetry is easy to find in nature, architecture and people. It's also easy to create in art. For this week's Mashable Vine Challenge, animate or shoot a six-second video that plays with this theme.

Use a mirror to guarantee perfect symmetry between an object and its reflection, or animate a kaleidoscope to create rotational symmetry. Not feeling such a daunting task? Take it back to the days of Crayola Washable glory and show us those paint-then-fold butterflies.

You can also take a stab at a time-lapse video — stand in the center of a busy street and capture what happens on both sides. Or use editing software to duplicate half of your video, then flip it to create symmetry. Read more...

More about Challenge, Vine, Social Media, and Apps Software

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Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Twitter's head of developer relations steps down after less than 18 months

Twitter continues to have a difficult time hanging onto its execs.

The latest to depart the company is Jeff Sandquist, the global head of developer and platform relations.

Sandquist announced his departure on Twitter but did not give a reason for the move.

Thank you Twitter for an amazing 18 months. The team we've built, the product we've shipped. An absolute honor to have been here.

— Jeff Sandquist (@jeffsand) February 24, 2015

The former head of developer relations joined Twitter in 2013 after a 15-year stint at Microsoft, where he held a similar role managing developer relations. It's not clear what his next position will be but Sandquist said he will be returning to Washington. Read more...

More about Twitter, Social Media, Business, Tech, and Media

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Google set to banish sexually explicit content from Blogger

Anyone who's running a blog containing sexually explicit images on Google's blogging platform, Blogger, is in for a nasty surprise — their blogs will soon be made private

Those blogs' content won't be deleted, but it will only be visible to the blog's owner and admins, as well as users with whom the blog has been shared. Google announced the change in an update to its Adult content policy on Blogger Monday

For existing blogs, the change will go into effect March 23, 2015. After that date, anyone who shares sexually explicit imagery on Blogger may see their blog removed from the service

More about Google, Blogger, Pornography, Social Media, and Apps Software

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Reddit cracks down on nude images, 6 months after celebrity photo hack

Better late than never.

Reddit, the popular social news service, issued new digital privacy guidelines on Tuesday firmly prohibiting sexually explicit images posted without the user's position

"No matter who you are, if a photograph, video, or digital image of you in a state of nudity, sexual excitement, or engaged in any act of sexual conduct, is posted or linked to on Reddit without your permission, it is prohibited," the company's top executives wrote in a post. "We also recognize that violent personalized images are a form of harassment that we do not tolerate and we will remove them when notified." Read more...

More about Reddit, Business, and Social Media

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How to jazz up your Pinterest page with music

How to automatically extract an image when you paste a link on Twitter

With its recent introduction of native video, Twitter is getting increasingly visual. The platform that was once famous for the sparseness of its 140-character posts is evolving into a multimedia powerhouse.

If you want your tweets to stand out, including images is a surefire way to boost engagement. While it's simple to share your own photos and video on the service, you might have trouble finding the right image to accompany links.

Monday, February 23, 2015

18 photos that bask in golden hour glow

For this week's photo challenge, we asked you to capture the golden hour, meaning the first hour of light after sunrise and the last hour of light before sunset.

The photos we saw were breathtaking — from the warm reds and oranges that shone through beautiful landscapes to the overexposure in portraits shot against soft light.

Our guest host was Jonas Thomasson, a photographer who shoots exclusively during the golden hour in Spain. Scroll through his favorite submissions below.

1. Bridge walker

Thomasson says: Beautiful reflection shot. Read more...

More about Photography, Instagram, Social Media, Mashable Photo Challenge, and Mashable Photo Challenge Guest Series

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