13 surreal Instagrams that will make your imagination run wild

Last week, we challenged you to illustrate ideas in your conceptual photographs.

Your submissions are an impressive collection of surreal edits, carefully staged shots and beautiful sceneries that can tell many stories, leaving interpretation to the viewer

See also: 20 photos that creatively utilize negative space

Chris Rivera, a fine art photographer who specializes in art and self-portraits, was our guest host. Below are his favorite submissions from the #MashPics_Conceptual feed

Rivera says: Love is always a strong concept, so whenever you can see this emotion being shown, you know there's a story. Read more...

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

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5 Twitter Analytics Features You Might Not Know About (But Should)

Sometimes, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the questions that arise when you're creating or analyzing your Twitter strategy.

Who follows you? What kind of Tweets do they like (or hate)? How often do they want to hear from you? How quickly do they expect a response? 

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

4 Science-Backed Reasons to Read More (Even If You're Busy)

When was the last time you read a book?

via HubSpot Marketing Blog http://bitly.com/1DlhNc3

Design of Manchester United's new women's kit sparks sexism row

LONDON – Manchester United's new team kit, designed by Adidas as part of a record-breaking £75m-a-year deal, is drumming up controversy on social media.

See also: The Story Behind Those Nude-Looking Women's Cycling Uniforms

The debate began on Saturday after a Manchester United fan flagged up the difference between the women's and the men's kits on Twitter.

Seriously @adidas?! why is the V neck so low compared with mens one? Some of us don't like to show cleavage@ManUtd http://pic.twitter.com/km4nOPs0nK

— Helin (@MUnitedGirl) August 1, 2015

This is really irritating because the men's fits differently. Will have to settle for the mens I guess@adidas @ManUtd not impressed at all

— Helin (@MUnitedGirl) August 1, 2015 Read more...

More about Uk, Football, Social Media, Twitter, and Conversations

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

Coachella, Tomorrowland, Bonnaroo & More: How Top Music Festivals Use Social Media

English music producer Simon Cowell once told Rolling Stone Magazine, "You have this amazing thing now called fan power. The whole world is linked through a laptop. It's absolutely brilliant."

He was talking about music artists here, but this can apply to any type of event host or marketer. Social media allows us to promote our events more strategically, listen to and engage with our fans, enhance attendee experience, help measure the event's overall success, and find areas for improvement in the next time you put it on.

via HubSpot Marketing Blog http://bitly.com/1M0Uc1n

5 Easy Ways to Help Reduce Your Website’s Page Loading Speed

The adage “patience is a virtue” doesn’t apply online. 

Even a one-second delay can drastically reduce pageviews, customer satisfaction and drop conversions. 

The speed of your site even affects your organic search rankings. Since 2010, Google has been accounting for a site speed in its algorithm. 

So what’s the biggest factor contributing to your page speed?

via HubSpot Marketing Blog http://bitly.com/1M6DKhG

4 Ecommerce Pricing Strategies You May Not Have Considered

When determining prices for your ecommerce store, you’re likely to consider traditional methods: markup, anchor, and luxury pricing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these strategies, especially if you’re hoping to set it and forget it—until sale time, of course. However, these three traditional methods aren’t the only strategies you can employ. If you’re willing to shake things up a little, consider some of these edgy techniques that have seen success.

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