Axiom @ Toast and Taste

By Andrea

Every now and then the Axiom Team likes to let loose, have some fun and take the show on the road! Last night we got the crew out of the office and over to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for Toast & Taste in the Gardens.

It was an evening of luscious food from some of the top Twin Cities restaurants and sips of wine and beer from Minnesota and Wisconsin makers all set in the colorful and peaceful gardens of the Arboretum.

3 Toast and Tastes we are still talking about:

Birchwood Cafe: Chocolate Brownie! We loved the rich chocolate flavor in a perfect little bite to satisfy the chocolate craving.

Crave: Served up a mouth watering burger with Limousin beef, melted pepperjack cheese topped with BBQ pulled pork. Oh yea, a lot of meat and a lot of goodness!

Lift Bridge Brewing: Biscotti, a flavorful Belgian style ale, with just the right amount of bite.

Where will the Axiom team show up next....we'll just have to wait and see.

Garden Fling Takes Seattle By Storm

The following is a guest post from our own Shelly Gustafson, one of our gardening experts who recently attended a garden blog conference in Seattle.

This past weekend I had the immense pleasure to meet up in Seattle with a group of about 70 of the top garden bloggers from across North America (and a few from the UK!) at the annual Garden Bloggers Fling.

While "The Emerald City" has been having an interesting summer weather-wise, the sun decided to make an appearance just in time for our arrival.  However, it was back to the usual on Monday with a strong downpour taking over – but even that couldn’t lesson our enjoyment of the beautiful Bloedel Reserve.

The agenda centered on visiting Seattle’s most famous public gardens (and some private ones too).  Highlights included the breathtaking Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, The Dunn Gardens and the amazing Miller Horticultural Library. We also hit up some of the best garden stores and garden centers in the area including Ravenna Gardens in the U-District and Dragonfly Farms on Bainbridge Island.

The private gardens were amazing in their diversity featuring everything from a gravel garden to an “Urban Hillbilly Chic” concept that featured an abundance of handmade garden art.

All in all, it was a fun trip and a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Seattle’s best gardens with a group that was sure to appreciate their unique beauty.

Check out Shelly’s blog 29minutegardener.com  (Urban Gardener) for more details on the trip and check out our Facebook Page for Shelly’s Photos and see the post on how renowned photographer David Perry’s tips improved her photographs!

Wordless Wednesday: Social Media's Impact on Tourism & Travel

Hackers Are Still Out There, Act Accordingly

By Dave Sniadak

My six year old is pretty amazing. He can work his way around my new smart phone with ease, dial up Angry Birds without blinking and eye, and find a way to snap pictures of his baby sister with just a few swipes of the screen. But one thing I know he can't do is send an e-mail. That's why I was taken aback when I turned on the phone this morning to find that I had -- apparently -- sent more than 400 e-mails to all of my contacts saying that I was capable of helping them become "the lover they've always dreamed of," among other strange propositions.

I'm sure you've all received these e-mails. They're from trusted contacts, but usually have strange subject lines -- if a subject at all. The temptation is to open the e-mail since you know this person. When you open it, there's a short line or two -- almost always with horrific spelling and grammatical errors -- and a URL to some strange website you've never heard of.

The tell for me that I was hacked was that I had more than 100 returned messages. Upon scanning my 'sent' messages, I saw more than 60 mass e-mails . . . unsettling and unnerving, to say the least.

And while in 2011, I would hope that my contacts are all smart enough to know not to click on the link, here are some tips, with the help of Jon Chase of Switched.com, on what to do should you find yourself the unfortunate victim of hackers.

1. Don't panic. There are worse things that could happen to you, like purposefully sending lewd photos of yourself across social media sites (e.g. a certain former US Congressman).
2. Change your password immediately. Obviously, you're old password wasn't strong enough. Find a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that you can remember, and hackers can't figure out. You may need to check for malware, which Chase outlines nicely in his article.
3. Assess the damage. A lot of times your contacts will respond and ask if you're aware you've been spammed. Be sure to send these people a thank you response (and make sure you personalize it so they know it's you!) If it's from someone you haven't heard from in a while, it'll be nice to reconnect.
4. Don't let it happen to you again. "Despite the many ways an e-mail account is hacked, the one common element is that you, the owner, essentially allow it," Chase says in his article. Be vigilant in protecting your online profile. Hackers make a living out of stealing your information. Don't make it easy for them!

This certainly isn't new info, but it's a great reminder that it can happen to anyone at any time. I've taken my lumps and learned my lesson. Life goes on, and so will my e-mail account. I just wish I was better at helping my friends become the lover they've always wanted to be.

Could We Be Saying "Goodbye" to the Resume?

LinkedIn launched a new plug-in for company websites that will make everyone's life in the job search world a little easier. In addition to the +1, Like, and other buttons that every article seems to have now there will be an "Apply With LinkedIn" button as well. Simply view the job listing online, click the button, and voila! you have sent in all your professional info and applied for a job!

As a student going into my senior year of college, I think this will be a huge weight off my peers' shoulders. There are countless job search sites that allow you to submit cover letters and resumes, but for each site you need to first upload the documents. This LinkedIn plug-in will eliminate making dozens of separate resumes for each job. Not to say that it is no longer necessary to tailor each application to each specific position; it will just be much easier now.

Once you click the Apply With LinkedIn button your profile snapshot appears with the option to edit. You can then create your profile for the specific position before clicking the button. And what would LinkedIn be without help of connections -- that is the whole point of the site! Once you have applied for the job a screen pops up listing your connections at the company receiving your profile. This feature makes it simpler to request recommendations, which may make the difference between employment or continued searching.

The plug-in will make profiles easily searchable compared to present methods. Each application will be in the same format so sifting through applications for specific qualifications with a few clicks of a mouse. This is a great feature since there is a large possibility for users to go apply-crazy and submit applications to jobs of which they are not qualified.

Overall, I think this is a great addition to the social media world. It is another example of how our world is changing. The almighty resume could be, in the far future, on its way out.

Facebook Friday: 750 million reasons why Google+ is still in Zuckerberg's rear view mirror

As many social media rush to christen Google+ the heir apparent to the social networking throne, let's pause a moment to examine the site that currently wears that crown.

Just yesterday I posted a video blog mentioning the small user base of Google+. And today, comScore published a report saying that Google+ has hit 20 million unique visitors. Granted, that doesn't mean there are 20 million Google+ users, but it's still a solid enough number to see how it stacks up against Facebook.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that Google+ does boast 20 million users. That's a mere 2.7% of Facebook's 750 million users.

More importantly, Facebook's user base is not limited to early adopters like Google+. This is an important distinction, because early adopter usage is not a good indicator of how the general public will embrace a product or service. And if the public doesn't adopt it, then the site will die off once the early adopters flock to their next big thing online.

I'm not saying Google+ can't one day challenge Facebook's supremacy, but it is way too early to tell and it's something that both social media pundits and brands need to bear in mind.

Coming Full Circle with Google+

Google+ has become the media darling after a string of positive reviews have led many to wonder if Google's social network can indeed challenge Facebook's social supremacy. Now that several of us here at the office have had some time to play around with Google+, Steve offers a quick rundown of its key features.

Build-up to BlogHer '11

BlogHer '11 here we come! Shelly and I are getting ready to take off for San Diego to spend 3 days with more than 3,000 bloggers. That's a lot of iPads, laptops and smartphones in one place.

For the past few weeks Twitter has been fast and furious with #BlogHer11 questions, spreadsheets, invites, events, suggestions and prep work for the conference. It's enough to make a first time BlogHer attendee a bit dizzy, but the tweets are offering a lot of great tips.

This will be my 2nd blog conference, but definitely the largest. I'm lucky in the sense that I was able to ease into the blog conference world by attending the amazing, but smaller Type-A Parent Conference earlier this year.

So, with my Type-A experience and Twitter tips, here is my 'BlogHer '11 To Do List':

• Connect with bloggers I want to meet IRL and set up a meeting place and time. If you don't you may never see them, it's just that big.
  
• Schedule sessions to attend, there are 7 tracks to choose from.
  
• Sign up for the Geek Bar for more of a one-on-one with experts.
  
• RSVP to the parties and events, they fill up quickly.
• Get to know the spreadsheet of the sponsors; where they will be, what they are doing/hosting and their Twitter hashtags.
• Work on my elevator pitch.
• Have more than expected business cards on hand.
• Find comfortable shoes...and a few dressy ones as well.
• Get ready to learn a lot and have some fun doing it.
  

Stay tuned, I'll be filling everyone in on all the excitement and incite from BlogHer '11! I can't wait.

The iPod Conundrum: Do-All Devices or One-Hit Wonder?

I was admittedly a late adopter to the iPod. It took years for me to ditch my one-album-at-a-time Walkman CD player, and even then I tried out several iPod competitors before jumping on the Apple bandwagon.

The reason I bring this up is an article I saw recently about the iPod possibly being on the chopping block as sales of the devices have steadily declined over the years.

More importantly, this brings up an interesting debate about the roles we want our devices to play in our lives. At its heart, this is the question of "do I want my device to do everything pretty well, or one thing great?"

The biggest reason for the iPod decline is obviously that the iPhone can play movies and music in addition to app support and call capabilities. It's not a big leap to assume many people decided against the iPod because the iPhone can perform all of those functions.

And it's hesitations like those that have led a lot of skeptics to believe that Apple will start discontinuing some of their iPod models, especially the iPod Classic. But as someone who happens to own an iPod Classic, I think this would be a bad move.


Granted, my 160GB ipod doesn't have apps or calling capabilities, and is pretty bulky by iPod standards. However, what my iPod does have is 10 times the storage space of my iPhone and is a heck of a lot cheaper once you factor in data plans and whatnot.

For me, the iPod is the dedicated media-playing device with a long battery life that has gotten me through plenty of trips and vacations. If anything, I think the iPod Nano is in much more danger of extinction than the Classic.

Regardless, despite the demand for apps and mobile, there's a case to be made for the dedicated device. This is why I think the iPod, and all mp3 players for that matter, have a fighting chance to stay alive in the ever-crowded tech jungle.

Video Post: The big brand question with Google

The incredible amount of hype around Google+ is making companies eager to join the site. Google is forcing all but a few businesses to wait on their company profiles, however. They are planning for separate business pages in the future, but are not ready quite yet.

Worldless Wednesday: SEO Ranking Factors

Google+ Off to an Amazing Start

When Google launched its new social network, Google+, in late June many people did not have much faith in its success. Google's social network history is not strong: both Google Buzz and Google Wave were complete flops. This time, however, it seems as though Google has finally got it right.

Paul Allen, of Ancestry.com, has come up with a method for calculating the number of users on the site. His grand total? Just over 9.5 million! This number is sure to reach the 10 million mark soon; according to his math, 2.2 million users have joined in the last 32-34 hours alone. Google has yet to comment on the number of users, so these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. They do, however, give us antsy PR people a good estimate.

Last week we joined the network and explored the features. In our opinion, it will give Facebook a good run for its money. What really sets the site apart from other social networks is the group video chat capability and the personalized social circles. Group video chats make the site more inclusive than other sites, while individual social circles make it more exclusive. When you post content you can choose which circles will have access to the post.

It will be fun to see what other ideas Google has up its sleeves to keep the network successful and growing. The company has been a leader in many other areas, and seems to be headed in the same direction in the social network world.

Apple Users Increasing Their App-etite

Good news for iOS app developers: Apple users are not only buying more apps, but they are paying more for them too.

Apple dropped this announcement just days after last week's statement that more than 15 billion apps had been downloaded from its App Store.

However, this newest announcement has much more impact on the state of the mobile industry and deserves a closer look.

Apple's release noted that users are downloading 61% more apps than they were a year ago. Not only that, but the average selling price per app has increased 14% ($1.44/app) since 2010. That's great news for developers, who saw app prices fall 18% from 2009-2010. Obviously, the prevalence of iPads and their more expensive tablet-optimized apps have a lot to do with this.

This is all good news for app developers, but this doesn't necessarily mean those looking to get in on the app market should slap a $1.99 price tag on their app.

That's because 82% of iOS apps are still free. From a marketing standpoint, this means you have to take the time to weigh your pricing options. On one hand, you need to turn a profit to make the app development financially viable. However, if people can get something similar for free your app downloads will suffer.

Either way, it's clear that the app market is still going strong and worth consideration.

Facebook Friday: Let the Video Chat Wars Begin

Earlier this week, Mark Zuckerberg hinted that Facebook would unveil an "awesome" new feature in the coming days.

It turns out that the "awesome" feature is a set of new chat features to benefit the social networking giant's 750 million users, which were announced on Wednesday:

• Group chat redesign: Facebook has redesigned the group chat page is more fitting for wider screens, with a side bar of your most commonly-chatted with friends and whether they are online or not.
• Group-less Group chat: One of my biggest complaints about Facebook's existing Group Chat feature was that you had to have a group set up first. What if you just wanted to talk with a few friends about weekend plans? Normally you'd have to make a new group with those friends and chat from there. Luckily, Facebook has solved this by allowing users to create group chats without creating groups.
• Facebook + Skype: The biggest announce of the day centered on a new, Skype-based video chat. Unfortunately the chats are limited to one-on-one, but its still a big step forward for Facebook.

It's a solid set of new features, but right now the buzz continues to focus on Google+, which I will be covering more next week. The one thing I know for sure is that the social networking race is really starting to heat up.

Video Post: Axiom @ The Cannon River Winery

It's been a busy month and a half here at the office, so we all took the afternoon off to unwind. Even better, our office-wide unwinding was at the Cannon River Winery in Cannon Falls, MN. The weather was perfect as we got to tour the winery (and eventually tasted a few wines of course).

We put together a little video about our day, and this video also kicks off an ongoing series of "Axiom @" videos that will chronicle the different places and events we're lucky enough to attend.

Google Launches its Own Social Network

When you need to find something on the web, chances are that you use either Google, Yahoo!, or Bing. They are all pretty darn similar; you can find articles, images, get directions, get emails, and so on. This week Google stepped out of the search engine shell, and oh boy is it getting attention!

Google has created a social networking site of its own, Google+. The program will allow users to create circles of friends, video chat with friends who are online, collect stories and videos you like, and much more. All features are designed to be as easy and user-friendly as possible.

Sounds great, right? Well Google isn't receiving entirely praises. Two of the main gripes are that the layout is extremely similar to Facebook's layout, and that you need to be invited onto the site (just like Facebook's early years). Both of these have positive sides, however. The Facebook-like design will make it more familiar to users, meaning easier to pick up on. The invitation-only membership will not be a problem once more people use the program. As more people join the network they can invite more and more friends.

The program is still new. I am very excited to see how it changes and adapts to users' comments! I have no doubt that Google+ will give Facebook a run for its money!