The Curator News Feed: June 20, 2014
Today we bid spring adieu, and look forward to summer '14! Kick it off with the team's picks for the best of the internet this week. We've got new emojis, a rainbow cake comment war, the latest on wearable tech, and more. Tweet us your favorite finds at @CuratorPR!
7 Things You Need to Do to Stop Doing to Be More Productive, Backed by Science, Medium. One of these is probably a "not gonna happen" for most of us, and a few others are "do your best"-type situations, but it's all good advice. -- Paul
NBC News Didn't Need to Guess at Its Website Redesign, Evangelist Marketing Institute. This link's a bit of a "throwback" (to February), but it's new to me, and the advice is good. Why don't more brands take advantage of their social networks by soliciting feedback on proposed redesigns and new products? Part of the value of a large social networking base is that you have a built-in focus group made of of your most passionate followers. Use them. -- Paul
Here is the FBI's Official Guide to Twitter Slang, Gawker. Great news! If you want to figure out what Teh Kidz are talking about on Twitter, the FBI has you covered. -- Paul
The Interesting Reason Actress Kiera Knightley Gives Herself a $50,000 Annual Allowance, Business Insider. I love that Keira Knightley gives herself an allowance. This is a great way to think about fame and fortune: "I think living an expensive lifestyle means you can’t hang out with people who don’t live that lifestyle," she says. "It alienates you. Some of my best, most hilarious times have been in the least luxurious places." -- Noelle
Text A Smell: 'oPhone' Brings Aromatic Messaging to Your iPhone--Seriously, Syracuse.com. Could this be the future of advertising? Watch the video to see how it works. What do you think are the implications? -- Megan
Kanye West Charms Cannes With His Moral Take On Brands and Culture, AdWeek. Kanye West made a surprise appearance at the Cannes Lions festival yesterday and 'charmed' the audience at Translation's seminar, titled "Technology, Culture, and Consumer Adoption: Learning to Read the Cultural Landscape." If nothing else, he certainly is quotable. -- Jennifer
A Complete-ish List of the 200+ New Emoji Unicode Released Today, Washington Post. NEW EMOJIS ARE COMING! (Insert long list of emojis here with confetti, hands praising and heart filled eyes!) Though doesn't look like I'm getting that champagne glass or bottle emoji I was hoping for according to this list. -- Brooke
Cutezilla, Vimeo. It's amazing what you can create using only stock footage. The fine visionaries over at Dissolve made this striking piece of filmmaking with a great message. I would pay big money to see a full length version in IMAX 3D. -- Colin
Microsoft Social Media "Strategist" Targets the Wrong Guy, TechCrunch. I love this note to social marketers but also to bloggers. When you're in it for just the money, it shows. Followed by if brands aren't strategic and just looking for a quick hit of impressions, it's a mess. -- Brooke
Rainbow Cake Recipe Inspires Comment Apocalypse, Deadspin. A lot of people want to know, "Should I allow comments on my site/blog?" Here's a quick test: If you frequently encounter threads like this, turn them off. -- Paul
This Video Reminds Women to Stop Apologizing So Much, Huffington Post. Pretty cool video video from Pantene. Sorry, Not Sorry. -- Noelle
Get Ready for Wearable Tech to Plug Into Health Insurance, Forbes. According to a recent article in Forbes, we may be on a path to having health insurance rates change by the day based on real-time data on our health status. This is in thanks to the proliferation of health-tracking devices, like our Jawbone UP bands. Definitely an interesting concept seeing how more and more companies are motivating employees to live a healthy lifestyle. -- Annie
Apple Plans Multiple Designs for SmartWatch, WSJ. Exciting new speculation on wearable tech from the Wall Street Journal with regards to Apple's tightly veiled smartwatch. Claiming to have increased functionality in their product, the Apple smart watch is guaranteed to make waves with its big competitors such as Google and Samsung. Let's just hope Apple can pull this launch off in October without upsetting Apple purists and while attracting a whole new audience. -- Colin