The Feds announced today that as of Thursday the coffers of file sharing giant, Megaupload, may be razed due to copyright infringement laws. Today those files were given a stay of execution for another 2 weeks. Over 50 million files may be deleted in what is turning out to be one of the largest, if not the largest internet-seizures in history.

While it is true that many of the files hosted on the file sharing domain are copyright material, another function of Megaupload is providing a high traffic source for small and independent artists to host their content for free.

It is said that Megaupload creates up to 8% of the traffic on the internet. A source that big is a huge resource for the struggling and emerging artist to showcase his work. So where can those unsigned find free hosting and sharing for their work in this soon-to-be post Megaupload world? Both Mediafire and Limelinx provide similar services to Megaupload including bookmarking features and is available to all sorts of media.

Below are a few other sites that provide similar services, but with an added social twist:

www.soundcloud.com: Soundcloud is a site that encourages small artists to upload, collaborate and create together.

http://www.datpiff.com: Known as one of the premiere locations for hip-hop mixtapes, Datpiff makes itself available for anyone who wishes to distribute and expose their music for a nominal fee on the internet.

Posted in Web Design |

Cell phone this, iPad that. Around half the time America spends nowadays on the Internet is through some sort of mobile device. With the emergence of the mobile web comes the opportunity to try new things and become a gamechanger in the market. Glenn Cole at 72 & Sunny says that “Mobile devices are now the place where you can have your most meaningful, most valuable, and even most inspiring relationship with a brand.” What are some of these ways and what do you need to know now to stay ahead of the curve on this emerging field? Let’s brush over some of the basics and explore some possible ways you can harness the mobile web environment for your company’s gain: (more…)

Tags: .mobi, brand, connect, consumer, create relationships with your customers, customer, deutsche telekom, foursquare, glenn cole, hutchison 3g, interactive, marketing tool, mobile banking, mobile content, mobile device, mobile marketing, mobile phone, mobile telecommunications, mobile web, mobile web devices, smartphone, t mobile, the mobile, web create, web devices, web user, your mobile
Posted in Web Design |

Sam Walton of Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart is noted for saying to his executives “If you need any question answered, go to a store and ask our customers.” The idea of crowdsourcing is quite similar; bringing your clients, experts and fans of your company into the fold to assist your company in creating something palatable for your target audience. Many companies have used this method to gather ideas for their marketing and branding campaigns for a few years now. Doritos has become notorious for their crowdsourcing techniques to create their Super Bowl commercials. Recently, Harley Davidson has shifted almost their entire marketing campaign to their fans who they now rely upon to create the ideas behind their marketing campaigns.

Crowdsourcing is a great way to tackle a project or problem that you may not have the talent pool or skill set to accomplish. It can also be good as a form of surveying tool to see what your target audiences or markets like and dislike. Before your company dives head first into the crowdsourcing game however, lets go over a few basic parameters on how crowdsourcing works:
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Tags: crowdsourcing, management, small business, social media
Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases, Online Marketing, Web Design |