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Have advanced camera phones stunted our abilities to recognize professional photography?

Mar16
by on March 16, 2015 at 1:27 am
Posted In: Around the Web, SXSW

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In the wake of mass layoffs of photographers from major news organizations like the Chicago Sun Times and Sports Illustrated, the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) wanted to find out whether or not typical newspaper readers preferred — or could even tell the difference between — photos shot by professional photographers and those contributed by amateur shutterbugs. The results, contained in the newly released scientific Eyetracking Photojournalism Study and commissioned by the NPPA, were the topic of a SXSW panel, “Who’s Driving the Extinction of Pro Photographers?” They should surprise no one. Not only did viewers know what they liked, but they were…

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Xprize and the age of techno-optimism

Mar15
by on March 15, 2015 at 7:44 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Profiles and Interviews

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If there’s one organization that embodies the huge level of optimism we’re seeing about technology’s potential these days, it’s Xprize. The foundation’s challenges cover everything from bringing Star Trek-style tricorders to life, to landing a privately-funded robot on the moon. At SXSW, I met up with Paul Bunje, who heads up ocean-related challenges for Xprize. His current project is the $2 million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health Xprize, looking to tackle the increasing acidification of the sea. Bunje told me about the challenge’s progress, and we discussed just how far techno-optimism can take us. You can listen to the discussion below.

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How Grindr built a niche hit with no VC funding and word-of-mouth growth

Mar15
by on March 15, 2015 at 5:24 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Profiles and Interviews

grindr

While Tinder is often celebrated as the big hit dating app, Grindr has been serving its own niche audience of gay men for six years now and made a cultural impact along the way. Bootstrapped with no VC funding and fuelled by word-of-mouth growth, Grindr is a great example of an company that has made a big impact on its own terms. At SXSW, I spoke to LA-based founder and CEO Joel Simkhai about the story of his business. You can listen to the conversation below.  

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The email hot or not list

Mar15
by on March 15, 2015 at 4:00 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, email, How-To's, Insider, Social Media

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Denise Chan is the US Inbound Marketing Associate for Mailjet, an email service provider with more than four years of experience and 25,000 clients across 158 countries. As temperatures rise, it’s time to engage in the age-old tradition of spring cleaning, bidding farewell to those bulky winter items. Your email marketing program should take note of this annual ritual too. It’s just as important to take a moment to re-evaluate the practices your company is following when trying to raise awareness, or find new users or customers. Is your dashboard cluttered with KPIs? Or maybe you’re buried under a number of…

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