If you noticed the title and have no idea what Snapchat is, I urge you to load it on your mobile device and try it out.  This application is sweeping through the teenagers of the U.S. and seems to be the next darling of the social networking market.  I recently saw the first article predicting it will be the next billion-dollar acquisition.  Facebook (as usual) has copied the Snapchat capability in their service called Poke (A name which I loathe, by the way. You would think Facebook could come up with a better name than “Poke”).

The single unique capability that both companies offer is the ability to send a photo to someone with a very short viewing time window that only the sender controls.  For example, Snapchat lets you decide whether to allow the recipient a viewing window of only one second, or as man as ten.  The way this works is, the receiver holds down a button and viewing begins. Once it reaches the end, it is auto-erased and gone for good.  This means you’d better be paying close attention because those seconds go by quick, and that is the idea.

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In the spirit of being grateful, I thought I might start a new tradition. Here is my list of things I am grateful for in the technology space this year:

1. That the Web, software, hardware, and bandwidth have conspired over the past 10 years to create a VERY cool set of tools that help organizations prosper.  At the same time, I am glad I know how to use them because the companies that failed to learn when they had the opportunity are dying off.
2. I love to learn, and I am so thankful that social tools now give me an ability to soak up information on any subject I want at any moment I want.  I grew up in the age of physical libraries so I have not forgotten what a blessing it is to have information at my fingertips.
3. I am thankful I still know more about technology than my kids.  Because I am in the tech business, I take this as a point of pride.  And, because they could pass me any day, I am happy at this moment that I still know more than they do.
4. That Apple got up off the map with the second coming of Steve Jobs and stuck with their obsession with design.  Seriously, what would the world of devices look like if Apple had not set a bar others had to match?  If you think about the decade of beige metal IBM PC’s CPU’s, and then think about competitor Microsoft’s design capabilities (other than the Xbox) , it is no contest. Continue reading →

In order for you to really understand this post, you will have to click on the following link and watch this video of Hatsune Miku.  Before you do, she is not real, she is an avatar, but after you watch the video, you will be able to better understand my editorial comments about where we are going as a human race…

As you might imagine, I’m always looking out for or stumbling across loads of new tech resources and tools in my trade, whether it be through client strategy building or actively staying up on the latest trends with my own established river of information streams. What I end up with is more tools, whitepapers, case studies, etc. than I know what to do with most of the time.

In light of this, I’ve decided to change the format up a bit around here by passing more of these resources along to you. So, in addition to my regular postings on personal insights and related trends (the stuff you’re used to seeing), I’ll be ramping up my postings of other content in between.

To start things off, I’ve updated my list of recommended site links via the navigation tab above and I’m offering up a link below to a Top 10 Collection of the Best Online Reputation Management (ORM) Services/Vendors of 2012. Each service is ranked with side by side comparisons on a number of specs with expanded reviews and site links for each. Enjoy and have a great weekend!