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How-To: create a macOS Sierra USB install drive [Video]

If you want the ability to perform a fresh and clean install of macOS Sierra, then you should consider creating a macOS Sierra USB install disk. Not only will this walkthrough work for the macOS Sierra Developer Preview, but it will also work for the public beta and future final releases. In the following video tutorial, we’ll show you how.

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Filed under: Apple

How to Repurpose Your Facebook Live Videos

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Are you using Facebook Live? Do you want more mileage out of your broadcasts? Reusing your Facebook Live video can help improve your impact and visibility. In this article, you’ll discover how to download and repurpose your Facebook Live videos on other social media platforms. #1: Download From Your Facebook Profile Facebook Live lets you […]

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– Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

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5 Ways to Improve Customer Loyalty With Social Media

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Do you want to keep more of your customers? Looking for ways to nurture customer relationships with social media? Social media can play a pivotal role in building more meaningful connections with customers, so they stay with you longer. In this article, you’ll discover a five-step plan to help you boost customer loyalty with social […]

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– Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

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Facebook News Feed Changes Reduce Page Exposure: This Week in Social Media

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Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news. To help you stay up to date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention. What’s New This Week Facebook Announces Upcoming Changes to News Feed Rankings: Facebook announced upcoming changes to the news feed ranking that […]

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Opinion: Unpacking Apple, Beats Music and a possible Tidal acquisition

Yesterday the WSJ reported that sources indicate Apple is in ongoing exploratory talks to buy Jay Z’s Tidal music subscription business while carefully noting sources say talks may not lead to a deal. While Apple reportedly talking to Jay Z’s Tidal does not equal Apple actually buying Tidal (yet), the idea of Apple buying Tidal anytime soon and within two years of spending $3 billion on Beats in part to build its Apple Music streaming service comes as a surprise to many — not unlike the Beats episode…

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Filed under: Apple

How-To: Show the size of folders in the Finder on Mac [Video]

The Finder’s list view is my favorite way to view the folders and files within the macOS Finder, because it provides a wealth of information via columns that can be sorted on.

One thing that you won’t find when using the Finder’s default list view is the cumulative size of the Folders contained within. But there’s an easy way to view the sizes of Folders directly within the Finder; watch our video tutorial to see how. more…

Filed under: Apple

Apple issues heated response to Spotify’s ‘anticompetitive’ accusation letter

If Apple versus FBI was the big story to start the year, then it looks like Apple versus Spotify will be the hot battle of the summer. Yesterday a letter surfaced in which Spotify accused Apple of being anticompetitive with its App Store policies and holding back a Spotify update in order to benefit Apple Music. This letter is likely what prompted Senator Elizabeth Warren’s negative remarks about Apple earlier this week.

Now Apple is pushing back and without mincing words. Apple’s top lawyer Bruce Sewell has issued a three-page response to Spotify (via Buzzfeed) in which he accuses Spotify of “resorting to rumors and half-truths about our service.”

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Filed under: Apple

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Tweetbot 4 iOS/Mac $5, 6000mAh Power Bank $6, Laptop Backpacks from $25, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

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One of the world’s greatest Twitter clients just went 50% off: Tweetbot for iOS or Mac $5 (Reg. $10)

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Smartphone Accessories: Eachine X3 6000mAh External Battery Power Bank w/ USB Charging Cable $6 Prime shipped (Reg. $17), more

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Here are two backpacks from SwissGear and Case Logic on sale with great ratings from $25 shipped

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Apple’s monstrous 12.9-inch iPad Pro 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular is on sale for $800 (Reg. $1,079)

apple-macbook-airMacBook Air is the best Apple laptop for most everyday users, save $200 today on a pair of the latest models

Save nearly $300 on Apple’s latest 13-inch 256GB Retina MacBook Pro: $1,200 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

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Amazon Prime Day 2016 revealed: Tons of deals, increased inventory and Alexa specials for Echo owners

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PowerTime Apple Watch Charging Dock w/ 3 USB Ports: $39 shipped (Reg. $49)

Just $9 Prime shipped for a new Apple Watch band? Sounds good to me.

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Parallels Desktop 11: Run Windows/Android/Linux/anything seamlessly on your Mac: $40 (50% off) shipped or less

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App Store Free App of the Week: Mimpi Dreams puzzle-platformer goes free for the first time (Reg. $2)

Apple offering free download of sketching app Procreate via Apple Store app

One of the best sniper titles on the App Store just went 50% off: Hitman Sniper $1 (Reg. $2)

LEGO Star Wars titles for Mac matching all-time lows: Saga & The Clone Wars for $5 each (Reg. up to $20)

One of the best RPGs of all-time just went 50% off on iOS: Secret of Mana $4 (Reg. $8)

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Review: Mophie’s new Charge Force line brings carefree wireless charging to iPhone [Video]

Apple’s Thunderbolt Display has been put out to pasture, here are the best alternatives at every price point

Vansky’s $23 USB LED light strip gives you multi-color mood lighting

Review: Jaybird’s new Freedom Wireless headphones score high marks on design, sound [Video]

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

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Best Buy July 4th Sale: WD 1TB Wireless Portable Hard Drive $120, Logitech Harmony Touch Remote $100, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

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mophie’s 1840mAh Battery Case will help your iPhone 6/s make it through the day: $40 (Reg. $60)

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The Nest Learning Thermostat will help lower your energy costs throughout the summer: $199 (Reg. $249)

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Filed under: Apple

Comment: Despite appearances, UK customers don’t get a raw deal from Apple on product prices

The cost of Apple products varies significantly between countries. As we saw back in May, the cost of an iPhone 6, for example, ranges from an average of $598 in the USA to a staggering $931 in Brazil. But whenever Apple pricing is discussed in Britain, there’s a myth that tends to be repeated: that the company charges a lot more for its products in the UK than in the US.

It’s not difficult to see how people get this impression. Go to apple.com and check the prices of a few products, then compare them to the pricing on apple.com/uk. Here are a couple of illustrative comparisons from the two websites:

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Pangu shows Cydia running on iOS 10; reportedly hints at upcoming iOS 9.3.2 jailbreak

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a publicly-released jailbreak, but this year’s Mobile Security Conference (MOSEC) in Shanghai made it clear that jailbreaking isn’t dead.

MOSEC is a one-day security conference co-hosted by Pangu, the Chinese hacking team responsible for several of the most recent jailbreaks. This year’s event was scheduled for today, July 1st, and was hosted at the Grand Kempinski hotel, in Shanghai, China.

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16 Great Facebook Business Pages You Have to See

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With more than 1.65 billion monthly active users, Facebook is a major player in the world of social networking. Businesses looking to market using Facebook have one major tool at their disposal: the Facebook Page.

Facebook Pages were specifically engineered for businesses. They provide a public home on Facebook for a business, and they allow businesses to publish content and receive comments and feedback from fans and customers. Download our free guide to creating an awesome Facebook Business Page of your  own here. 

Facebook Pages are a simple tool, but they allow for many interesting business opportunities. There are some companies out there who really take advantage of the cool stuff you can do on a Facebook business Page to connect, engage with, and delight fans, as well as drive traffic to specific parts of their website.

So we combed through the web to find 16 Facebook Pages that you absolutely MUST see. Put simply, these pages are awesome.

16 Great Facebook Business Page Examples You Have to See

1) L.L. Bean

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Here’s an example of a Facebook Page that focuses on the customer. The content they post is interesting and super relevant for their target audience: cool photos, videos, and tips for outdoor adventurers. They also include tabs dedicated to their events, open job opportunities, and to each of their most recent grand openings.

2) Intrepid Travel

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Travel agency Intrepid Travel has put together a great Facebook Page — complete with a special tab that shows trip and tour reviews, and one that lets users search and book trips without having to leave their Facebook Page. Talk about a great user experience.

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They also consistently post compelling videos that’ll have you itching to pack a bag and hit the road. Check out this food tour of China they recently posted to give potential tourists the nudge they need to book an adventure:

3) Threadless

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Threadless has tons of great images on their Page. Most notably, their cover photo features different T-shirt designs, which they always credit to the designer in the top right-hand corner of the photo and change fairly regularly. They also carry over important functionality from their website, allowing users to vote for T-shirt designs and enter design contests.

All in all, Threadless does a great job of creating a fantastic user experience that doesn’t require the user to leave Facebook. Plus, they have a badge in their “About” section signifying that they respond to inquiries quickly — which is great for showing fans and followers that they’re listening.

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4) Nutella

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The folks at Nutella have the unique challenge of having to find an infinite number of ways to feature a single product so their social media content stays fresh and interesting. The key to their success? A wide variety of interesting visual content.

They’ve taken full advantage of the rise of video on Facebook: Between April 2015 and November 2015, the number of average daily video views on Facebook doubled from 4 billion video views per day to 8 billion. Much of their video content is centered around creative (and delicious) ways to work the infamous hazelnut spread into different recipes, such as these incredible Nutella pancake cupcakes:

The company also shares a ton of great images that generate a huge amount of engagement, like this clever emoji-inspired post:

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5) Zappos.com

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Zappos.com is known for great customer service, and they keep that reputation going on their Facebook Page. For example, they have a badge in their “About” section that says they typically respond to customers’ inquiries within the hour. That’s fast.

They also have a small section of their Page dedicated to visitor posts, which features customers’ posts about Zappos’ great customer service on and off Facebook.

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Not to mention, they’re committed to responding to comments — and they aren’t afraid to have fun with it:

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Customer service aside, Zappos has also fully taken advantage of Facebook’s call-to-action button feature by placing a “Shop Now” button at the top of their Facebook Page.

(Check out this episode of The Growth Show to learn more about how Zappos built a lovable company culture.)

6) National Hockey League

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The NHL rocks Facebook. Their Page prioritizes the things they know users care about most when visiting Facebook: photos and videos, live streaming (which they include during the season and remove in the offseason), and contests that give them the chance to win tickets.

Not only that, they’re constantly putting out relevant news stories and compelling visual content that get high levels of engagement from their fans. For example, NHL and GoPro have been partnered up since 2015 to bring hockey fans unique perspectives from games, and these videos can be found in the “Video” tab on the NHL’s Facebook Page.

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7) Tough Mudder

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Tough Mudder, an organization that runs hardcore obstacle course events focused on teamwork and camaraderie, leans on social media sites like Facebook to help recruit and pump up participants.

They do a great job of keeping their Facebook content fresh and up-to-date, which is especially important for an events company. Not to mention, each event they run has its own Facebook Event — which shows up in an “Events” feed on their Page — so participants can connect, ask questions, and share event-specific photos with the community.

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Speaking of community … the folks that run the Facebook Page always find clever ways to keep the Tough Mudder family connected and engaged using fun hashtags like #HeadbandMonday:

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8) St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

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St. Jude’s is a volunteer- and donation-driven organization, and they do a fantastic job engaging their volunteer and donor bases on Facebook. Their posts and photos are highly engaging, often featuring the personal stories of patients who were helped thanks to the generosity of people like their Facebook Fans.

Their Page also offers apps that allow you to donate, browse careers, look at photos, and more — right from the Facebook Page.

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9) Starbucks

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Starbucks was an early social media adopter, and it comes through in the polish and features of their Facebook Page. The “International” tab leads you to their local Facebook Pages, so non-English-speaking fans can easily navigate to their country’s Starbucks Page.

Beyond that, Starbucks uses its Page to showcase their rich visual content, run contests for seasonal products, highlight job openings, and interact with followers, like they do with the quiz below:

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They also offer a slick store locator application:

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10) Adobe

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Adobe is a computer software company that could post all about software and technology all the time … but they do a great job of catering their content to Facebook users, who tend to log on to socialize, read or watch fun content, or read the news. Here’s an example of a cool video that would be interesting to their design-focused target audience:

They also have a special Notes section that outlines the rules of the Facebook Page — and thus setting expectations for their fans. Granted, it hasn’t been updated since 2010 … but it’s still a great thing to have.

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11) Burt’s Bees

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Your customers can be your best sources for market research. The Burt’s Bees Facebook Page uses a poll tab to ask questions about flavor preferences, product names, and so on. Customers have the option to vote, see results, and/or share their opinion on their own Facebook Pages. They also have a “Coupons” tab that gives customers opportunities to save money.

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12) Easy Lunch Boxes

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With all that space in the cover photo, why not pair colorful visuals with a strong value statement? That’s exactly what Easy Lunch Boxes does. They put it all out there as soon as a user lands on their Facebook Page.

In addition to posting fun pictures, videos, and tips like “lunch box hacks,” the Page also includes apps that let users ask questions, sign up for their newsletter, follow their blog, and even get recipe and meal ideas. Overall, the Page is on-brand and clearly displays the utility of the product.

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13) Gold’s Gym

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For a company that’s been around for over 50 years, Gold’s Gym has shown they can keep up with the times on their Facebook Page. Their “Gold’s Gym Challenge” is a front-and-center application on their Page, which lets users join the group, see other members, and join the discussion without leaving Facebook.

They also have a handy gym locator app that leads folks straight to their “Locate a Gym” webpage (unlike Starbucks’ locator app, which is right within Facebook) so that prospective members can easily see whether there’s a location nearby. Finally, Gold’s Gym keeps engagement high by posting lots of content, much of which features members’ inspirational fitness journeys.

14) Stella & Dot

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As a company based on creating flexible entrepreneurial opportunities for women, Stella & Dot relies on platforms like Facebook to help grow their business via word-of-mouth marketing. They are a great example of an organization that’s successfully built a community on Facebook.

They use it to share styling tips with their social community, show how their pieces are designed and made, and post videos on how to wear their jewelry. All of their visual content is vibrantly colored and beautifully shot.

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They’ve also taken advantage of Facebook Live by posting live videos of trunk shows, which can help prospective trunk show hosts learn how to do one — or just bring entertainment to anyone watching.

(Read this article for more awesome Facebook Live use cases.)

15) Mabel’s Labels

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Like Zappos, Mabel’s Labels — creators of high quality labels for the stuff kids lose — has also taken advantage of Facebook’s call-to-action button feature with their “Shop Now” CTA, linking to their homepage.

In terms of content, they’ve mastered the art of posting the perfect balance of engaging videos, photos, and GIFs that align with the interests of their target audience: moms. For example, check out this relatable ecard they posted to reassure moms everywhere that they know just how real the struggle can be:

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Mabel’s Labels has also taken advantage of Facebook Live with videos like the one below, which they pinned to their Facebook Page to make it more easily visible for a longer period of time.

16) UNICEF

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UNICEF’s Facebook Page is all about teaching Facebook users who they are and giving them options to take action. The opportunity for users to get involved right from the Page ranges from the “Donate Now” call-to-action button at the top of their Page that takes you to their official donation website, to their “Actions” tab that lets you share a relevant update with your Facebook friends via a Facebook app called ActionSprout. It also lets you sign up for their email newsletter right from a form that appears on the page.

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UNICEF is known for creating powerful content like videos to spread awareness and positive messages about current events. One example? The video they shared to Facebook about the Syrian refugee crisis. (See #3 in this blog post to watch the video.)

Use these awesome Page examples as inspiration to finally create a Facebook Page for your business, or as motivation to improve your existing page. You don’t have to do everything. Instead, focus on the core needs of your fans and customers.

Want to see how HubSpot uses Facebook? Check out HubSpot’s Facebook Page here.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in November 2011, and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

free facebook cover photo template

 
free facebook cover photo template

Bad month for Apple repairs as Tekserve to close, Louis Rossman videos likely to disappear

Tekserve, the go-to third-party store for Apple product repairs in New York City, has announced that it is to close after 29 years. The service center will close at the end of the month, and the retail store on 15th August, reports the NY Times.

It was the Apple Store in New York City before there was such a thing as an Apple Store.

Before iPods and iPads and iPhones, before Apple started selling and servicing its devices out of a glass cube on Fifth Avenue, the eclectic Tekserve store on West 23rd Street in Manhattan was where customers went for upgrades to their PowerBook laptops or to have their computers fixed.

If the service center photo looks familiar to those outside NY, it’s because it’s such a fixture in the city that it featured in a Sex and the City episode, where Carrie’s Mac crashed (video below) …

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Filed under: Apple

Twitter Chats: How Marketers Can Benefit From Twitter Chats

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Do you participate in Twitter chats? Want to discover how to get the most out of them? To explore how marketers can benefit from Twitter chats, I interview Madalyn Sklar. More About This Show The Social Media Marketing podcast is an on-demand talk radio show from Social Media Examiner. It’s designed to help busy marketers […]

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How to Determine the Best Office Layout for Your Team [Flowchart]

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As businesses grow and add new people to their team, they often face the challenge of having to move to a new office space.

But there’s a lot that goes into that decision. What kind of office space suits your team and team culture best? How can you set up a space that encourages productivity and invites growth?

There are three main types of office spaces: conventional, virtual or remote, and shared space. Which of these suits you and your team best will depend on how many people work there, how often they collaborate, the IT equipment your team uses, and more. 

To help you get started in your search for an office space that works for you, check out the infographic below from Make It Cheaper. First, you’ll follow a flowchart to determine which of the three office spaces make the most sense for your business. Then, you can read up on the details of each one. (For even more ideas, read this blog post on seven innovative ways companies are changing the workplace.)

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