Stuff we like 10 April 2014

Posted by Saby Salvatierra on 9 Apr, 2014
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Japanese web spam, new Twitter home page, Klout goes mobile and a new way to get the news.

Japanese Link Networks bite the dust

Matt Cutts has turned his attention to Japan, with seven link networks there being hit by Google penalties in recent months. After Spain, Italy, Germany, and France, Japan seems to be just the latest in a line of territories being targeted by Google - and requests have been made to them to include various other countries in the future. The Japanese web spam team has been continuing to guide webmasters with their YouTube channel, and there was even a warning about this last year. International link spammers beware!

Twitter announced that they are getting a whole new profile redesign which looks very similar to Facebook. The new design features a large custom header with a profile picture overlapping. On the left it shows information on the user and in the centre you can see the most recent tweets. There are also some new features that we haven’t seen before. Tweets that have received more than average engagement now show larger on the feed. Users will also be able to pin their favorite tweets to the top (like Facebook).  And filtered tweets where you are able to select from these options: Tweets, Tweets with photos/videos, or Tweets and replies. This new profile setup is available now to a small group of users but in the upcoming weeks it will be available to everyone.

 

If you’re a Klout user then on Tuesday you would have received an email saying “Klout mobile is here - the wait is over”

“You can now improve your Klout Score by discovering, creating and sharing great content anywhere, anytime, on the go. You can also browse and claim Klout Perks no matter where you are. Our new app puts these exclusive rewards in the palm of your hand. Download iOS today or sign up for the Android waitlist.”

This latest iOS app helps users expand their influence in topics they are passionate about and share relevant content with their connections.

Klout cofounder and former CEO Joe Fernandez told Mashable. "We really want to be a utility that helps people ... It's hard to figure out what to say that's relevant and timely that your audience will be into." The app highlights articles that are suited to a user’s audience, so if more than 25% of Twitter followers are influenced by a certain topic, the app will flag articles that are likely to interest your users - so you can easily share with your audience.

 

An app to look out for this week is Umano. The tool gives users free news articles narrated by professionals (iOS). With an ever growing catalog of articles from the world’s best publishers and bloggers all narrated by professional voice-actors. It’s the perfect app for when you’re commuting or just fancy a quick update. If you’re a fan of audiobooks then this is one for you. Quick and easy information on the go! Android users can find Umano here.

A reviewer says:

My most used app (by Valerie Rose13)

“Working as a delivery driver, this app is amazing. I can drive safely and listen to my already saved, pre downloaded playlist as I'm driving. I can listen to everything I wouldn't have read if I was at a computer. I have used it so much, I signed up for the premium account which is very reasonable. I'm so so so so so so so happy with this app. I feel good about it too. The candy crushing app only crushes my feel good factor afterwards. Umano is the best.”

Try it out and let us know what you think.

Finally, who can resist a dancing Spiderman baby? Evian continues their hugely successful campaign of using babies in their adverts - and this one is pretty much guaranteed to raise a smile...

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