Google vs. Apple: The fight over YouTube but It's thinner. It's lighter. It has  a faster processor.

 It's the iPhone 5!

 Is it Twitter or is it Facebook?

Pure Michigan: Number One State Brand

At this year's Mercury Awards Michigan wasn't the 26th state in the Union. It was number one.

The Mercury Awards is a program created by the U.S. Travel Association and the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD), which recognizes its members for their excellence and creative accomplishments in state tourism marketing and promotion.

At this year's awards, Michigan was recognized with having the best state tourism television advertising, best state radio advertising, top social media presence, best partnership advertising program and top public relations effort for its Pure Michigan brand.

"It is an honor to again win NCSTD recognition for our work in showcasing Michigan as a great travel destination," said Michigan Economic Development Corporation President and CEO, Michael Finney. "Pure Michigan is a powerful brand, one that resonates strongly that Michigan is a great state to live, raise a family, work and own a business."

Pure Michigan was created by the Birmingham, Michigan office of McCann Erickson, and since its launch in 2006 has been recognized with a total of 15 Mercury Awards, including the best radio advertising five years in a row.

This year, Michigan won five out of the 12 total categories. No other state won in more than one category.

That would make Michigan number one.

Google vs. Apple: The fight over YouTube

It's thinner. It's lighter. It has a faster processor. It's the iPhone 5!

Apple announced on September 12 it would be releasing the new iPhone. The first hardware redesign since 2010 comes almost a year after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.

Along with some obvious cosmetic changes the new iPhone also features a more convenient integration with Facebook, the world's largest social network. This partnership is similar to the one Apple made with Twitter last year.

Apple also introduced its own mapping software, which will replace Google. However that wasn't the only Google application that won't appear on the new iPhone 5. YouTube, which has been a pre-installed application on the iPhone thus far, will not be preloaded on the iPhone 5.

Google and Apple did not renew a five-year licensing agreement, which established YouTube as one of the built-in apps on the iPhone and iPad. The app can, however, still be downloaded free in Apple's iTunes Store.

There will be a few changes to the new YouTube available for the iPhone. This new app will allow advertising to be shown with some of the clips, something Apple hasn't allowed on the pre-installed YouTube app. This prevented several widely watched video clips from being shown because the copyright owners don't allow their content to be shown if there is now way for them to get paid.

Removing the advertising limitations will mean users of the new iOS YouTube app can watch videos already available on smartphones and tablets running Google's Android software.

Google has given up YouTube's prized status as a built-in app despite the potential loss in traffic, believing it will be able to make YouTube a better app for iPhone users. The previous licensing agreement had allowed Apple to design the YouTube app for the iOS, but by making YouTube downloadable and not pre-installed Google is calling the shots.

Is it Twitter or is it Facebook?

I have a large banner photograph of your choosing proudly displayed across my profile. I feature an avatar profile picture, which is located near my banner photo. I have news feed located directly below my banner photo. I place a large emphasis on photographs, which is why I have a link to my photos conveniently located near the top of my profile, and you can easily view full size photographs from my profile on your mobile device by clicking on the photograph. What am I?

If you guessed Twitter you would surprisingly be right.

In an appearance on NBC's The TODAY Show on September 18th, Twitter's CEO, Dick Costello, revealed the new look for Twitter profile pages.

The page layout has been reorganized to allow for visuals to take front and center.

The new profile pages now feature a header image that runs across the top of the page. The photo stream, which used to be inaccessible on the mobile app is now available, and has been moved closer to the top of the page and slightly enlarged.

This new, photo-first look will be seen on the webpage, mobile apps, and the newly redesigned iPad app. The iPad app will now allow Twitter users to view photos in full screen and scroll through them simply. They were trying to create a user experience similar to that of the Android and iPhone twitter.com apps.

"When you tap tweets in the iPad app, they expand in your stream to show a photo or video or article summaries from major websites," said Twitter. "For example, videos from TODAY website appear right within tweets, and people can view them in the tweet, in full screen or on the TODAY website."

Twitter users are now able to opt-in to the new profile page layout by going to their Twitter page. Eventually the change will become mandatory, but that change hasn't been enforced yet. However, it could take place within the next couple months.

Is Twitter trying to emulate their close competitor Facebook with its new facelift? That's a discussion that would definitely take more than 140 characters.

Katie Norman

Social Media for the Small Business

What small business owners once believed to be a waste of their time and resources is now turning out to be one of their most valuable assets.

According to a survey conducted by Manta, an online forum dedicated to small businesses, 90 percent of small business owners are networking online. 78 percent of those said they feel social networking is just as important as networking in person if not more.

"Small businesses understand they need to go where their audience is," said Manta chief executive Pamela Springer.

There are several social media platforms that are available and beneficial to small businesses. Their customers can check in on Foursquare, follow them on Facebook and Twitter, or post about them to their circles on Google+.

A recent survey conducted by Duct Tape Marketing and Vocus, a provider of cloud marketing software with a social media focus found that Facebook ranked as the top social site presently used by small businesses.

Jon Jantsch, marketing consultant and creator of Duct Tape Marketing commented, " What I've been noticing more and more is there's finally this acceptance that social media not only isn't going away, it's an essential element of the marketing mix ..."

Small businesses have finally accepted that social media is helpful and around to stay. They have hopped on the Facebook bandwagon and because of it are gaining new customers at a rapid rate. They are tweeting and checking in and posting status updates to their wall. Finally, they have discovered the power of social media.

And it only took them roughly eight years.

Katie Norman