Whit.li is a smart social segmentation and analytics tool for enterprise which allows segmentation of social media audiences, creates clarification of personality traits (life-stage demographics and interests), and measures campaign effectiveness within identified audience segments. Whit.li uses real-time social media intelligence based off your audience’s personality, lifestyle, and real interests to turn social media into your friend. Tech Cocktail: Who are the founders? Whit.li: Jack Holt: Whit.li is Jack’s second startup....

For those not in the know, the term “bike share” refers to a program, typically located in a major city, that allows citizens to pick up a free bike, ride it to their destination, and drop it off for the next person in need of fast transport. While the bikes usually need to be picked up and dropped off at select self-serve bike-stations, a new type of bike share program that relies on smartbikes allows users to drop their bike off anywhere once they’re done....

I was an early adopter of social media. I tagged, tweeted, checked in, and shared mobile photos from the get-go. I was on Twitter and other new social networks early enough to benefit from leading conversations on the latest technology, startups, and new media trends. Doing so helped me gather tens of thousands of fans and followers (@FrankGruber & @TechCocktail), which I’m extremely fortunate to have. I’ve seen the boom of social media as obscure products like Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and Foursquare grew to become large social media platforms used by the masses....

Updating software frequently is one of the easiest ways to avoid bugs that can be exploited by cybercriminals, so it’s a smart idea to update often. Still, no one likes being forced to wait a few extra minutes to run an update, particularly if the meeting they need to use Zoom for has already started. But Zoom has seen its share of security snafus, and the popular video conferencing service isn’t taking any chances....

Whether you’re a bootstrapping entrepreneur with no budget for a designer, or you’re a UX designer trying to make the most of your first step up the ladder, it’s important to know know some A/B testing best practices right off the bat. Depending on what category your site fits into, you’re going to want to test different things. For example, if you’re a media site, you’re going to want to test things like where your related content lives on the page (left side, right side, or bottom), or, the optimal number of site navigation choices....

This excerpt sums up the essence of Roger McNamee’s new book on Facebook, and the way the social media giant has transformed the world since it was founded back in 2004. Zucked charts McNamee’s journey from Facebook optimist, to concerned citizen, and finally to privacy and regulatory activist over a remarkably short span of time. What makes McNamee’s narrative particularly compelling is that he was an early investor in Facebook and a trusted confidant of Mark Zuckerberg....

This service was launched in 2012, then just as a standalone web app that showed one’s Facebook friends in a map. Two years later, Connect was hugely improved, with an iOS app and new features like push and email notifications, that told users when, where and for how long their friends would be around. Now, the service that was also selected as a finalist in the 2014 SXSW Accelerator competition moves to Android for the first time ever, spreading Connect to potentially even more users and a bigger market....

Luckily, there are ample tools and resources available online—for free—that can help you write better essays. I’ve assembled 10 of my favorite tools for you to check out. So don’t sweat it: Get writing! Remember, the best tool for writing a great essay is the right laptop for the job – see our guide to the Best Laptops for College Students 1. Thesis Generator – Ashford Writing This nifty tool that helps you with what is often the hardest part of writing an essay: coming up with a thesis....

Thanks to a comprehensive report by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Journalism, we now know that things haven’t gotten much better. The report, based on in-depth analysis of diversity data from 177 tech companies in Silicon Valley released today, focused on gender and racial disparities in the employment numbers of specific job roles across the industry. Let’s just say it doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the diversity efforts in the tech community....

Clear Call to Action (CTA) Don’t Ask Too Much More and more, sellers ask less from customers. Most ask for an email and one other piece of information. The less you ask, the more customers signup. When making your forms, put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Would you take the time to answer numerous questions? Is the offer worth his/her time? Businesses can often get data-collection crazy and forget how it affects their conversion rate....

That said, not every Airbnb is perfect. I’ve stayed at amazing places, places that are almost amazing except for that one tiny problem, and places I could tolerate for just about as long as I was booked there. I’m not sure I’ve encountered a host outright lying, but – like the good marketers they are – they play up the good points and downplay the bad ones. After you arrive at your Airbnb, get the keys, and shut the door, some things don’t look exactly like they did in the description....

Value Referrals Hiring processes are changing faster than ever before. And hiring someone that knows the industry means they will hit the ground as they have the knowledge about your products and company. Hiring employees through referrals take a little time but could help with productivity and ethos of the enterprise. Ask Pertinent Interview Questions Only Usually, new startups take a long time preparing interview questionnaires. Due to lack of experience, they often end up including irrelevant issues that offer no value to the hiring process....

For instance, today’s customer comes across your products on social media, goes to your website on the phone, browses products on the tab, orders on the computer and then collects the product from your physical location. She may decide to buy at any stage (and should be able to do it). Also, he or she should get a similar experience (including loyalty schemes, personalized offers) at every step of the way....

We asked three entrepreneurs how they handled the situation when there was a disagreement with a colleague. Check out their answers below and make sure you don’t drop the gloves during your next workplace disagreement. Don’t Point Fingers Never assign blame. Your goal is to seek a compromise, and if you immediately start attacking the other person, they’re going to be far less willing to listen to what you have to say....

– Steven Buchwald of Buchwald & Associates Underestimating Unexpected Costs – Tony Banta of Calix Networks – Jasmine Pickel of Atlas Communication

My wife and I have put a lot of time and effort into this company, despite not being a veteran myself. A friend of mine asked me once why I invested so much time and energy to support Patriot Boot Camp and the veteran initiatives surrounding it. I told them that even though I am not a veteran, I do it because veterans make great entrepreneurs. At the most recent PBC in San Antonio, I reflected on some of the key competencies of successful entrepreneurs we see here at Techstars and how veterans bring these competencies from their service to their new endeavors as entrepreneurs:...

Here are a few tips to help better merge millennials into the workforce, via Business Insider. Providing Consistent Feedback Millennials need feedback to address what’s working for them and what can be improved, especially when working in an office with employees and supervisors of all ages. Ongoing feedback, like with a performance review system, allows for feedback to be provided for those who need it the most. Career Coaching Almost anyone that succeeds in business will tell you that they wouldn’t be where they are without the power of networking and community....

This is usually seen in startups because the budget is so small that they can’t afford a lot of paid acquisition channels like TV ads or Google search ads. Also, depending on what industry you’re in, the only way to really beat incumbents is by being incredibly creative, and outsmarting the competition. Being that this position is usually needed to promote a software startup, the thing that is being grown is the users....

SMS messaging has become a popular form of communication, in part because it is so effective. People tend to read text messages immediately and reply within a few minutes if necessary. Companies have been catching on to that fact and have started to explore new ways of using business SMS services in order to improve their internal and external communications. How can this service make your life easier? Well, there are several ways in which using SMS messages can help improve the way your staff conducts daily in-house communication....

With this great power, we are better equipped to take on great responsibilities. The environment in particular stands to benefit enormously. Now that we can print new body parts (for the living and the dead) and create working ovaries for mice, saving the world is starting to sound entirely feasible. Unfortunately, we aren’t yet on the cusp of printing out a new ozone layer, but 3D printing technology has added a whole other dimension to environmental conservation techniques....