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Twitter’s Timeline is Becoming More Algorithm-Influenced
http://dtn.fm/eW5F1
If you haven’t noticed, there are a heap more tweets being shoved into your Twitter timeline these days, either from people you don’t follow or from people you do follow, but content you wouldn’t normally see (like their replies to others). And there’s good reason for that – as per Twitter’s latest earnings results, putting heavier emphasis on showing people more relevant tweets is helping to boost engagement, despite overall audience numbers stalling.
Click the link for complete article.
Facebook Will Penalize Fake Videos In Latest News Feed Algorithm Update
http://dtn.fm/3j4uN
Facebook will target photo posts with fake click-to-play buttons and videos that are simply static images.
However you feel about videos that play automatically, clicking on what appears to be a video only to find out that it’s a hyperlinked image that opens a site you didn’t want to visit is worse. So is trying to watch a video that’s not actually a video but just a single static image. Facebook thinks so, too, and is taking steps to reduce the visibility of both types of fake videos on its social network.
Click the link for complete article.
Monaker Group, Inc. (MKGI) Raises $3M to Strengthen Booking Engine as It Prepares for Uplisting to NASDAQ
- Booking engine as a B2B product set to drive growth
- NASDAQ listing in sight
- Fresh capital injection of $3 million
With the completion of its proprietary booking engine late last year, Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) has moved closer to realizing its motto: Travel Made Easy. Now the technology-driven travel company is intensifying its focus on delivering innovation to the alternative lodging rental (ALR) market and, to do so, has bolstered its balance sheet. The company has closed a round of financing with institutional and accredited investors (http://dtn.fm/i2DGk). The funds are earmarked to expand the B2B white label potential of the booking engine and to get the company ready for a listing on the NASDAQ.
Booking engines are the latest iteration by the travel industry to increase access and choice to consumers. They represent the current stage of developments that began in the post-WWII era, when American Airlines (AA) developed the industry’s first automated booking system. Its esoteric name, “Electromechanical Reservisor” (ER), might have puzzled the average traveler if he were allowed access to it, but he was not. Neither were travel agents. Only AA’s airline personnel could access the ER. The airline followed up the ER system, in 1953, with the tongue-twisting Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment reservation system (SABRE).
AA’s success in the reservation business meant that other airlines needed to follow suit to remain competitive. As a result, United Airlines launched Apollo; Delta Airlines came up with DATAS; and Trans World Airlines responded with PARS. These were all proprietary, silo systems, owned and used exclusively by the airlines that developed them, and they were not linked to each other.
By the 1970s, airlines were seeing the advantages of allowing travel agents access to their systems. As a result, the in-house reservation systems morphed into what became known as computer reservation systems (CRS), through which travel agents could query and make reservations. Soon, third party entities hit on the idea of linking separate computer reservation systems, and global distribution systems (GDS) were born. GDS offered travel agents access to the inventory of all the main airlines. Now that agents were part and parcel of the network, the obvious next step was to offer the traveler himself access through a booking engine.
Through a booking engine, a would-be traveler can specify his or her travel requirements such as point of departure, departure date, destination, return date and class of travel. In response, the booking engine will offer airline seats, hotel rooms, alternative accommodation and a variety of related offerings that fit the bill. This is definitely travel made easy.
Monaker expects that most of its growth in the future will come from offering its booking engine as a B2B white label “Alternative Lodging” “Vacation Rental” product to established providers, such as online travel agencies (OTAs) and cruise providers, particularly since it offers “Instant Booking”. Instant Booking allows travelers to initiate a booking and receive an instant confirmation.
Monaker recently completed a private placement of equity with a group of institutional and accredited individual investors for gross proceeds of $3 million. Certain insiders and board members also participated in the offering, representing $635,000, or approximately 21 percent of the offered amount. Part of the proceeds will go toward further development of its booking engine, which forms the core of Monaker’s alternative lodging rental platform. The fresh capital will also facilitate the company’s efforts to be listed on the NASDAQ, which are presently underway.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.MonakerGroup.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
For more information, visit www.MissionIR.com
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MKGI Raises $3M to Strengthen Booking Engine as It Prepares for Uplisting to NASDAQ
- Booking engine as a B2B product set to drive growth
- NASDAQ listing in sight
- Fresh capital injection of $3 million
With the completion of its proprietary booking engine late last year, Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) has moved closer to realizing its motto: Travel Made Easy. Now the technology-driven travel company is intensifying its focus on delivering innovation to the alternative lodging rental (ALR) market and, to do so, has bolstered its balance sheet. The company has closed a round of financing with institutional and accredited investors (http://dtn.fm/i2DGk). The funds are earmarked to expand the B2B white label potential of the booking engine and to get the company ready for a listing on the NASDAQ.
Booking engines are the latest iteration by the travel industry to increase access and choice to consumers. They represent the current stage of developments that began in the post-WWII era, when American Airlines (AA) developed the industry’s first automated booking system. Its esoteric name, “Electromechanical Reservisor” (ER), might have puzzled the average traveler if he were allowed access to it, but he was not. Neither were travel agents. Only AA’s airline personnel could access the ER. The airline followed up the ER system, in 1953, with the tongue-twisting Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment reservation system (SABRE).
AA’s success in the reservation business meant that other airlines needed to follow suit to remain competitive. As a result, United Airlines launched Apollo; Delta Airlines came up with DATAS; and Trans World Airlines responded with PARS. These were all proprietary, silo systems, owned and used exclusively by the airlines that developed them, and they were not linked to each other.
By the 1970s, airlines were seeing the advantages of allowing travel agents access to their systems. As a result, the in-house reservation systems morphed into what became known as computer reservation systems (CRS), through which travel agents could query and make reservations. Soon, third party entities hit on the idea of linking separate computer reservation systems, and global distribution systems (GDS) were born. GDS offered travel agents access to the inventory of all the main airlines. Now that agents were part and parcel of the network, the obvious next step was to offer the traveler himself access through a booking engine.
Through a booking engine, a would-be traveler can specify his or her travel requirements such as point of departure, departure date, destination, return date and class of travel. In response, the booking engine will offer airline seats, hotel rooms, alternative accommodation and a variety of related offerings that fit the bill. This is definitely travel made easy.
Monaker expects that most of its growth in the future will come from offering its booking engine as a B2B white label “Alternative Lodging” “Vacation Rental” product to established providers, such as online travel agencies (OTAs) and cruise providers, particularly since it offers “Instant Booking”. Instant Booking allows travelers to initiate a booking and receive an instant confirmation.
Monaker recently completed a private placement of equity with a group of institutional and accredited individual investors for gross proceeds of $3 million. Certain insiders and board members also participated in the offering, representing $635,000, or approximately 21 percent of the offered amount. Part of the proceeds will go toward further development of its booking engine, which forms the core of Monaker’s alternative lodging rental platform. The fresh capital will also facilitate the company’s efforts to be listed on the NASDAQ, which are presently underway.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.MonakerGroup.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
For more information, visit www.MissionIR.com
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Monaker Group, Inc. (MKGI) Announces Completion of $3 Million Private Placement ahead of Planned Nasdaq Uplisting
Travel and technology company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) this morning announced the completion of its previously detailed private placement equity financing with a group of institutional and accredited individual investors for gross proceeds of $3 million. Certain insiders and board members also participated in the offering, representing $635,000, or approximately 21 percent of the offering amount. “This new capital provides us the means to further strengthen our B2B alternative lodging rental platform for mainstream travel companies eager to enter the vacation rental space, as well as prepare us for an up listing to the Nasdaq Capital Market,” Bill Kerby, CEO of Monaker Group, noted in the news release. “We believe this successful funding reflects the confidence of institutional investors in our unique business model and recognition of how our customizable booking platform — the first to offer 1.4 million instantly-bookable alternative lodging properties — will be a true game changer for the travel industry.” Monaker intends to use proceeds from this placement to expand its technology division and alternative lodging rentals offerings, as well as for general corporate purposes.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/vWgj8
About Monaker
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly-bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MKGI Announces Completion of $3 Million Private Placement ahead of Planned Nasdaq Uplisting
Travel and technology company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) this morning announced the completion of its previously detailed private placement equity financing with a group of institutional and accredited individual investors for gross proceeds of $3 million. Certain insiders and board members also participated in the offering, representing $635,000, or approximately 21 percent of the offering amount. “This new capital provides us the means to further strengthen our B2B alternative lodging rental platform for mainstream travel companies eager to enter the vacation rental space, as well as prepare us for an up listing to the Nasdaq Capital Market,” Bill Kerby, CEO of Monaker Group, noted in the news release. “We believe this successful funding reflects the confidence of institutional investors in our unique business model and recognition of how our customizable booking platform — the first to offer 1.4 million instantly-bookable alternative lodging properties — will be a true game changer for the travel industry.” Monaker intends to use proceeds from this placement to expand its technology division and alternative lodging rentals offerings, as well as for general corporate purposes.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/vWgj8
About Monaker
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly-bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Reporting Twitter Trolls
http://dtn.fm/Bsc7h
If Twitter has one major headache that never seems to go away, it's trolls.
But things might now be starting to look up. The company, once content to do almost nothing to address harassment on its platform, has taken a new approach in recent months with a string of updates meant to crack down on abuse and hate.
Click the link for complete article.
Facebook Covertly Launches Mobile App in China
http://dtn.fm/79fwO
Facebook Inc. covertly launched a mobile app in China, in a shift from the social network's public campaign to woo Beijing officials who have blocked the social network.
In May, Facebook made its debut a photo-sharing app called Colorful Balloons in China under the name of a different company, according to a person familiar with the matter. The app was developed by Young LLC but doesn't advertise its affiliation with Facebook.
"We have long said that we are interested in China, and are spending time understanding and learning more about the country in different ways, " a Facebook spokeswoman said.
The New York Times first reported the app's connection to Facebook, whose services have been blocked on China's internet since 2009.
Facebook executives spent years publicly courted Chinese officials, hiring a well-connected China-policy expert and making Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg more visible.
He gave a 22-minute speech in Mandarin in 2015 and jogged through Tiananmen Square on a smoggy day in 2016. He also scored a high-profile board seat at Tsinghua University, one of China's top universities, to build inroads with government officials.
At one point, Mr. Zuckerberg directed Facebook engineers to work on a tool that would allow third-parties -- including governments like China -- to block content before it could be posted on Facebook, people familiar with the effort have said. Development of the tool sparked a debate among employees last summer, the people said.
More recently, Facebook's public outreach to Beijing has cooled off. Colorful Balloons suggests the social-media giant is undertaking a more subtle approach.
While the Facebook app can't be used in China, some of its other apps are available, including Layout and Boomerang, creative-tool apps built by Instagram, the photo-sharing app owned by Facebook. These apps don't need to communicate with a server to be used and haven't been blocked.
Twitter Night Mode For Desktop Is Already Live For Some Users
http://dtn.fm/cAJD5
If you use Twitter on your desktop/laptop, the Night Mode gives you another viewing option that's easier on the eyes.
We don’t imagine for a moment that any of you climb into bed with your desktop at the end of a long day, fumbling about with all the wires and massive monitor as you try to get comfortable for a quick pre-slumber web session.
But if you do — or if you use a more conveniently sized laptop in bed instead — and firing up Twitter is part of your nightly routine, then the upcoming Night Mode for its desktop site is likely to be extremely welcome, enabling a more relaxing experience as you peruse your timeline and tap out a few tweets before nodding off.
Click the link for complete article.
Cambridge Study Finds That Celebrity Twitter Accounts Act Like Bots
http://dtn.fm/jDz0o
The Cambridge team developed an algorithm that can accurately identify Twitter bots, and showed that some celebrity Twitter accounts act robotic.
It doesn’t take much to imagine that, beneath their fancy clothes and sun-tanned skin, many celebrities are actually androids. Their plastic smiles practically give it away. That may be hard to prove but a new study out of the University of Cambridge lends the idea some support — apparently celebrity Twitter accounts behave a lot like bots.
“When I first scraped through Twitter data I found automation,” Zafar Galani, a Cambridge PhD student who led the research, told Digital Trends. “I immediately wanted to see if bots exist on our social platforms because, if they do, that opens up a whole array of questions. What are they doing? Who created them? Are they bad? How do they impact our lives?”
Click the link for complete article.
Facebook Will Let Brands Target Ads To People Who RSVPed To Their Pages’ Events
http://dtn.fm/aWE8k
Advertisers will be able to create Custom Audiences of people who responded to an individual event created by a brand’s Facebook Page or all events.
Facebook plans to let brands target ads to people who RSVPed to events posted by a brand’s Page. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the company’s plan after Moshe Isaacian provided screen shots of the new ad-targeting option in testing.
The event-based targeting will be a new option within Facebook’s Custom Audiences ad-targeting product, which originated as a way for brands to convert their existing customer bases into an audience to target on Facebook and has expanded to doing the same for brands’ followings on Facebook and Instagram.
Click the link for complete article.
Twitter Releases Major Events Calendar for August to Help with Strategic Planning
http://dtn.fm/59OIu
Where does the time go? With all the controversies and updates and shifts, did you realize that Christmas is now less than 150 days away?
Better get planning on that festive strategy.
But in the more immediate future, you need to plan for the coming month, which Twitter has been offering help on this year with their monthly major event calendars, highlighting the key dates to be aware of - and their past tweet volumes - to provide prompts on where you can focus and tap into wider trends.
So what's coming up in August?
Click the link for complete article.
Monaker Group (MKGI) Sending Insider Signals
- MKGI just announced $3 Million private placement
- Insiders took down over 20 percent of the offering
- Insider actions are a valuable barometer of future valuations
- MKGI changing trajectory of booming alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market
Tips for beating the market come and go, but one indicator has consistently held up. If insiders such as executives, directors or others with familiarity of a public company are buying or selling shares, investors should consider doing the same thing. Analytical research has repeatedly shown that insider trading activity is a valuable barometer of future stock valuation and market sentiment.
Monaker Group (OTCQB: MKGI), a technology-driven travel company, just announced its entry into definitive documentation relating to a private placement of equity financing totaling in excess of $3.0 million in gross proceeds (http://dtn.fm/B3j1d). The real eye opener in this announcement is that “Certain insiders and board members participated in the offering, representing $635,000 or approximately 21 percent of the transaction.” It’s not only a vote of confidence by the insiders but also time for astute investors to take notice when “certain insiders and board members” take down over 20 percent of a private placement financing.
A closer look at Monaker gives some indication of insider predilections. Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to the alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine can instantly book any of more than 1.4 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos, resort residences and castles. The key to MKGI’s strategy is to move ALR into the mainstream travel industry, offering instant confirmation, something relatively new to ALR. Then, by combining instant-confirmation options with all other traditional travel options, MKGI will be able to offer a true all-in-one online booking site and alter the course of the booming alternative lodging rentals market.
As Bill Kerby, CEO of Monaker, stated in a recent press release, “Since the introduction of our proprietary booking engine last year, we’ve received growing interest by both product suppliers and potential distribution partners. This interest has been buoyed by strengthening consumer demand for instantly-bookable ALRs.”
With decades of travel industry experience and relationships, Monaker targets volume travel booking entities. The company expects large B2B white label use of the Monaker Booking Engine into mainstream travel channels such as airlines, travel agent platforms and cruise organizations. Monaker believes white label use (other companies branding and using the engine as their own) will ultimately generate over 90 percent of the company’s future growth.
The enticement for travel agencies and large travel bookers is that the Monaker Booking Engine provides a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. By developing instant booking confirmation and integrating everything necessary to offer traditional hotels, travel, cruises, car rental and entertainment then combining it all with ALR into one full-service site for consumers, Monaker intends to change the trajectory of the ALR travel industry.
Monaker is on a path that may well disrupt the status quo of the fastest growing segment of the nearly $700 billion travel market. Company insiders increased their own positions and purchased 20 percent of the private placement for a reason, astute investors should take notice.
For more information about the company, visit www.MonakerGroup.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
For more information, visit www.MissionIR.com
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MKGI Sending Insider Signals
- MKGI just announced $3 Million private placement
- Insiders took down over 20 percent of the offering
- Insider actions are a valuable barometer of future valuations
- MKGI changing trajectory of booming alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market
Tips for beating the market come and go, but one indicator has consistently held up. If insiders such as executives, directors or others with familiarity of a public company are buying or selling shares, investors should consider doing the same thing. Analytical research has repeatedly shown that insider trading activity is a valuable barometer of future stock valuation and market sentiment.
Monaker Group (OTCQB: MKGI), a technology-driven travel company, just announced its entry into definitive documentation relating to a private placement of equity financing totaling in excess of $3.0 million in gross proceeds (http://dtn.fm/B3j1d). The real eye opener in this announcement is that “Certain insiders and board members participated in the offering, representing $635,000 or approximately 21 percent of the transaction.” It’s not only a vote of confidence by the insiders but also time for astute investors to take notice when “certain insiders and board members” take down over 20 percent of a private placement financing.
A closer look at Monaker gives some indication of insider predilections. Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to the alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine can instantly book any of more than 1.4 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos, resort residences and castles. The key to MKGI’s strategy is to move ALR into the mainstream travel industry, offering instant confirmation, something relatively new to ALR. Then, by combining instant-confirmation options with all other traditional travel options, MKGI will be able to offer a true all-in-one online booking site and alter the course of the booming alternative lodging rentals market.
As Bill Kerby, CEO of Monaker, stated in a recent press release, “Since the introduction of our proprietary booking engine last year, we’ve received growing interest by both product suppliers and potential distribution partners. This interest has been buoyed by strengthening consumer demand for instantly-bookable ALRs.”
With decades of travel industry experience and relationships, Monaker targets volume travel booking entities. The company expects large B2B white label use of the Monaker Booking Engine into mainstream travel channels such as airlines, travel agent platforms and cruise organizations. Monaker believes white label use (other companies branding and using the engine as their own) will ultimately generate over 90 percent of the company’s future growth.
The enticement for travel agencies and large travel bookers is that the Monaker Booking Engine provides a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. By developing instant booking confirmation and integrating everything necessary to offer traditional hotels, travel, cruises, car rental and entertainment then combining it all with ALR into one full-service site for consumers, Monaker intends to change the trajectory of the ALR travel industry.
Monaker is on a path that may well disrupt the status quo of the fastest growing segment of the nearly $700 billion travel market. Company insiders increased their own positions and purchased 20 percent of the private placement for a reason, astute investors should take notice.
For more information about the company, visit www.MonakerGroup.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
For more information, visit www.MissionIR.com
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Monaker Group, Inc. (MKGI) Announces $3 Million Private Placement Ahead of Planned Nasdaq Uplisting
Travel and technology company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) this morning announced its entry into definitive documentation related to a private placement of equity financing totaling in excess of $3.0 million in gross proceeds. Certain insiders and board members participated in this offering, representing $635,000, or approximately 21 percent of the transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, purchasers received securities comprised of one common share and one warrant entitling the holder to purchase an additional common share at an exercise price of $2.10 with an expiration date five years from the date of issuance. Per the terms of the agreement, Monaker will be required to apply for a listing of its common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market within 60 days following the closing of the offering, which is subject to customary closing conditions and expected to close on August 3. Monaker intends to use proceeds from this transaction to expand its technology division and alternative lodging rentals offering, as well as for general corporate purposes.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/Nuf9w
About Monaker
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly-bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MKGI Announces $3 Million Private Placement Ahead of Planned Nasdaq Uplisting
Travel and technology company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) this morning announced its entry into definitive documentation related to a private placement of equity financing totaling in excess of $3.0 million in gross proceeds. Certain insiders and board members participated in this offering, representing $635,000, or approximately 21 percent of the transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, purchasers received securities comprised of one common share and one warrant entitling the holder to purchase an additional common share at an exercise price of $2.10 with an expiration date five years from the date of issuance. Per the terms of the agreement, Monaker will be required to apply for a listing of its common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market within 60 days following the closing of the offering, which is subject to customary closing conditions and expected to close on August 3. Monaker intends to use proceeds from this transaction to expand its technology division and alternative lodging rentals offering, as well as for general corporate purposes.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/Nuf9w
About Monaker
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly-bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
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Twitter Releases Major Events Calendar for August to Help with Strategic Planning
http://dtn.fm/OWnW4
Where does the time go? With all the controversies and updates and shifts, did you realize that Christmas is now less than 150 days away?
Better get planning on that festive strategy.
But in the more immediate future, you need to plan for the coming month, which Twitter has been offering help on this year with their monthly major event calendars, highlighting the key dates to be aware of - and their past tweet volumes - to provide prompts on where you can focus and tap into wider trends.
So what's coming up in August?
Click the link for complete article.
Facebook-Owned Messaging App Whatsapp Is Now Up To A Billion Daily Active Users
http://dtn.fm/ZnD4k
Last February, Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp announced that it had reached a billion monthly active users, beating Messenger to the same milestone by five months.
Now, WhatsApp has underlined its continued growth, announcing that it’s reached a billion daily actives, the second Facebook app to hit that mark.
Click the link for complete article.
Top 10 Reasons for Using Social Media [Study]
http://dtn.fm/x5G3d
GlobalWebIndex’s latest social media usage report shows that more than 40% of people use social media platforms to keep in touch with friends, making this the top reason for social media use globally.
Among 16 to 24 year-olds, the key reason for using social media is not to keep in touch, but rather to fill spare time, while among 25 to 34 year-olds, staying in touch with friends proves more important. In the 34 to 44 year-old bracket, it comes down to staying up-to-date with news and current affairs.
These usage trends are important to note - it probably doesn't need to be reiterated, but people are not on social to be advertised to. As such, structuring your strategy around these key behaviors will likely yield better results.
Take a look at this chart for more insights.
Click the link for complete article.
Politician Found at Fault in Facebook Case
http://dtn.fm/P3Yoi
A federal court in Virginia ruled that a local politician violated the free-speech rights of a constituent she banned from her Facebook page, in a case the judge said raises "important questions" about the constitutional restrictions that apply to social media accounts of elected officials.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Cacheris in Alexandria, Va., could buttress a lawsuit in New York alleging that President Donald Trump unconstitutionally suppressed dissent by blocking Twitter users from following his account.
President Trump's frequent use of Twitter has added urgency to First Amendment questions revolving around the use of social media by public officials.
In the Virginia case, Brian Davison sued the chairwoman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, who temporarily banned him from her Facebook page after he posted criticism of local officials last year.
Judge Cacheris, finding that Phyllis Randall was acting as a public official on her Facebook page, said Ms. Randall committed "a cardinal sin under the First Amendment."
"The suppression of critical commentary regarding elected officials is the quintessential form of viewpoint discrimination against which the First Amendment guards," Judge Cacheris wrote in his 44-page ruling on Tuesday.
Ms. Randall, who lifted the ban against Mr. Davison after 12 hours, faces no penalty. Judge Cacheris said the consequences of her actions were "fairly minor."
Julia Judkins, a Fairfax, Va., lawyer who represents Ms. Randall, said Judge Cacheris erred in equating Ms. Randall's personal Facebook page to a government account.
"How does this one person's Facebook page that she's not using county resources to maintain...how does that become like the government?" Ms. Judkins said.
Judge Cacheris noted that Ms. Randall used her Facebook page to solicit comments from her constituents.
Mr. Davison, a software consultant, said Ms. Randall posted during business hours and meshed the trappings of her office, including her government email address, into her account.
"She wants the public to believe she's transparent but then to ban critics," he said.
Ms. Randall said she blocked Mr. Davison briefly because he posted comments that mentioned the family of elected officials, but that she wouldn't block anyone solely for making comments critical of public officials themselves.
A separate lawsuit filed by Mr. Davison against county school board officials who blocked him, alleging similar violations, is pending before another judge on the Alexandria-based federal trial court. A decision could come at any time.
Judge Cacheris said Ms. Randall is still free to moderate comments on her Facebook page, and he cautioned that his ruling shouldn't be read as prohibiting all public officials from blocking commenters from their social media accounts.
Earlier this year, Judge Cacheris dismissed another lawsuit by Mr. Davison against a state prosecutor who deleted Mr. Davison's comments from the prosecutor's official Facebook page.
The judge ruled that the deletion was constitutional because the plaintiff had attempted to "hijack the discussion" in violation of a government social-media policy that permitted the removal of "clearly off-topic" comments. The case is on appeal.
Ms. Randall's case could influence other courts weighing what Judge Cacheris described as "important questions about the constitutional limitations applicable to social media accounts maintained by elected officials."
The lawsuit against Mr. Trump in federal court in Manhattan was brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University on behalf of seven users whom Mr. Trump blocked.
"We hope the courts look to this opinion as a road map in holding that it is unconstitutional for President Trump to block his critics on Twitter," said Alex Abdo, senior staff attorney at the institute.
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
What Marketers Should Note From Facebook's Second-Quarter Earnings
http://dtn.fm/JbXY2
Facebook reported yet another surge in revenue during the second quarter, as advertisers spent $9.16 billion with the social media platform, 47% more than they did a year ago.
The company's profits also soared, jumping 71% to $3.9 billion as marketers ramped up spending on its increasing array of ad products.
Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg described the company's performance as "good."
Here are the most important takeaways for marketers from the company's earnings conference call:
Breaking 2 billion users
Facebook's ad revenue just keeps growing, and somehow so does its audience. Over two billion people used the company's services each month, on average, between April and June. That's more than a quarter of the world's population.
But even more impressive is the number of people that use Facebook's products each and every day. Daily active users grew 17% during the second quarter to an average of 1.32 billion. For marketers looking to reach as many people as possible, that's a mighty big number. For context, rival social media outfit Snap said it attracted 166 million daily active users in the first quarter.
A focus on messaging
Facebook is beginning to introduce ads in its messaging products, but that's early days. First, the company is focused on driving successful "organic" interactions between businesses and consumers on its messaging platforms, Mr. Zuckerberg said.
If businesses find that Facebook's messaging platforms (such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp) prove a valuable and lucrative way to interact with customers, they're likely to place more emphasis on them compared with non-Facebook channels like their own websites, Mr. Zuckerberg said. That will generate monetization opportunities for Facebook down the line, of course.
"If you're a business and you have higher return-on-investment interacting with a person through a messaging thread than you do on mobile web, you're going to invest more in driving ads to the messenger thread, and building out your presence around the messenger thread," Mr. Zuckerberg said.
Buying results, not ads
Facebook has been talking about selling real-world outcomes to marketers instead of just ad impressions for years now, but the message is becoming clearer: Facebook is confident in its ad products and wants marketers to pay for results. Given that Facebook knows exactly who are, it's in a strong position to help connect those dots.
"For too long our industry has been focused on proxy metrics, but what really matters is when you see an ad and you buy a product. The more we can tie ad viewing to sales, the stronger our case is with our clients," said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer.
To that end, Facebook plans to provide more products designed to meet the needs of marketers in specific verticals, Ms. Sandberg added.
Desktop ain't dead
Yes, the world is increasingly going mobile, but that doesn't mean desktop is dead. In fact, Facebook's revenue from desktop devices grew 17% during the second quarter from a year ago, despite a continued decline in desktop usage. That's in part thanks to Facebook's efforts to evade ad-blocking technologies, the company said. There's life in the old desktop dog yet.
Ad growth will decline this year
Facebook's chief financial officer, David Wehner, reiterated comments he made on the company's first-quarter call, and again forecast a slowdown in ad revenue growth for the second half of the year. That's because ad load is maxed out across its services, Mr. Wehner said, and the company expects ad impressions from video initiatives to grow relatively slowly as it gets new ad products off the ground.
Twitter Releases New Data on Effectiveness of Efforts to Tackle Trolls and Abuse
http://dtn.fm/M99jv
With Twitter has come under intense scrutiny and criticism in recent times, one of the platform’s biggest identified problems has been trolls and abuse, and the platform’s historic inaction to address such concerns. Twitter has acknowledged such, and made it a key focus, and over the last year they’ve introduced a range of tools to protect users and eliminate such behavior.
Those measures include collapsing or hiding potentially offensive tweets, the ability to mute certain words from your notifications, an update of the default egg avatar to encourage users to upload an actual photo, new transparency over reporting processes, placing warnings on potentially offensive profiles and tweets and a secondary ‘message requests’ DM inbox.
And that’s not even all of them – while Twitter has taken a lot of heat over their previous inaction, they deserve credit for the work they’ve done on this front of late, with an increasing array of options to help users improve their on-platform experience.
But have these measures worked?
Click the link for complete article.
FYF Fest In Los Angeles To Become The First Music Festival The Social Media Platform Has Live-Streamed
http://dtn.fm/RN7oy
What is better than spending more than $300 to go to a music festival? Spending nothing to watch a music festival. The upcoming three-day FYF Fest in Los Angeles will become the first U.S. music festival to stream live exclusively on Twitter.
The multi-day festival takes place at Exposition Park from Friday until Sunday. Anyone in the U.S. will be able to stream the festival via FYF Fest’s official Twitter account and twitter.com/fyffest, whether you are logged into Twitter or not. The Twitter live-stream will also include interviews and footage from behind the scenes at the festival.
Click the link for complete article.
How Businesses Achieve A Positive ROI With Twitter [PODCAST]
http://dtn.fm/wN1km
Twitter is one of the most powerful social networks to help business and marketing leaders increase brand awareness, establish thought leadership, ignite personal brands and nurture relationships that bring great benefit in both business and life.
Unfortunately, Twitter is also one of the most difficult platforms for many to understand and master. However, the results can be amazing for those who invest time to learn and understand how Twitter can fit in within their overall marketing and business strategies, tactics and plans.
This is the first of a series of episodes of the Social Zoom Factor podcast that I will be digging into the details of how business leaders in organizations of all sizes, from startups to large corporations can achieve a positive ROI and zoom both life and business utilizing Twitter for business. The goal is to help you put Twitter in a nutshell to help you learn, master and zoom results with Twitter as quickly s possible!
Click the link for Podcast.
3 Reasons Why Facebook Groups May Offer New Opportunities for Brands
http://dtn.fm/5JJgo
Facebook has been putting bigger emphasis on Groups of late, even altering their overall mission statement to reflect as much. And there’s good reason for this – Facebook Groups now have more than a billion monthly active users, which is more than Instagram and Snapchat combined. And according to Facebook more than 100 million people are members of what they call "very meaningful" groups.
“These are groups that upon joining, quickly become the most important part of our social network experience and an important part of our physical support structure. For example, many new parents tell us that joining a parenting group after having a child fits this purpose.”
As such, Facebook sees groups as an opportunity for the platform to boost engagement and interaction, making The Social Network an even more important part of our interactive process. And there’s a growing range of opportunities for brands in this evolution. You need to tread carefully - you can’t just rush in spamming everyone and everything, everywhere you can, hoping for a good result - but there are ways to utilize Facebook’s renewed Groups focus to further your reach and resonance on the world’s biggest social network.
Here are some key updates and tips to keep in mind.
Click the link for complete article.
Twitter brings the fight to trolls by letting you auto-mute new accounts
http://dtn.fm/I6Iqp
Fighting trolls on the web is an everlasting battle, but Twitter’s been on a bit of a roll with features to keep the haters at bay. The company is today adding the ability to mute notifications from new users and people who don’t follow you.
That builds upon the updates released in March, with which you could ignore users you don’t follow, who haven’t confirmed their phone or email, and who haven’t set a profile photo.
Muting users with new accounts is a particularly welcome addition: One of the most common moves by people who have nothing better to do with their lives is creating a new “burner” account just so they can harass others. Meanwhile, muting users who don’t follow you cant at least keep your feed a little tidier if you have a lot of followers.
Click the link for complete article.
Facebook Again Cuts Price of Oculus Rift VR Headset
http://dtn.fm/O7kpI
Facebook Inc. for the second time this year is slashing the price of its Oculus Rift to jump-start sales after a rocky first year for the virtual-reality device.
For the next six weeks, Facebook's Oculus VR unit will charge $399 for the Rift, Touch motion controllers and some games. Previously, Oculus sold that bundle for $598, itself a $200 discount from their combined launch prices.
The new, temporarily lowered bundle price doesn't account for the cost of buying a computer powerful enough to support the Rift. It does, though, put the price of owning the high-end headset on par with its toughest competitor, Sony Corp.'s PlayStation VR. That headset requires gamers to also buy a PlayStation 4 console, which runs anywhere from $249 to $399.
The average number of Rift headsets sold each week went up after the first price cut, said Jason Rubin, head of content at Oculus. He said the company is lowering the price again to capitalize on a dramatic increase in recent months of the number of games and apps for the device. There are more than 700 today, up from roughly 400 in March.
"Now is the time to be pushing consumers into the product because they'll find exciting things to do," he said.
The latest price cut comes as Oculus, which Facebook bought for more than $2 billion in 2014, faces mounting competition from HTC Corp. and Sony. Sales of headsets powered by smartphones have far outsold heavier-duty devices like the Rift. And Oculus also has grappled with internal problems, resulting in the departure of co-founder Palmer Luckey in late March.
Oculus hasn't disclosed sales for the Rift, but analysts say it continues to trail its rivals by a wide margin. Research firm IDC estimates the device has sold about 520,000 units world-wide to date, compared with 770,000 of HTC's Vive headsets and 1.6 million PlayStation VR headsets.
Facebook said it has provided more than $250 million in funding to developers to drive more content for the Rift. The social-media company said it plans to dole out $250 million more over an undisclosed period.
Virtual reality still doesn't have a breakout hit game or app, though, something analysts say is critical for broadening its appeal. Meantime, executives at major technology companies have shifted their focus in recent months to VR's cousin, augmented reality.
At Facebook's annual developer conference in April, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company would make its augmented-reality tools available to third parties. It is also developing its own augmented-reality glasses.
Monaker Group, Inc. (MKGI) Expands Inventory to Include Approximately 1.4 Million Instantly-Bookable Vacation Properties
Travel and technology company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) this morning announced that it has expanded the total number of instantly-bookable vacation rental properties available through its Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) to approximately 1.4 million units. “The addition of these new properties demonstrates that our MBE represents one of the most diverse and accessible ALR instant booking platforms for the travel industry with inventory of approximately 1.4 million unique units,” Bill Kerby, CEO of Monaker, stated in the news release. “Since the introduction of our proprietary booking engine last year, we’ve received growing interest by both product suppliers and potential distribution partners. This interest has been buoyed by strengthening consumer demand for instantly-bookable ALRs.” The new properties are now available on Monaker’s NextTrip booking platform, which is the industry’s first travel service to offer all ALR properties as instantly bookable. Monaker’s position at the forefront of the alternative lodging rental (ALR) market comes as demand for the properties continues to expand. According to Technavio, the ALR industry is expected to achieve a CAGR of seven percent to $194 billion in 2021, making it one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/6cWin
About Monaker
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly-bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
MKGI Expands Inventory to Include Approximately 1.4 Million Instantly-Bookable Vacation Properties
Travel and technology company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) this morning announced that it has expanded the total number of instantly-bookable vacation rental properties available through its Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) to approximately 1.4 million units. “The addition of these new properties demonstrates that our MBE represents one of the most diverse and accessible ALR instant booking platforms for the travel industry with inventory of approximately 1.4 million unique units,” Bill Kerby, CEO of Monaker, stated in the news release. “Since the introduction of our proprietary booking engine last year, we’ve received growing interest by both product suppliers and potential distribution partners. This interest has been buoyed by strengthening consumer demand for instantly-bookable ALRs.” The new properties are now available on Monaker’s NextTrip booking platform, which is the industry’s first travel service to offer all ALR properties as instantly bookable. Monaker’s position at the forefront of the alternative lodging rental (ALR) market comes as demand for the properties continues to expand. According to Technavio, the ALR industry is expected to achieve a CAGR of seven percent to $194 billion in 2021, making it one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/6cWin
About Monaker
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly-bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
Twitter says Trump's tweet doesn't violate its rules [VIDEO]
http://dtn.fm/8wIZb
Twitter told CNN that the company reviewed the tweet, which features a WWE video that has been edited to show Trump beating up a man with a CNN logo on his face.
Twitter said it considered three factors: the political context of the conversation surrounding the tweet, the various ways it could be interpreted and the lack of details in the tweet itself.
According to its rules, Twitter may suspend an account for a number of reasons, including if the user makes violent threats; attacks people based on race, religion, gender and more; or engages "in the targeted abuse or harassment of others."
Trump's tweet has spread like wildfire across the internet. In six hours it received 185,000 retweets, about 300,000 likes and nearly 100,000 comments.
That's a lot, even for Trump, who has 33 million followers.
Click the link for full article.
Facebook’s Internet-Beaming Drone Managed Not To Crash On Its Second Outing
http://dtn.fm/8HLXm
Facebook’s internet-beaming drone, called Aquila, came down heavily when it landed at the end of its debut test flight in Arizona last summer. Widely defined in the media as a “crash,” Facebook made little of the incident in its lengthy analysis of the drone’s first outing, describing it only as “a structural failure we experienced just before landing.” A subsequent investigation into the accident pointed to windy conditions as the cause.
Having made some changes to Aquila’s design in response to lessons learned from that initial flight, Facebook on Thursday happily reported a successful second outing for its mammoth, solar-powered flying machine.
The unmanned, autonomous aircraft, which at 42 meters sports a wingspan greater than that of a Boeing 737, flew for 1 hour and 46 minutes in a test mission last month, and “landed perfectly on our prepared landing site,” Facebook reported. And just to prove it, the company even posted a video (below) showing it touch down. Smoothly.
Click the link for complete article.
Study Shows Twitter Can Detect Disruptive Events Like Riots Faster Than Police
http://dtn.fm/GHpB5
With people increasingly taking to the social media, especially Twitter, to report or update events, observations and occurrences, new research says the micro-blogging site can track and detect major disruptive events faster than the police.
The study showed that computer systems using a series of machine-learning algorithms could automatically scan through tweets and detect serious incidents, such as breaking into a shop or setting cars alight, before they were reported to the police.
The computer system could also discern information about where the riots were rumoured to take place and where groups of youths were gathering.
On average the computer systems could pick up on the disruptive events several minutes before officials could. In some cases even over an hour ahead of the security personnel, the researchers said in the paper published in the journal ACM Transactions on Internet Technology.
"We will never replace traditional policing resource on the ground but we have demonstrated that this research could augment existing intelligence gathering and draw on new technologies to support more established policing methods," said Pete Burnap from Cardiff University.
Estimates put social media membership at approximately 2.5 billion non-unique users, and the data produced by these users have been used to predict elections, movie revenues and even the epicentre of earthquakes.
The study could enable police officers to better manage and prepare for both large and small scale disruptive events, the researchers added.
"We have previously used machine-learning and natural language processing on Twitter data to better understand online deviance, such as the spread of antagonistic narratives and cyber hate," Burnap said.
For the study, the team analysed 1.6 million tweets related to the 2011 riots in England, which began as an isolated incident in Tottenham on August 6 but quickly spread across London and to other cities in England.
The researchers used a series of machine-learning algorithms to analyse each of the tweets from the dataset, taking into account a number of key features such as the time they were posted, the location where they were posted and the content of the tweet itself.
Here's Every Single Possible Twitter Joke All At Once
http://dtn.fm/xE4V7
I’m old enough to remember when there were still original jokes on Twitter.
But as comedian Paul F. Tompkins notes: after 11 years on the social network, we’re running out of unique ways to be funny.
Click the link for complete article.
Here's Why Not Everyone Has The "Pride" Reaction On Facebook
http://dtn.fm/MG5zH
During Pride month, rainbows take over company branding, websites, and social media. Facebook joined the celebration by offering a rainbow reaction, colourful text backgrounds, and a rainbow profile picture frame. However, not everyone has access to Facebook's Pride reaction.
Mashable first reported that countries with discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Egypt, don't have the additional reaction option.
In its blog post on the subject, Facebook said it was making the temporary rainbow reaction available to people in "major markets with Pride celebrations," noting that it wouldn't be in every country because it's a new experience the company is still testing.
In order to access the Pride feature in places where it is available, users have to like Facebook's LGBTQ community page, drawing even more criticism. While the site has required people to take an additional step to access certain features before, it automatically offered new reactions for holidays such as Mother's Day and Halloween.
This may seem like a minor detail, but it gives the impression that Pride month is an optional holiday that only some people are interested in, rather than signaling that everyone should care about LGBTQ rights.
The same goes for not offering the Pride reaction in countries that criminalise being queer. Singapore, Malaysia, and Egypt — where the Facebook option isn't available — all punish LGBTQ people. Theses areas don't qualify as "major markets with Pride celebrations" because LGBTQ folks don't have the same rights as everyone else.
Singapore does have an annual Pride event that normally attracts around 30,000 people, but the government prohibited foreigners from attending or sponsoring it this year. A Pride event scheduled at a university in Malaysia's capital was canceled after receiving backlash from religious groups.
If Facebook really wants to celebrate Pride, it should do so across the globe. People in countries without LGBTQ protections need the world's support.
When Everybody Is Watching Or Talking About The Same Thing, Tweet Your Way Into The Action
http://dtn.fm/ns6Yn
Here's a Clever Marketing Tactic for Getting the Attention of Thousands of People
Injecting your content into trending news can be a great tool to increase your exposure and following, but be careful -- it can make or break your strategy. Learn how to "newsjack" properly before setting out on this risky, yet rewarding way of promotion.
Click the link for complete article.
Facebook: Overseas Opportunity Is Immense
http://dtn.fm/mTf4v
- Its overseas opportunity is very significant.
- It has a debt-free balance sheet.
- Facebook is still undervalued in spite of its size.
For years Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) has seen its share price increase. Therefore, I had wrongly assumed that because it is in the public eye and having personally seen its share price increase, what seems like every month for the past several years, it was overvalued. I was surprised that my findings actually showed me that Facebook was still slightly undervalued.
This article offers a business overview of Facebook, followed by its financials, valuation and potential investment risks.
For complete Seeking Alpha article, click the link.
Wait No More, Travelers: Monaker Group’s (MKGI) NextTrip Website Provides Instant Confirmation Service for ALR Users
When a would-be traveler is booking a trip, the last thing they want to do is wait around for hours or even days for the owner of an alternative lodging rental (ALR) to get back to them and confirm a booking of the property. Streamlining the travel booking process like never before, Monaker Group’s (OTCQB: MKGI) proprietary booking engine has solved one of the travel industry’s most frustrating problems: lack of access to instant booking confirmation for ALRs. The company is rolling out the technology with “white label” B2B integrations into main stream travel channels.
Hotel websites have long offered instant booking, letting travelers immediately see and have confirmation that they have successfully booked a hotel stay. However, for ALR properties, which include private vacation homes, apartments, condos, chalets, villas and even castles, those wishing to book a stay have been at the mercy of property owners to get back to them before they could complete a booking. Monaker has done away with that waiting game, however — much to the delight of travelers everywhere.
Monaker’s recently launched NextTrip website and accompanying NextTrip mobile app have solved the issue of ALR booking delays, providing users with a huge selection of instantly bookable ALR property choices throughout the world — instant confirmation, no waiting! NextTrip also lets users book other major travel services while they’re shopping for ALR properties, including conventional hotels, airlines, car rentals and tour packages, making NextTrip a true one-stop shop for travelers everywhere. In all, the NextTrip website and mobile app list over 1.2 million instantly bookable ALR properties along with 200,000 hotels, 400 airlines, every major rental car company and 10,000 activities for tourists.
The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE), a new cloud-based technology platform, powers NextTrip, delivering Monaker’s worldwide ALR inventory through a flexible API that also supports the distribution of the company’s ALR products to B2B travel industry partners. The company’s MBE and API have been built to the very latest industry standards, enabling customer integration into virtually any existing travel booking system.
ALR is one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry and is projected to grow at more than seven percent CAGR to reach $194 billion by 2021. The global online travel market is expected to reach $1,091 billion by 2022, according to a recent report from Allied Market Research. Monaker is seeking to capitalize on these incredible growth projections as it meets the rapidly increasing demand for easily bookable alternative lodging.
For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com or www.NextTrip.com
Wait No More, Travelers: MKGI's NextTrip Website Provides Instant Confirmation Service for ALR Users
When a would-be traveler is booking a trip, the last thing they want to do is wait around for hours or even days for the owner of an alternative lodging rental (ALR) to get back to them and confirm a booking of the property. Streamlining the travel booking process like never before, Monaker Group’s (OTCQB: MKGI) proprietary booking engine has solved one of the travel industry’s most frustrating problems: lack of access to instant booking confirmation for ALRs. The company is rolling out the technology with “white label” B2B integrations into main stream travel channels.
Hotel websites have long offered instant booking, letting travelers immediately see and have confirmation that they have successfully booked a hotel stay. However, for ALR properties, which include private vacation homes, apartments, condos, chalets, villas and even castles, those wishing to book a stay have been at the mercy of property owners to get back to them before they could complete a booking. Monaker has done away with that waiting game, however — much to the delight of travelers everywhere.
Monaker’s recently launched NextTrip website and accompanying NextTrip mobile app have solved the issue of ALR booking delays, providing users with a huge selection of instantly bookable ALR property choices throughout the world — instant confirmation, no waiting! NextTrip also lets users book other major travel services while they’re shopping for ALR properties, including conventional hotels, airlines, car rentals and tour packages, making NextTrip a true one-stop shop for travelers everywhere. In all, the NextTrip website and mobile app list over 1.2 million instantly bookable ALR properties along with 200,000 hotels, 400 airlines, every major rental car company and 10,000 activities for tourists.
The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE), a new cloud-based technology platform, powers NextTrip, delivering Monaker’s worldwide ALR inventory through a flexible API that also supports the distribution of the company’s ALR products to B2B travel industry partners. The company’s MBE and API have been built to the very latest industry standards, enabling customer integration into virtually any existing travel booking system.
ALR is one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry and is projected to grow at more than seven percent CAGR to reach $194 billion by 2021. The global online travel market is expected to reach $1,091 billion by 2022, according to a recent report from Allied Market Research. Monaker is seeking to capitalize on these incredible growth projections as it meets the rapidly increasing demand for easily bookable alternative lodging.
For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com or www.NextTrip.com
Twitter Wants To Save You From Sending A Tweet Instead Of A Direct Message
http://dtn.fm/O9rRG
Halt! Did you really mean to send that as a tweet? If you’re an active denizen of the Twitterverse, then you know exactly how embarrassing it can be to send a tweet instead of a direct message (DM). But now, Twitter (in all its magnanimity) is helping to ensure that you never embarrass yourself (in that way) again. The mobile app now has a safeguard against that confusion by warning you that you’re about to send a tweet instead of a DM.
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How Facebook's Telepathic Texting Is Supposed to Work
http://dtn.fm/uM95k
You might've heard that Facebook Inc. is working on a way for you to message your friends and update your news feed...telepathically.
When the company announced this at its annual F8 conference in mid-April, it was pretty vague about how the feat would be accomplished. Turns out the plan includes building a technology that would, by itself, revolutionize how we study the human brain.
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