Why I Social

On this week's episode, Amir has a sexy new computer screen. Also, our hosts discover that Alexa may be revealing more than people want or need to know!  This week's Five Favorites:  1. Why Car Makers Want To Keep Apple and Google at Arm's Length (The Verge)  2. Everything You Need To Know About The Nintendo Switch (Digital Trends) 3. Google Maps Now Lets You Take Uber Without Leaving The App (The Verge)  4. Android Wear 2.0 Is Arriving Next Month (The Next Web) 5. HOT TOPIC: Facebook Hopes To Run Ads In Middle of Videos (Engadget)  Honorable Mention(s): Guy Takes Photo of Belichek Sleeping, Won't Give To ESPN (Daily Snark) Trello is Acquired by Atlassian (Trello Blog)  DISHonorable Mention(s): Alexa AI Teachers Kid About Porn (YouTube)  Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show.   

Jessica Fisher (@miniktty) is co-founder of Gameosity and a freelancer writer for Geek and Sundry. She's based in New York City and participates in a plethora of activities around the city such as karate and game meet-ups.  Hear her story on this week's episode.  This Week on Why I Social, Jess and I discuss: How Jessica and her husband founded Gameosity What it's like being a freelancer What role karate plays in her life And of course, Why Does She Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud, Google and Otto Radio.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Zoomph. Zoomph transforms digital marketing with real-times streaming analytics. Our platform provides you with an end-to-end solution to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business from start to finish. Learn more about Zoomph at h

On this week's episode, Amir and Chris are overloaded with news from CES 2017. Also, Chris lacks the ability to say "economist".   This week's Five Favorites:  1. Amazon's Alexa is Everywhere at CES (The Verge) 2. Meet The Jetsons: Smart homes estimated to be 3.5 billion annual market, say Chief CES economist (GeekWire)  3. Russia demands the removal of LinkedIn from Google Play and Apple's App Store (Newowin)  4. Vine To Officially Shut Down on January 17th (9to5Mac)  5. HOT TOPIC: All things CES 2017 (multiple links)  Honorable Mention(s): Wendy's Roasting People On Twitter (Business Insider) DISHonorable Mention(s): Wendy's Tweets Then Deletes Hate Symbol (Fox News)  Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show.   

Welcome to the fifth episode of Why I Social Sessions - where we bring you short discussions focused on one singular topic. This is not your standard Why I Social episode where we learn about a guest - but instead - we focus on important topics impacting the social media space today. Today, on Why I Social Sessions, Why I Social alum Lucy Rendler-Kaplan returns to discuss what the possibility of an edit button means for Twitter. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? We discuss - on episode 5 of Why I Social Sessions.  On Episode 5  1. What are the pros of an edit button? 2. What are the cons of an edit button?  3. Do we think it an edit button will actually happen?  4. What other changes would we like to see to Twitter in 2017?  Following the conversation: I'd encourage you to use the hashtag #WISSessions to share your thoughts on Twitter and Facebook.  This Week's Question(s):  Pro or con? Where do you stand on Twitter adding an edit button?  Music for Why I Social Sessions is "Voice Over Under" by Kevin McCl

Andre Archimbaud is an Internet Marketing Consultant at Reach Local as well as the host of the NYStandard podcast. He's an avid music fan with a background in professional baseball. His professional background includes National Public Radio, Yahoo and CBS Radio.  Hear his story on this week's episode.  This Week on Why I Social, Andre and I discuss: Working with statistics and scouts for MLB Why sometimes listening to music isn't enough And of course, Why Does He Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud, Google and Otto Radio.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Zoomph. Zoomph transforms digital marketing with real-times streaming analytics. Our platform provides you with an end-to-end solution to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business from start to finish. Learn more abo

On this week's episode, Amir and Chris are excited to kick off a new year of Five Favorites!  This week's Five Favorites:  1. Tesla Autopilot's New Radar Technology Predicts An Accident On Dashcam (Electrek)  2. Twitter's Jack Dorsey is "thinking a lot" about an edit-tweet button (Recode) 3. Facebook acquires eye tracking company The Eye Tribe (VentureBeat)  4. Snapchat has doubled its acquisitions in 2016 as it builds towards IPO (Venturebeat)  5. HOT TOPIC: 44% of Devices Activated during Christmas Week Were From Apple (VentureBeat)  Honorable Mention(s): Chad Johnson buys an XBox One for a fan, than beats them in FIFA (NY Daily News)  DISHonorable Mention(s): Trump Bans Drones, Selfie Sticks and Guns From His Inauguration Because Apparently He Hates Freedom (Gizmodo)  Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show.   

Nicole Virant is a Corporate Trainer and Adjunct Instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (aka NWTC). In addition, she also serves as a member of the Greater Green Bay Chamber as a marketing and public relations committee member. She's an experienced presenter who's Twitter profile will also inform you that she loves family, dogs and board games.  Hear her story on this week's episode.  This Week on Why I Social, Nicole and I discuss: How she ended up in a corporate training role The role (and importance) of family in her life And of course, Why Does She Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud, Google and Otto Radio.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Zoomph. Zoomph transforms digital marketing with real-times streaming analytics. Our platform provides you with an end-to-end

On this week's episode, Chris does an awful Morgan Freeman impression. I mean, really, it's bad. Also, both hosts reflect on the year that was and look forward to 2017.  This week's Five Favorites:  1. Introducing Facebook Live Audio (Facebook Media) 2. What Each State Googled In 2016 (CBS News)  3. Nielsen and Foursquare Partner To Tie Digital Ads To In-Store Visits (Wall Street Journal)  4. Amazon Echo Sells Out Except In-Stores (Wall Street Journal)  5. Hot Topic: Super Mario Run gets 5 million downloads in first 24 hours (CNet) Honorable Mention(s): Zuckerberg's JARVIS AI Makes Toast, Launches T-Shirt  DISHonorable Mention(s): Uber Deploying Cars In Arizona (instead of San Fran) (Tech Crunch)  Don't forget to send Amir and Chris YOUR favorite stories of the week using #FiveFavorites! You can also submit your stories at bit.ly/fivefavorites.   

Jeremy Goldman is founder and CEO of the Firebrand Group in New York City. His digital branding and marketing consultancy is devoted to Fortune 500-level brands and high-growth start-ups including L'Oreal, Movado and many others.  Hear his story on this week's episode.  This Week on Why I Social, Jeremy and I discuss: Why he loves New York City What he took away from writing a book What was his "aha" moment before founding his company And of course, Why Does He Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud, Google and Otto Radio.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Zoomph. Zoomph transforms digital marketing with real-times streaming analytics. Our platform provides you with an end-to-end solution to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business from start to finish. Learn more about

On this week's episode, Amir and Chris admit neither one has had the chance to see Rogue One yet. Also, Amir finds himself this much closer to one day buying a 360 camera.  Note: There's a slight audio issue on one mic with this week's episode which could not be completely fixed in editing. Thank you for understanding as we will be sure to correct this for next week's 2016 post-holiday episode.  This week's Five Favorites:  1. Apple's New TV App Goes Live (TechCrunch)  2. Meet Amazon Prime Air (YouTube/Amazon)  3. One Billion Affected by Yahoo Hack (BBC)  4. You Can Now Broadcast Live from the Twitter App (The Verge) 5. Hot Topic: Apple, Facebook, Google and Uber say they won't help Trump build a registry of Muslim-Americans (Recode)    Honorable Mention(s): Introducing 360 Live (on Facebook) DISHonorable Mention(s): Apple Removes The Time Remaining Estimate on new macOS (Verge)  Bonus: Get your live streaming update this week in a special episode of Why I Social Sessions featuring Ross Brand of Lives

Welcome to the fourth episode of Why I Social Sessions - where we bring you short discussions focused on one singular topic. This is not your standard Why I Social episode where we learn about a guest - but instead - we focus on important topics impacting the social media space today. Today, on Why I Social Sessions, Why I Social alum Ross Brand (of Livestream Universe) joins the podcast to discuss the rise of major changes across social media platforms in terms of live-streaming features.  On Episode 4  1. Is Facebook THE place to be for live-streaming? 2. What role do third-party tools play in the future of live-streaming? 3. How is Instagram's live streaming product different? 4. Where do opportunities exist for Twitter and Periscope?  Following the conversation: I'd encourage you to use the hashtag #WISSessions to share your thoughts on Twitter and Facebook.  This Week's Question(s):  What live-streaming platform do you see yourself focusing on in 2017?   Music for Why I Social Sessions is "Voice Over

Brad Parler is Digital Communications Administrator at Blinds.com. Brad resides in the Houston area and came highly recommended by Five Favorites co-host, Amir Zonozi. In his own words - Brad lives with one foot firmly planted in the world of video production the other foot planted in the world of Internet Technology.live with one foot firmly planted in the world of video production the other foot planted in the world of Internet Technology. Hear his story on this week's episode.  This Week on Why I Social, Brad and I discuss: Why has video been so important to his career  How does he utilize video display boards in his work?  And of course, Why Does He Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud, Google and Otto Radio.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Zoomph. Zoomph transforms digital m

On this week's episode, Google is shrinking the size of their apps. Also, Amir finally gets his hands on a pair of Snap Spectacles.  This week's Five Favorites:  1. Slack and Google Announce Partnership (TechCrunch)  2. Google Play Background App Updates Are Now 65% Smaller (VentureBeat)  3. Instagram Is Changing Comments In A Big Way (Mashable)  4. Pandora Spotify Competitor is Launching Next Year (TechCrunch)  5. Hot Topic: Amazon Just Launched A Cashier-Free Convenience Store (Venture Beat)    Honorable Mention(s): Microsoft Officially Closes Its Acquisition of LinkedIn DISHonorable Mention(s): PewDiePie deletes his (other) YouTube channel (The Verge)  DISHonorable Mention(s): Don't forget to send Amir and Chris YOUR favorite stories of the week using #FiveFavorites! You can also submit your stories at bit.ly/fivefavorites.   

Karla Porter is Director of Program Development and Marketing at The Arc of Luzerne County. She's also Principal of Karla Porter Human Capital and New Media. Her career has taken her across the globe - including 10 years in which she lived in Mexico. Hear her story on this week's episode.  This Week on Why I Social, Karla and I discuss: The importance of the military in her career What opportunities being bilingual has opened for her How she became involved in NEPA BlogCon (w/ alum Mandy Pennington) And of course, Why Does She Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud and Google.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Zoomph. Zoomph transforms digital marketing with real-times streaming analytics. Our platform provides you with an end-to-end solution  to ignite your content, your marketing,

On this week's episode, Amir makes Chris talk about Apple. Also, the episode is (a lot) longer than the view of an average Snapchat ad.   This week's Five Favorites:  1. Spotify Crunches User Data In Fun Ways for New Global Campaign (AdWeek)  2. AT&T Just Unveiled Its Answer To The Cord-Cutting Wars (Washington Post)  3. Snapchat Video Ads Average Less Than 3 Seconds A View (Advertising Age)  4. The NFL Will (Reportedly) Relax Their Social Media Rules (TechCrunch)  5 (HOT TOPIC) STORY: Netflix (Finally) Adds The Ability To Download Content (Gadgets 360)   Honorable Mention(s): Finally You Can Say 'Ok Google' to command Android Auto in your car (The Verge)  DISHonorable Mention(s): Stop Using That Cheap Apple Charger (Mashable)  Don't forget to send Amir and Chris YOUR favorite stories of the week using #FiveFavorites! You can also submit your stories at bit.ly/fivefavorites.   

The journey to 100 is complete. So begins the road to 200...and it begins with one of the hardest working people I've ever met in the field.  Amelia Tran is Senior Digital Strategist at Firebrand Group, an award-winning futureproofing firm focused on building powerful brands through innovative digital marketing. She's also a board member and events manager for an amazing group of social media minds in NYC called Mosaic.  Hear her story on this week's episode.  This Week on Why I Social, Amelia and I discuss: Why working at Starbucks played an important role in her career What it's like to make a complete career shift (and how she managed) What the future holds for her... And of course, Why Does She Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud and Google.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Z

On this week's episode, Amir makes dolphin sounds (no, really, he does). Also, Chris admits that Amir influenced him into buying a Google Home.  This week's Five Favorites:  1. Apple Grounds Its Airport Router Division for Good (Cult of Mac) 2. Facebook's Social Good Forum: Introducing Donations In Live (Facebook Newsroom)  3. NBC Universal Doubles Stake In Buzzfeed (Reuters)  4. Apple Users Are Being Spammed With Cal Invites. Here's What To Do If You Get One (Inc)  5 (HOT TOPIC) STORY: New Ways To Share In The Moment on Instagram (Instagram Blog)  Honorable Mention(s): Here's Why Casey Neistat Is Ending His Wildly Popular Daily Vlog on YouTube (AdWeek)  DISHonorable Mention(s): Twitter Mistakenly Suspended It's Own CEO's Account (TechCrunch)  Don't forget to send Amir and Chris YOUR favorite stories of the week using #FiveFavorites! You can also submit your stories at bit.ly/fivefavorites.   

And now for something completely different. This week - for the first time - I take a focus on the importance of giving thanks (with a bit of a social focus, of course). This week's Thanksgiving special includes an appearance from a Why I Social Ambassador and a look back at one of the most important pieces of an early episode. Most importantly, this episode is a thank you to anyone who has listened and all those who have supported the podcast.  The podcast will be back next week in it's usual format.  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocialSubscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud, Otto Radio and Google. Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Zoomph. Zoomph transforms digital marketing with real-times streaming analytics. Our platform provides you with an end-to-end solution  to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business from s

On this week's episode, Chris regrets saying mentioning "Uber Lovers". Also, Amir asks an important question!  This week's Five Favorites:  1. Mark Zuckerberg Outlines How Facebook Will Tackle It's Fake News Problem (The Verge)  2. Otto Radio Builds 2.0 Version on Uber's Trip Experience API (Product Hunt)  3. What's Next for the $3.65 billion Company Behind Pokemon Go (BartieLouScott) 4. Facebook Launches A New Unified Inbox for Businesses on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram (TechCrunch)  5 (HOT TOPIC) STORY: Snapchat Signs Data Deal With Foursquare for Better Targeted Geo-Filters (AdWeek) Honorable Mention(s): Twitter Roles Out New and Long Awaited Anti-Harassment Tools (Buzzfeed) DISHonorable Mention(s): Coca-Cola Eyes Social Media Friendly Selfie Bottle (The Drum)   Don't forget to send Amir and Chris YOUR favorite stories of the week using #FiveFavorites! You can also submit your stories at bit.ly/fivefavorites.   

Triple digits. Episode 100. This one's special.  On episode 50 of Why I Social, I told part of the origin story of the podcast as per the request of listener feedback. This week, I've brought my wife - one of the driving forces behind the creation of the podcast onto the show to talk about how she manages social media for her career services office and we discuss one day in 2014 when a podcast was born. On this week's episode, I invite you to get to know the woman who inspires me every single day and the person who makes Why I Social possible. Hear her story on this week's episode.  This Week on Why I Social, Mary Alice and I discuss: How she went from history teacher to career counselor  How Why I Social's tagline was actually her idea Why she's currently loving Pinterest  And of course, Why Does She Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud and Google.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tw