Social Media for Business-to-Business Sales | ID University: Brands ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Social Media for Business-to-Business Sales. Posted on April 2, 2012 | Leave a comment ... ?Nobody talks business on Facebook,? they say. Aaron Strout, interactive group director at WCG, begs to differ. ?It is actually easier to have one-to-one ...

kindle fire review community matt schaub fire island fire island diaspora social network diaspora

Feature: Comics on the iPad: will the new iPad attract paper readers?

Comics have been around for centuries, but the iconic Action Comics #1 featuring Superman in 1938 is widely considered to be the beginning of the ?Golden Age.? Other metalliferous ages followed: silver, bronze, iron. Now, comics are in the ?Modern Age.? And the biggest question both today and going forward?will comic books largely remain on glossy paper or transition to backlit LED?

Better than the soap opera with zombies on AMC, The Walking Dead as seen on Comics by ComiXology

Perhaps this question became more difficult in 2007, when comiXology launched as an online community for readers. In five years it has grown into the niche equivalent of iTunes. With more than 20,000 titles by dozens of publishers including Marvel and DC, Comics by comiXology has become the dominant platform for finding, buying, and reading comics on Web, tablet, or smartphone. The underlying technology is licensed, too. Branded apps from Marvel, DC, BOOM! Studios, IDW, and others use it and are linked. If you are reading comics on a tablet, you might as well be reading Comics.

Comics by ComiXology store

Similar to iBooks, Comics (free) functions as store and reader. The Store is easy to navigate and search, much faster than rifling through bagged copies in storage boxes. Select a specific comic and the display shows a coverflow of the series, price, credits, summaries, and a few preview pages. There's even a link to buy in print directing users to local stores. Prices are comparable to print, usually from $0.99 to $2.99 for single issues. Comics also provides a decent ?taste? of 500 free titles and counting. An increasing number of titles are also available the same day as print, eliminating another advantage of paper. Whatever benefits the physical medium holds, the new iPad threatens to take those away.

?Resolutionary? Comics

Saving shelf space is the obvious advantage of digital comics. A single issue takes up anywhere from 10 to 20MB. In terms of physical size, an iPad single page is slightly smaller diagonally than paper,?9.7 versus about 12 inches. It?s hard to imagine using a smaller tablet to read comics, or one of those Macrocephaly smartphones. Virtually all smartphones would be eliminated too were it not for Guided View.

This trademarked and controversial technology presents individual panels in sequence. It zooms in on each panel, or even multiple parts of a panel, optionally showing the entire page upon entering and exiting. While the benefit is obvious on the small screen of a smartphone, the risk is the destruction of the page as art. Does anyone think Michelangelo frescoing the Creation of Adam expected it to be experienced like this?

• Zoom out to Jehovah in fluttering red cape backed by Team Cherub flying to rescue Adam lost and nekid on a mountain.
• Zoom in to Jehovah?s face, eyes alight with the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
• Zoom in to Adam?s innocence.
• Zoom in to the outreached hands for the ?ET? moment.

Guided View is, in my opinion, just awful. Favoring the parts over the sum of the page, it transforms the experience without the reader even realizing they are the worse for it.?

ComiXology offers a technically better alternative called CMX-HD. That?s what the company dubbed the comic format for the new iPad, designed for a resolution of 2048x1536. Upgrading to the new format is painless, outside possible storage issues. A copy of Saga #1 (a double issue) took up 18 megabytes on an iPad 2, but it was 38MB for the new iPad. What do you get for double the size?

Cover of Saga #1 on the iPad 2 and new iPad at 2048 by 1536

Glancing at these two images from an iPad 2 and a new iPad at the same resolution, you might not notice a difference. Look for a moment longer and you should. The new iPad is sharper in comparison, though in isolation at 1024x768 on an iPad 2 the difference is negligible even in the hated Guided View. There is, however, one important exception.

From Saga #1, horizontal layers of text from iPad 2 and new iPad at 2048 by 1536

Typography in e-books isn't terribly important to publishers or readers, but it matters in comics. In the above example, Baron Robot XXIII ?speaks? with a monospaced accent. That?s no accident. Every visual element matters in comics, a process broken down into stages beyond the story itself: penciling, coloring, inking, and lettering. Merging the above panel from an iPad 2 and new iPad, the difference is clear. On the new iPad, digital comics have superseded paper in one key aspect. It's a better read. Not that this matters.

Infinite Non-crisis: Digital Versus Analog

No matter how many new iPads Apple sells, there are other tablets (including ones from Apple for this year at least) running at a lower resolution. More importantly, there will be many, many more smartphones with physically smaller displays. Despite the new iPad obviating the need for assisted reading due to fuzzy text, the?future of the digital comic is guided (ugh). Even if it is optional, how long before artists painstakingly guiding the eye by panel layout opt to let software do the work? How long before someone decides to add voices and sound effects? You have to wonder what this kind of transformative tech means... so I sought out a subject matter expert.

Ultimate Comics in all its primary color glory

Ultimate Comics is, bar none, the best comics store near me that doesn?t smell like Cheetos. I mentioned in passing to CEO Jeremy Tarney the first title I ever read, Incredible Hulk #189?from July, 1975. With savant-like ease, he instantly knew he had it (now I do, too). This is an area where digital comics currently fail. There's a lack of back catalogs beyond a few, likely high-profit, titles. After buying my comic touchstone, Tarney took a few minutes to speak with me about digital comics, but first the obvious question:

Do you remember your first comic? "Uncanny X-Men #181," Tarney said. "They fought some dragon. I remember flipping through the pages at the drug store."

I asked about the impact of tablets on the business, whether there?s been either a halo or perhaps pitchfork effect on paper sales due to digital comics.

"The impact of iPad has been minimal at most," Tarney said. "It?s been positive because they?ve been able to read things they might not have picked up because there?s been a free preview? The fact of the matter is most people who are our customers are?not necessarily hardcore?but they?ve been reading comics for a while. They collect comics. They like the physical, actual comic book."

No, I did not ask what, exactly, ?hardcore? readers were like. It's a scary thought no matter the interpretation and not salient to the future of paper comics. To that end, I did query whether paper comics including codes for digital versions had influenced buyers.

"It really doesn?t seem like most people care that much. When they first started doing it they made a big deal about it," Tarney said. "They bagged the issues so you couldn?t get the code out without buying the comic? people didn?t like it? you couldn?t flip through to see if you liked the artwork before buying."

Tarney wasn?t worried about the future of paper comics. To him and his customers, it?s about the ?physical,? the visceral connection between reader and paper in hand. Digital cannot emulate it. Unlike music, the digital reader remains the outlier. It would appear for the casual comic reader, enjoying Hulk battling Mole Men and self-esteem issues on a tablet is a good enough experience. For for the sake of the art form, it appears thankfully not.

david stern david stern julian beever appeasement ian stewart ian stewart odom

Target Offer: FREE $10 Gift Card with Apple iPod nano order.

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

ruth madoff ruth madoff in living color enews enews mona simpson mona simpson

Awnings Have You Covered - Home improvement & gardening tips

Decks and patios can be a stunning extension of your home or they can be just yet another spot to collect dirt, dust, and mold. If you happen to be one of the luck people who has a patio or deck, it is time to revisit how you use the space and take full advantage of an breathtaking outdoor ?space?.

Many individuals outfit their decks with lovely furniture, decorative ornaments, and overflowing pots of colorful plants. They typically forget the one particular critical home improvement tip that can make a large difference in the space. Retractable deck awnings can transform the deck or patio into an area that is not only used when the climate is ideal, but they can be utilized when it is raining, cloudy, or incredibly sunny.

House improvement specialists also know that retractable awnings can support shield the wood, furniture, plants, and other amenities in the place. You?ll find that awnings grant you to use your outdoor spaces more typically ? even in the sunniest of climate ? simply because they shield your loved ones and guests from the hot rays of the sun.

Rain also won?t damp an outdoor celebration if you have properly installed awnings. You have far more control more than the weather when you have awnings.

Retractable awnings are simple to install. They are offered in canvas and aluminum depending on your preference. They come in a assortment of colors and patterns to emphasize and complement your home?s outdoor colors. Awnings are obtainable in electronically controlled motorized models or manual models. Depending on the place of your deck or patio, you might want a completely free-standing awning or they can be installed as an inconspicuous addition to your home.

With motorized awnings, you can open or close the awning with a remote control.

You have the flexibility to sit in the sun or shade within seconds. You can also use your awnings to shield plants suffering from too significantly hot sun in humid, summer months. Property improvement projects can be costly, but with awnings you have far more choices. Some electric awnings price thousands of dollars. But if you do your homework, you can locate an awning to meet your needs for much less. Look for installation of awnings that do not call for vertical supports. Also, if you happen to be considering canvas awnings, they might drop over time due to the hot sun and rain so hold that in mind.

You can undoubtedly enhance the aesthetics of your residence by adding an awning to your patio or deck. But more importantly, you will improve the amount of time you are in a position to devote enjoying the outdoor ?rooms? of your house. Considering that you have manage more than the light, shade, sun, and rain that falls on your deck or patio, you have a lot a lot more time to take pleasure in them. Do not adopt that retractable awnings are out of your home improvement spending budget reach until you have carried out your homework.

You will discover reasonably priced awnings that will boost the value of your property and give you numerous hours of outdoor pleasing fun. You?ll also find that awnings will enhance the life of your outdoor furniture and other furnishings, saving you even far more income in the extended-term.

Enjoy each single component of your property, such as the outdoors. Property improvement projects just got much more reasonably priced with retractable awnings.

arsenic los angeles weather big ten acc challenge scott disick kourtney kardashian kourtney kardashian lipitor

Kentwood baseball dismantles Auburn | Slide Show

Kentwood put together a 13-5 victory over Auburn Friday afternoon.

The Conquerors got on the board first, taking a 2-0 lead it the top of the first inning, then just kept building on it.

In the top of the second Cash McGuire, who went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, launched a two run long ball to make it 4-0.

Reese McGuire, who led the Conks at the plate going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, led off the top of the sixth when he jacked a solo shot over the right field fence. He picked up his other two RBIs in the top of the seventh when he hit a line drive to center field for a double.

With the win Kentwood improved to 4-0 in the South Puget Sound League North.

Contact Covington Reporter Assisitant Editor Kris Hill at khill@maplevalleyreporter.com or (425) 432-1209, ext. 5054.

thanksgiving appetizers greg jennings thanksgiving recipes thanksgiving recipes mashed potato recipe mashed potato recipe cranberry sauce

Son Of NBA Hall Of Famer Commits To LSU Football

Utah Jazz Karl Malone (32) celebrates a basket in the May 30, 1996 game against the Seattle SuperSonics in Salt Lake City, Utah.