#rubyia

[lunentity]

✙ cute idol themed names ₊ ˚ ⊹ ♡

names : idorea. cutesyia. starlyght. cuddoll*. rubyia. musique. lilyta. pommae. rosadore. serenadia. harmelody*.

✧﹒ notes ⊰ bolded ones are names that i go by as well. cuddoll is a mix of the words cuddle, idol, & doll. harmelody is a mix of the words harmony & melody.

[vocaimagines]

VOCALOID PAIRING DRABBLES

pairings: LukaMei + FukaFlower+ IARuby

Story #1: Never Ending Battle

Luka grabbed onto Meiko's chin, lifting it for her blue eyes to meet red. She giggled as the angel huffed at anger towards her, yet she stood there motionless. They had a constant fight that never ended, a never-ending game that neither wanted to stop playing.

Luka pulled Meiko in closer, watching as the angel slowly closed her eyes and leaned her lips forward. "Little angel, don't you think you should be killing me?" Luka asked as she pulled away from her. Meiko nearly screamed as she tried to pull the demon back into her arms. "Such a cute little angel, always chasing demons like me," Meiko said nothing as she watched the demon banter on. "My little angel who has slain hundreds, maybe even thousands of demons. Yet, struggles with a demon like me." "You should consider yourself lucky that you haven't met my blade." Meiko finally said. She took a step forward as Luka followed suit, the pink-haired woman smiled. Her teeth were razor-sharp, her stature took one that seemed aggressive as she took another step forward. "You say that, but still no attempt." Luka closed the space once more, her towering form made Meiko so small. A snack that was too easy in the situation, her neck was right there to rip to shreds with her teeth and claws but she did nothing. Instead, those sharp deadly nails traced the woman's wings gently. Careful not to tear or accidentally rip any of the pure white feathers as she played with them. It was silent, save for their rhythmic breathing.

Meiko reached up as she placed her cold hand against Luka's warm face. The two's lips nearly touched once more as they both leaned towards one another. Their bodies sparked in pain and pleasure as they finally met, they stayed there for what seemed to be an eternity before Meiko pulled away. Luka's eyes stared at her with desire as she tried to pull the brunette back in. Meiko simply smirked before taking flight. "My lovely demon, who has slain hundreds, maybe even thousands of angels. Yet who struggles with an angel like me. Don't you think you should be killing me?" Luka snapped out of it before taking flight herself, but, Meiko had already flown off. Leaving the demon alone with just a single feather and rose. Her face slowly turned red as she realized how quickly her charming angel had turned her dull tricks against her. "Miss Megurine? Is that you over there, are you ok?" She heard a young voice called out. Luka stashed the feather into her shirt and placed the flower into her hair, right next to her right ear. "Yes Mayu, I'll be with you in just a second." Luka swore that she would get Meiko back. Hoping that one day she would fall and they would never be lonely again.

Story #2: Rainy Nights:

IA always seemed to be the odd one out of the group. From her mannerisms to the way she would speak- to even how she would walk. She never really cared what the others thought in the end. She lived for herself and cared for what she loved. So, here she stood, alone in the studio, watching the rain pour down as her fellow singers all left together. The singer had forgotten to bring an umbrella, let alone anything to keep her warm against the winds and heavy rain. IA considered just staying here for the night if the rain refused to let up. It had everything she could need, there was food, the couch was comfortable enough, and she could use her phone if she got bored enough. As much as she loved being in her bed, she loved not being sick from the rain just as much. "IA, what are you still doing here?" A voice came behind her said. She slowly turned around as she came face to face with Ruby. "Cold. I didn't bring an umbrella." IA said. Ruby raised an eyebrow before turning to their shared closet and pulling out a spare jacket. She handed it to IA who looked at her questionably.

"Wear this so I can walk you back home. I don't need you getting sick on me." Ruby grabbed IA's belongings from off the couch and handed them to her. "We should get going before it starts to get dark out there."  IA took her belongings back as she put on her jacket. The dark pink-haired woman had to hold onto a laugh as she noticed how much bigger the jacket was on the smaller woman. "Don't worry about returning the jacket. Flower barely uses it anymore after she started dating Fukase. I swear after those two started dating they stopped wearing their own clothes." "Dating?" "Yeah, they started a week ago, and I'm just glad I don't have to see those two make kissy faces all damn day," Ruby said as she pulled out her umbrella from her bag. IA walked to Ruby and grabbed onto her arm. She pulled close as the two walked out of the studio, locking it behind them as they began to walk together. "You don't have to hold onto me if you don't want to," Ruby said. She looked down at the shorter woman who had looked away in embarrassment. "Want to," IA murmured, "Warm, soft." Ruby didn't say anything else. Just allowed IA to hold onto her and walk with her. Her heart thumped with each matching step. She refused to speak, knowing that she would lose her cool. Ruby truly hoped that IA couldn't see the blush that had formed on her face.

Story #3: One of Those Days Fukase hadn't been hit this one note for a while, a good while- literally 10 minutes "awhile." He had been shaking for some time already, his already ruffled hair became more of a mess as he swiped his hand through it. Again, he repeated the song from the beginning, everything was fine so far- a bit shaky, but nothing autotune couldn't fix. Right as he sang that one line, his voice cracked as he threw his hat onto the ground. "Goddammit! I can't do it, why can't someone else do this?" He said with a stomp. Fukase's face was red with embarrassment as stormed out of the recording room. He ignored the concerned worries from the staff members as he dashed towards the break room. Fukase threw himself onto the couch with a groan, slowly hitting his head against the arm rest as he laid there. Fukase heard a door open with a slam. However, he didn't bother to check who it was. Choosing to wallow in his own sadness. An extra weight was added to his back as he turned his head to see two purple eyes staring back at him. "What's wrong with you today, dork?" Flower pulled out their phone as they opened their music app. "Rumor has it that you were struggling with finding a note." "Flower don't do this to me, I'm already so weak. Don't kick a man when he's already down." "Oh? You won't do it? I was hoping to have to ask you to cut my hair today, but...." Fukase practically shot up from the couch, causing the white-haired vocaloid to fall onto the floor with a small "oomph" "Babe, I've been wanting to save you from that bush for so long! I'll do my best to do this." Fukase said, helping the taller one up as he pressed his lips to theirs. "You're the best inspiration ever." He said as he ran out of the room and towards the studio. "Why is my boyfriend so weird? I need a refund." Flower said with a sigh.

[rubyiaofficial-blog]

CRYPTOCURRENCY SCAM EPIDEMIC ON TWITTER

Elon musk is the latest tech figure to speak out against a cryptocurrency scam currently engulfing Twitter, after fraudulent accounts appeared on his feed. Armies of bots have been mimicking Mr Musk, as well as other other high-profile users, in an attempt to trick people into sending them cryptocurrencies like ethereum. Elon Musk tweeted to his 22.2 million followers on Monday: "I want to know who is running the Etherium scambots! Mad skillz." Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin replied to the tweet by pleading with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to "help us," while also noting his frustration that the Tesla and SpaceX boss had been caught up in one of the negative side effects of the innovative cryptocurrency. Mr Buterin didn't mention that the billionaire entrepreneur had also misspelled ethereum. Mr Buterin has been consistently targeted by scam accounts and has even taken the measure of adding "Not giving away ETH" to his user name. The fake accounts use the name and profile photos of users like Mr Musk and Mr Buterin in order to encourage their legions of followers to send them funds as part of a giveaway that will see them double their money. However, anyone sending ethereum or other cryptocurrencies to the fake accounts are unlikely to ever receive anything back. For its part, Twitter reportedly suspended more than 1 million fake and suspicious accounts each day in recent months in an effort to stifle the flow of fake news and scams. Data obtained by The Washington Post revealed that Twitter suspended 70 million accounts in May and June, coming largely as a reaction to the spread of misinformation on the platform during the 2016 US presidential campaign. But despite these measures, Twitter has faced criticism for not introducing sufficient measures to properly filter out scam accounts, which have been appearing in Mr Musk's feed since March and plaguing the platform since the beginning of the year.   Read the full article

[paulorubyia-blog]

Apple Patent Shows Wireless Transfer of Power From MacBook to iPhone

Apple has patented a technology that will provide a solution to the problem of your iPhone running out of battery when you are on the move. The technology is seen to leverage wireless charging to transfer power from a mobile device to another. The patent essentially involves a wireless charging coil that will pass current bi-directionally. This means, in theory, future iPhone models could be charged with an iPad or a MacBook, if Apple intends to go ahead with its patented plans. Additionally, the patent reveals another option of multiple charging points that can transfer power, for instance, from a MacBook to an iPhone and an Apple Watch. As per the Apple patent, published by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on July 26, the "inductive charging between electronic devices" lets two devices, such as a tablet and a smartphone, to charge each other's batteries using their existing charge. This method will reduce the need to carry a cable and an adapter with you and instead use the second device as a power bank when required. First spotted by AppleInsider, the filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the patent application was filed on March 19, and is a continuation of earlier patent application from June 2015 and September 2014. As mentioned, the technology stated in the patent application introduces the use of inductive coils, which are used to perform wireless charging. But, the difference lies in how the wireless charging will work here. The same inductive coils will now be used to transmit as well as receive power. According to the image provided in Apple's patent, an iPhone can be placed in the centre of an iPad, with the phone's rear charging coil placed facing the iPad's display. The patent also has images that hint at the use of such coils in MacBooks, including the potential points where they can be installed. As mentioned earlier, there could also be multiple coils on larger devices enabling more than one devices to be charged simultaneously. The AppleInsider report mentions that it Apple wants to incorporate the new wireless charging feature, it will have to change the setup of the coils to be able to switch between transmitting and receiving mode. This essentially means that there will be a requirement of changing the hardware since the current generation of iPhone models can only receive power. The alternative method could be to use multiple coils, where one set would receive power and the other would transmit power. It remains to be seen if Apple will release such a technology at all, as there has been no word on it from the company. Most of the times companies use patent filings to secure a particular design for their future products. It is up to the companies to keep or discard them. But, shared wireless charging feature on these future devices could become a popular feature. Read the full article

[rubyianews-blog]

Google Free Wi-Fi Hotspot Network Launched in Nigeria

Google launched a network of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Nigeria on Thursday, part of its effort to increase its presence in Africa's most populous nation. The US technology firm owned by Alphabet Inc has partnered with Nigerian fibre cable network provider 21st Century to provide its public Wi-Fi service, Google Station, in six places in the commercial capital Lagos, including the city's airport. Internet penetration is relatively low in Nigeria. Some 25.7 percent of the population made use of the internet in 2016, according to World Bank Data. The poor internet infrastructure is a major challenge for businesses operating in the country, which is Africa's largest oil producer. Broadband services are either unreliable or unaffordable to many of Nigeria's 190 million inhabitants. "We are rolling out the service in Lagos today but the plan is to quickly expand to other locations," Anjali Joshi, Google's vice president for product management, told Reuters in Lagos. The company said it aimed to collaborate with internet service providers to reach millions of Nigerians in 200 public spaces, across five cities by the end of 2019. It said it would generate cash from the service in Nigeria by placing Google adverts in the login portal. Google did not disclose the amount invested in the new Nigeria service. The technology firm said it planned to share revenues with its partners to help them maintain and deploy the Wi-Fi service but did not disclose the expected advertising revenue split. Africa's rapid population growth, falling data costs and heavy adoption of mobile phones has made it an attractive investment prospect for technology companies. Nigeria is the fifth country to launch Google Station. Similar services have been launched in India, Indonesia, Mexico and Thailand. The service is aimed at countries with rapidly expanding populations. The United Nations estimates Nigeria will be the world's third most populous nation, after China and India, by 2050. "A lot of people who found data to be too expensive for them to use, are using it," said Joshi. "In India, we have tens of millions of users, and close to a million in Mexico." However, many do not disclose how profitable the continent's markets are, or if they make the companies money at all. Last year, Google announced plans to train 10 million Africans in online skills within five years. It also said it aimed to provide $3 million (roughly Rs. 20.6 crores) in equity-free support to African startups. Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited Google's Silicon Valley headquarters this month to meet the company's chief executive, Sundar Pichai. Read the full article

[necroxseline]

`I would have remembered if I had seen such a pretty lady before` Ruby says with a smirk as she leans forward over the counter of the new shop.

@ruby-ia

“Well, I have to say I’m not that forgettable– nor are you though, so I’m quite sure we’ve never met, cutie.” She replied, mirroring her smirk as both hands are pressed against the shop counter; holding herself up as gazes nailed on each other. “Is there something I can do for you?” She said, finally breaking away from the amusing tension and brushed her locks away from her face.

[rivaldinovondila-blog]

Truly Amazed

A neatly wrapped present arrives at your door, only the text ‘Happy Holidays from Ruby’ are written on a small card in purple letters.

What an amazing book.

God.

What.

What was this.

Those thoughts still ran through his head, even after a couple days had passed. What was he supposed to do with it? He had read the first sentence and had to set the whole matter down and now he was using it as coaster for a mug of hot chocolate. How did she even know where he lived? How was he supposed to thank her when he was firstly using the book for exactly what it wasn��t supposed to be used for and then didn’t know where she lived?

With a huff, he reached for his mug, eyes narrowed at the pterodactyl.

@ruby-ia

[rubyiaofficial-blog]

How Small Businesses Can Survive in the Age of GDPR

The EU considers small and medium-sized businesses to be the backbone of its economy. According to its most recent annual report on European business, just 0.2 percent of companies in the non-financial business sector didn't fall into this category. These companies employed an incredible 93 million people, and 93 percent of them had fewer than 10 people. There's no doubt that small businesses are essential for Europe's development. However, despite their relevance, one could argue smaller businesses have been left to fend for themselves in the rush for GDPR compliance. Compared to large corporations, small businesses need to put a lot more effort into following the rules -- their budgets and resources just don't measure up. This leaves many companies facing an ultimatum: Do they comply and base their entire operation on compliance? Or put themselves at risk for a crippling fine now that the May 25 deadline has passed? It's not a great position to be in. But, a significant amount might be opting for the latter. According to an IDC survey released April 3, one-third of European small businesses and more than one half of non-European small businesses had no plans to comply. Here's how this situation can be improved, and what needs to be done for small businesses to survive in the age of GDPR:

Be as transparent as possible.

At its core, GDPR is all about transparency -- and well, giving EU citizens control of their data. So if a small business doesn't already have transparency etched into its DNA, it's time for it to resequence its genes. Now, all companies need to clearly display exactly why they're collecting personally identifiable information (PII), and all the ways this data is being used. This needs to be in the most accessible language possible -- that is, no lawyer gibberish allowed. This is full disclosure. What data is collected? How is this done? How is it used? Is it provided to any third party? This information should to be laid out neatly on the company website, but also be provided during the onboarding process in an application, or as each new piece of information is collected. And if a small business is collecting information, it's also necessary to give users the chance to opt in, or out. This GDPR website writes: "Consent must be clear and distinguishable from other matters and provided in an intelligible and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language. It must be as easy to withdraw consent as it is to give it."

The EU needs to provide a clear guideline on compliance.

Keeping in mind that as of April, a large majority of EU small businesses had no plans to comply with GDPR, the EU should take it upon itself to help them. After all, the economy depends on it. According to the same EU report above, almost every member state recorded small-business employment growth in 2016 -- something that's expected to continue through 2018. In my opinion, this growth is at risk of being stunted if the EU doesn't help small businesses to be GDPR compliant.

Small businesses should learn from the big corporations.

It can be hard for small businesses to work through the GDPR alone. However, they have the opportunity to look at how big corporations or larger industry players are complying -- and then try to follow suit. Large corporations boast teams of lawyers that work to address the GDPR, and have the time and resources to invest in compliance. small businesses can piggyback off this, and try to copy what they've done. The first step is to read users agreements closely to understand how these big companies collect data, so small businesses can see if they work similarly. It's also important to look into a larger corporations's user experience design to understand how exactly they're getting users to comply or "opt in" to data collection. Is it during the onboarding process -- or more likely, as each new data point is collected? Additionally, it's prudent to keep up with how each organization is laying out its GDPR compliance methods -- this way, small businesses can copy this data disclosure format. Facebook did so in a blog post in April, for example, in which it said it would start asking users to agree to the updated terms of service and data policy, ask users if they wanted Facebook to use data from partners, and start allowing facial recognition technology if users agree, among other things. The company provides more information on its website. Google and LinkedIn have similarly published their methods. However, it shouldn't end there. Small businesses need to pay attention to how larger corporations are performing with GDPR compliance, too. If for some reason they've been found non-compliant for a certain action, it's a trigger for small businesses to look internally and ensure they're not doing the same. So, yes: GDPR compliance poses some difficulties for small businesses. However, actions can be taken to make the burden a little lighter -- including the EU Commission providing clear, small business-centric guidelines and companies themselves working to be transparent and learning from bigger players. With this, small businesses will have an easier time surviving the age. Read the full article

[rubyiaofficial-blog]

Facebook reminds developers deadline for app reviews is less than a month away

Facebook is reminding developers that in order to keep access to a number of APIs, the app review deadline is August 1. Developers wanting to retain their access to any of the following APIs for existing apps will need to submit their apps for review and “re-request” permission to use the APIs: Facebook Login outside of email and default (any apps or websites that allow users to sign in using their Facebook account). Pages API. Groups API. Events API. Messenger API. Instagram API. Business Manager API. After the Cambridge Analytica news story broke — when Facebook revealed it had suspended the analytics company for improperly employing user data gathered with an app — Facebook temporarily shut down its app review process to perform an extensive audit of all the apps on the platform. The company has since suspended 200 more apps and reopened the review process, but is now enforcing stricter guidelines around the amount of data — and APIs — apps have access to. As part of Facebook’s new review process, existing apps must now “re-request” access to the listed APIs so that Facebook can evaluate whether or not the app will get to retain its access to the functionality and data available via the API. In addition to the coming August 1 deadline, developers wanting to keep their access to the Marketing API and Lead Ads Retrieval API have another seven months to submit their app for review. “If you are using our Marketing API or Lead Ads Retrieval API, you have until February 1, 2019, to re-request permission to use them and any related permissions,” writes Facebook in the developer blog post. Facebook announced just yesterday that apps would have to pass a review process to keep access to its Marketing and Lead Ads Retrieval API. (Apps will also need to be reviewed for permission to continue using the Live video API, but no deadline has been given for it yet.) Facebook says it is working to reduce the review process wait time. According to the blog post, Messenger bot reviews now take three business days, but app reviews for Facebook Login, the Pages API and Groups API are taking much longer, averaging about seven weeks before app developers know whether or not access to these APIs will be revoked. Read the full article

[rubyiaofficial-blog]

As Your Company Grows, You Need to Stop Constantly Dealing With Day-to-Day Fires

In today's workforce, attention to detail is the key to any successful business. From managing the minutiae of customer engagement to dealing with business logistics, there's no doubt that focusing on the little things plays a key role in providing an excellent customer experience. Certainly, attention to detail is a skill to hire for -- but what role does it play in the entrepreneurial tool belt? "Leadership determines the survival, success and legacy of organizations." Leadership is about vision. It's about thinking big picture. An organization without a vision can't grow. That's why, as a business grows, it's important to take a step back and refocus on the road ahead.

1. Focus on high-value tasks.

How do you measure your productivity as an entrepreneur? Think about it. When your business is a startup and you're the only pair of hands on deck, your work is less about the value and more about necessity. If the floors need to be mopped, it's pretty easy to know who needs to do the mopping.

2. Delegate nonessential responsibilities.

This is something small-business CEOs often struggle with, particularly if they've built a business from the ground up. As your business begins to grow, it's essential to liberate yourself from tasks which don't require your immediate attention and oversight so that you can focus on the big picture.

3. Automate all non-customer interactions.

Beyond delegation, you should automate all of your non-customer interactions. Modern technology provides innumerable opportunities for your business to save money and time by automating its workflow.

4. Create a standardized, internal process.

Have you ever noticed that the major fast-food chains are essentially identical to one another? There's a reason for that: Creating a strong and standardized procedure allows your employees to perform consistently from customer to customer. From the employee hiring process to sales scripts and return policies, there's almost no limit to what processes can be systemized. While building out this framework, consider this: You can increase the value of your business by doing very little work once you have a standardized process in place.

5. Promote employee empowerment.

One of your most valuable assets should be your workforce, and employee empowerment is one of the best ways to grow your business in unique and powerful ways. Employees who feel valued and are given the freedom to try new and exciting things provide new ideas and insights to help your business grow. I like my employees to solve problems as quickly as possible. One way I've empowered them to do this is by giving them the authority to incur a company loss of $500 in order to resolve a service issue. If a customer is upset, an employee can offer a refund of $500 or less without even asking me. In addition to removing myself from every service situation, the employee has some room to navigate a customer problem and satisfy them. Everybody wins. Read the full article

[rubyianews-blog]

LinkedIn overhauls Campaign Manager for marketers managing high-volume accounts

LinkedIn has overhauled its Campaign Manager, giving it a redesigned interface and building out its back end to load data faster. The refreshed tool, announced Thursday, is designed to offer a more intuitive experience for marketers running multiple campaigns on the platform, with one-click breakdowns of campaign data and personalization options around what reports they see. High-level changes include a new navigation structure that allows users to switch between accounts and campaigns and drill down into ads with two clicks. The search feature has also been updated so that ad managers running multiple campaigns can quickly locate data for a specific campaign by querying the campaign name, campaign ID or ad format. With the new Campaign Manager, marketers will be able to personalize their dashboard to display the metrics they most often review. There is also a new one-click feature to quickly access sets of metrics from their LinkedIn campaigns, including conversion events or LinkedIn Audience Networkplacements — and make adjustments to optimize campaign performance. Founder of LinkedIn ads agency B2Linked.com AJ Wilcox had access to the new Campaign Manager as a beta user and says the new interface will feel reminiscent to marketers familiar with Facebook Ads. “Noticeably absent is the performance graph at the top, which is unfortunate because it was very useful in gauging performance and predicting spend and will be severely missed. The new experience is expected to help do things better in bulk, which would be a welcome change for advertisers managing more than a few campaigns,” says Wilcox. Wilcox also compared the new design to the Google Ads manager accounts dashboard, noting that now ad managers can easily access ad-level metrics. “The MCC-like accounts page is more helpful showing spend, budget, and number of campaigns. The ability to drill immediately down to the ad level (a-la Google Ads) is a nice touch, and saves advertisers from having to click down into individual campaigns to view creative.” Wilcox says that he knows the back end has been built to be more robust and speedier, but he has not noticed this with his accounts. “I hope as it rolls into production that we see a significant performance increase.” The updated Campaign Manager will be rolling out in the next week. LinkedIn says marketers should expect to see ongoing improvements. “Today’s release is just the first foundational step in a longer plan,” the company writes in Thursday’s announcement. Read the full article

[rubyiaofficial-blog]

Google Free Wi-Fi Hotspot Network Launched in Nigeria

Google launched a network of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Nigeria on Thursday, part of its effort to increase its presence in Africa's most populous nation. The US technology firm owned by Alphabet Inc has partnered with Nigerian fibre cable network provider 21st Century to provide its public Wi-Fi service, Google Station, in six places in the commercial capital Lagos, including the city's airport. Internet penetration is relatively low in Nigeria. Some 25.7 percent of the population made use of the internet in 2016, according to World Bank Data. The poor internet infrastructure is a major challenge for businesses operating in the country, which is Africa's largest oil producer. Broadband services are either unreliable or unaffordable to many of Nigeria's 190 million inhabitants. "We are rolling out the service in Lagos today but the plan is to quickly expand to other locations," Anjali Joshi, Google's vice president for product management, told Reuters in Lagos. The company said it aimed to collaborate with internet service providers to reach millions of Nigerians in 200 public spaces, across five cities by the end of 2019. It said it would generate cash from the service in Nigeria by placing Google adverts in the login portal. Google did not disclose the amount invested in the new Nigeria service. The technology firm said it planned to share revenues with its partners to help them maintain and deploy the Wi-Fi service but did not disclose the expected advertising revenue split. Africa's rapid population growth, falling data costs and heavy adoption of mobile phones has made it an attractive investment prospect for technology companies. Nigeria is the fifth country to launch Google Station. Similar services have been launched in India, Indonesia, Mexico and Thailand. The service is aimed at countries with rapidly expanding populations. The United Nations estimates Nigeria will be the world's third most populous nation, after China and India, by 2050. "A lot of people who found data to be too expensive for them to use, are using it," said Joshi. "In India, we have tens of millions of users, and close to a million in Mexico." However, many do not disclose how profitable the continent's markets are, or if they make the companies money at all. Last year, Google announced plans to train 10 million Africans in online skills within five years. It also said it aimed to provide $3 million (roughly Rs. 20.6 crores) in equity-free support to African startups. Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited Google's Silicon Valley headquarters this month to meet the company's chief executive, Sundar Pichai. Read the full article

[rubyiaofficial-blog]

LinkedIn overhauls Campaign Manager for marketers managing high-volume accounts

LinkedIn has overhauled its Campaign Manager, giving it a redesigned interface and building out its back end to load data faster. The refreshed tool, announced Thursday, is designed to offer a more intuitive experience for marketers running multiple campaigns on the platform, with one-click breakdowns of campaign data and personalization options around what reports they see. High-level changes include a new navigation structure that allows users to switch between accounts and campaigns and drill down into ads with two clicks. The search feature has also been updated so that ad managers running multiple campaigns can quickly locate data for a specific campaign by querying the campaign name, campaign ID or ad format. With the new Campaign Manager, marketers will be able to personalize their dashboard to display the metrics they most often review. There is also a new one-click feature to quickly access sets of metrics from their LinkedIn campaigns, including conversion events or LinkedIn Audience Networkplacements — and make adjustments to optimize campaign performance. Founder of LinkedIn ads agency B2Linked.com AJ Wilcox had access to the new Campaign Manager as a beta user and says the new interface will feel reminiscent to marketers familiar with Facebook Ads. “Noticeably absent is the performance graph at the top, which is unfortunate because it was very useful in gauging performance and predicting spend and will be severely missed. The new experience is expected to help do things better in bulk, which would be a welcome change for advertisers managing more than a few campaigns,” says Wilcox. Wilcox also compared the new design to the Google Ads manager accounts dashboard, noting that now ad managers can easily access ad-level metrics. “The MCC-like accounts page is more helpful showing spend, budget, and number of campaigns. The ability to drill immediately down to the ad level (a-la Google Ads) is a nice touch, and saves advertisers from having to click down into individual campaigns to view creative.” Wilcox says that he knows the back end has been built to be more robust and speedier, but he has not noticed this with his accounts. “I hope as it rolls into production that we see a significant performance increase.” The updated Campaign Manager will be rolling out in the next week. LinkedIn says marketers should expect to see ongoing improvements. “Today’s release is just the first foundational step in a longer plan,” the company writes in Thursday’s announcement. Read the full article

[paulorubyia-blog]

Google Free Wi-Fi Hotspot Network Launched in Nigeria

Google launched a network of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Nigeria on Thursday, part of its effort to increase its presence in Africa's most populous nation. The US technology firm owned by Alphabet Inc has partnered with Nigerian fibre cable network provider 21st Century to provide its public Wi-Fi service, Google Station, in six places in the commercial capital Lagos, including the city's airport. Internet penetration is relatively low in Nigeria. Some 25.7 percent of the population made use of the internet in 2016, according to World Bank Data. The poor internet infrastructure is a major challenge for businesses operating in the country, which is Africa's largest oil producer. Broadband services are either unreliable or unaffordable to many of Nigeria's 190 million inhabitants. "We are rolling out the service in Lagos today but the plan is to quickly expand to other locations," Anjali Joshi, Google's vice president for product management, told Reuters in Lagos. The company said it aimed to collaborate with internet service providers to reach millions of Nigerians in 200 public spaces, across five cities by the end of 2019. It said it would generate cash from the service in Nigeria by placing Google adverts in the login portal. Google did not disclose the amount invested in the new Nigeria service. The technology firm said it planned to share revenues with its partners to help them maintain and deploy the Wi-Fi service but did not disclose the expected advertising revenue split. Africa's rapid population growth, falling data costs and heavy adoption of mobile phones has made it an attractive investment prospect for technology companies. Nigeria is the fifth country to launch Google Station. Similar services have been launched in India, Indonesia, Mexico and Thailand. The service is aimed at countries with rapidly expanding populations. The United Nations estimates Nigeria will be the world's third most populous nation, after China and India, by 2050. "A lot of people who found data to be too expensive for them to use, are using it," said Joshi. "In India, we have tens of millions of users, and close to a million in Mexico." However, many do not disclose how profitable the continent's markets are, or if they make the companies money at all. Last year, Google announced plans to train 10 million Africans in online skills within five years. It also said it aimed to provide $3 million (roughly Rs. 20.6 crores) in equity-free support to African startups. Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited Google's Silicon Valley headquarters this month to meet the company's chief executive, Sundar Pichai. Read the full article

[paulorubyia-blog]

LinkedIn overhauls Campaign Manager for marketers managing high-volume accounts

LinkedIn has overhauled its Campaign Manager, giving it a redesigned interface and building out its back end to load data faster. The refreshed tool, announced Thursday, is designed to offer a more intuitive experience for marketers running multiple campaigns on the platform, with one-click breakdowns of campaign data and personalization options around what reports they see. High-level changes include a new navigation structure that allows users to switch between accounts and campaigns and drill down into ads with two clicks. The search feature has also been updated so that ad managers running multiple campaigns can quickly locate data for a specific campaign by querying the campaign name, campaign ID or ad format. With the new Campaign Manager, marketers will be able to personalize their dashboard to display the metrics they most often review. There is also a new one-click feature to quickly access sets of metrics from their LinkedIn campaigns, including conversion events or LinkedIn Audience Networkplacements — and make adjustments to optimize campaign performance. Founder of LinkedIn ads agency B2Linked.com AJ Wilcox had access to the new Campaign Manager as a beta user and says the new interface will feel reminiscent to marketers familiar with Facebook Ads. “Noticeably absent is the performance graph at the top, which is unfortunate because it was very useful in gauging performance and predicting spend and will be severely missed. The new experience is expected to help do things better in bulk, which would be a welcome change for advertisers managing more than a few campaigns,” says Wilcox. Wilcox also compared the new design to the Google Ads manager accounts dashboard, noting that now ad managers can easily access ad-level metrics. “The MCC-like accounts page is more helpful showing spend, budget, and number of campaigns. The ability to drill immediately down to the ad level (a-la Google Ads) is a nice touch, and saves advertisers from having to click down into individual campaigns to view creative.” Wilcox says that he knows the back end has been built to be more robust and speedier, but he has not noticed this with his accounts. “I hope as it rolls into production that we see a significant performance increase.” The updated Campaign Manager will be rolling out in the next week. LinkedIn says marketers should expect to see ongoing improvements. “Today’s release is just the first foundational step in a longer plan,” the company writes in Thursday’s announcement. Read the full article

[rubyianews-blog]

Twitter tightens access to API platform & restricts number of daily actions an app can perform

Twitter is following through on its commitment to improve the health of its platform. Tuesday, the company announced that all new requests to access the company’s API platform will be required to apply for a developer account. It is also restricting the default number of apps registered to a single account to 10 and limiting app-level rate limits for Tweets, Likes, Follows and Direct Messages. What does this mean for app developers? Starting today, any developer wanting new account access to Twitter’s API platform — standard or premium — will have to apply to go through a new developer account application process. Access will be decided based on use-case reviews and policy compliance checks and may need further reviews if an app is used for purposes other than its original intent. The company says that eventually, developers with current API access will also need to go through the new application process. “Following application approval, you may be required to undergo additional, more rigorous policy reviews if you change your app’s use of Twitter’s APIs or request access to additional products or features, including the ability to post content to Twitter frequently or at high volumes,” writes Twitter’s head of policy, Yoel Roth, and its senior director of product management, Rob Johnson, on Twitter’s blog. Any app developers who want to register more than 10 apps will have to request special permission via Twitter’s API Policy support form, as the platform is limiting the default number of apps a single developer account can have registered. While existing apps can still be managed on the apps.Twitter.com platform, developers with existing access to Twitter APIs will eventually be required to complete a developer account application to maintain their apps. Twitter says it will give these developers at least a 90-day notice to complete the review process. Twitter is also instituting restrictions around the number of Tweets and Retweets, Likes, Follows and Direct Tweets and Retweets (combined): 300 per three hours Likes: 1,000 per 24 hours Follows: 1,000 per 24 hours Direct messages: 15,000 per 24 hours “To make this change minimally disruptive, we are proactively conducting policy reviews of potentially impacted apps and will contact eligible developers with instructions about how to request elevated access so that their apps are not affected on September 10th,” Roth and Johnson write. App developers will be able to submit a request to have the limitations removed. As it previously noted last week when Twitter announced the verification process was being put on hold to focus on the app’s integrity, Twitter says it is accelerating these policy changes, “… because protecting our platform and people using Twitter from abuse and manipulation is our highest priority.” Since the 2016 US presidential election, when Twitter was plagued with malicious content in the form of exorbitant spam and bot activity, the company has made numerous updates to curb the number of bad actors on the platform and improve the way conversations happen within the app. Earlier this month, Twitter removed locked accounts from follower numbers. It also launched its Ad Transparency Center that lists all ads on the platform during the previous seven-day period. Read the full article