The Influencers Magazine - 2020 - Discover the World's most influential Travel influencers

celebrating the online power of the world travel influencers

shaping the social media world Photo: Murad Osmann

www.theinfluencersmagazine.com

Celebrating the online power of world’s leading travel influence

Photo: Chris Burkard

The World Influencer Awards and the World Social Media Awards are the first awards programmes to fully recognise the unique position that travel influencers now hold in the travel industry.

Combining exciting images and a unique perspective, these influencers now speak to a global audience of millions, following them on their journies to the world’s most exciting destinations and the world’s most desirable propertoes and locations.

Inside these pages discover our Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze nominees and discover a new world of online travel reportage.

f the ers

influencers M AGAZINE Publisher Kevin Rolfe Editor Siddharth Thaker Designers Mike Gibas Mark Askam Editorial Team Ana Strack Christopher O’Toole Phil Blizzard Photography Mark Hakansson Ben Roberts Anjjelo San Buenaventura

Business Development Chris Frost Sion Rapson Mike Sawicki Chris Frost Production Team Nadeem George Denis Halilaj Tracy Rolfe Content Management Soraya Benbada Rebecca Cohen Events Soraya Benbada Rina van Staden Online George Cooke

Influencers Magazine is published by The Influencers Magazine Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6BD, United Kingdom T: +44 (0) 20 7925 0000 M: +44 (0) 7792965550 E: sid.thaker@worldig.com www.theinfluencersmagazine.com The use of our Website and Digital Magazine are all subject to the following: All rights reserved. No part of Influencers Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from The Influencers Magazine. Whilst every effort has been made to check the information contained in this issue of Influencers Magazine, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of Influencers Magazine. Unless otherwise stated, the copyright of the individual contribution is that of the contributors.

Photo: Murad Osmann

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of images. We apologise in advance for any unintentional omissions and would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgment in any subsequent publication.

© 2020 The Influencers Magazine

The World’s No.1 Source for Travel Events List

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social media conferences

Social Media Conf Worldwide 2020

Date

Event

Location

8-10 Jan

ENTER 2020

Surrey, UK

12 Jan

NRF – Retail’s Big Show

New York, USA

22 Jan

Werbemittelmesse Munchen

Munich, Germany

22-23 Jan

IMM USA

New York, USA

29 Jan

Web & Digital Marketing Expo

Osaka, Japan

30 - 31 Jan

Maddy Keynote

Paris, France

1 Feb,

Bloggers UTD

NH Belfort Ghent, Belgium

3-5 Feb

OTM Mumbai

Mumbai, India

19-21 Feb

SMX West

San Jose, USA

TBC Feb

Converge 2020

Atlanta, USA

19 Feb

Meet the Media

Dublin, Ireland

24 Feb

World Travel Influencers Awards

Sapa, Vietnam

24-26 Feb

B2B Marketing Exchange

Scottsdale Arizona, USA

27-28 Feb

EyeforTravel Smart Travel Data Summit N.America Miami, USA

27-28 Feb

IMM Australia

Sydney, Australia

1 – 3 March

Social Media Marketing World

San Diego, USA

3 March

IMM Germany

Berlin, Germany

5 March

DMX Dublin

Dublin, Ireland

5-7 March

PubCon Florida

Fort Lauderdale, USA

6-8 March

Women’s Travel Fest

New York, USA

9-10 March

IMM UK

London, UK

10 March

eShow Mexico

Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico

ferences

Web address enter2020.ifitt.org nrfbigshow.nrf.com www.werbemittelmesse-muenchen.de travmedia.com/immuk www.japan-it-osaka.jp/en-gb/about/webmo www.104.fr/fiche-evenement/maddy-keynote-2020 www.bloggersutd.be www.otm.co.in marketinglandevents.com/smx/west convergeconsulting.org www.travelmedia.ie/meet-the-media www.travelinfluencers.social b2bmarketing.exchange www.eyefortravel.com travmedia.com/immuk www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/register travmedia.com/immuk www.dmxdublin.com www.pubcon.com womenstravelfest.com travmedia.com/immuk www.the-eshow.mx influencers MAGAZINE

social media conferences

Date

Event

Location

11 March

IMM France

Paris, France

10-13 March

TBEX Europe

Sicily, Italy

TBC March

EyeforTravel San Francisco

San Francisco, USA

19 March

Ad:tech New Delhi

Gurugram, India

TBC March

Marketing Nation at Adobe Summit

Las Vegas, Nevada

25 March

VidCon

Abu Dhabi

25-30 March

B2B Marketing Expo

London, UK

30 March,

IMM Brazil

Sao Paulo, Brazil

31 March

e-Marketing Paris

Paris, France

15-17 Apr

MarTech West

San Jose, USA

20-22 Apr

ContentTECH Summit

San Diego, USA

20-22 Apr

Digital Travel Summit APAC

Singapore

20 Apr

B2B Online

Chicago, USA

1-3 May

Women in Travel Summit

Kansas City, USA

5-8 May

NATJA Conference & Marketplace

Puerto Rico

6-7 May

MAU Vegas

Las Vegas, USA

6-8 May

C3 Conference

New York, USA

8-10 May

TravelCon

New Orleans, USA

17-20 May

Confab – The Content Strategy Conference

Minneapolis, USA

18-20 May

Digital Travel Summit

California, USA

18-20 May

Phocuswright Europe

Amsterdam, Netherlands

TBC May

EyeforTravel Europe

London, UK

27 – 29 May

Retail Global Goldcoast

Broadbeach, Australia

12 – 14 May

The Social Shake-Up

Atlanta, USA

11 – 13 May

Experiential Marketing Summit

Chicago, USA

13-14 May

BVE Media Production Technology Show

London, UK

12-18 June

Social Media Week: Los Angeles

Santa Monica, USA

18-20 June

2020 Midwest Travel Network Conference

Minnesota, USA

TBC June

Future Travel Experience Europe

Istanbul, Turkey

TBC June

Traverse

Trentino, Italy

6-8 July

MozCon

Seattle, USA

7 July

ANA Digital & Social Media Conference

San DiegoUSA

TBC July

VidCon

Anaheim, USA

10 – 13 Aug

eTail Boston

Boston, USA

TBC Aug

CONEX – The Content Experience

Toronto, Canada

TBC Aug

Travel Media Showcase

DeKalb County, Georgia

TBC Sept

Content Marketing World

Cleveland, USA

TBC Sept

Inbound

Boston, USA

TBC Sept

FinCon

Washington DC

1-31 Oct

World Social Media Festival

United Arab Emirates

21-22 Oct

IMM Asia

Singapore

Web address travmedia.com/immuk tbexcon.com www.eyefortravel.com newdelhi.ad-tech.com events.marketo.com/summit/ vidconabudhabi.com www.b2bmarketingexpo.co.uk travmedia.com/immuk www.emarketingparis.com martechconf.com/west www.contenttechsummit.com digitaltravelapac.wbresearch.com b2bmarketing.wbresearch.com witsummit.com www.natja.org/conference mauvegas.com c3.conductor.com travelcon.org www.confabevents.com digitaltravel.wbresearch.com www.phocuswright.com www.eyefortravel.com www.retailglobal.com.au www.socialshakeupshow.com 2020emsummit.eventmarketer.com www.bvexpo.com socialmediaweek.org/losangeles www.midwesttravelnetwork.com/mwtravelcon-2020 www.futuretravelexperience.com www.traverse-events.com moz.com/mozcon www.ana.net/conference/show/id/DSMC-JUL20 vidcon.com etaileast.wbresearch.com ubrflp.in/2stiLlY www.travelmediashowcase.com www.contentmarketingworld.com www.inbound.com finconexpo.com worldsocialmediafestival.com travmedia.com/immuk influencers MAGAZINE

See the figures updated daily and live links to the big social media influencers, e.g. Richard Branson:

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See the influencer’s social media engagement across all networks and their overall total and ranking globally!

Click the specific links to take you direct to each of the influencer’s social networks

Explore the biggest celebrity influencers on social media http://worldinfluencers.social

award winning hotel

Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery With it's enchanting mix of haute couture and hill tribe style at Hotel de la Coupole where we bring you a nostalgia of the French Indochine era. Immerse in an authentic Vietnamese experience punctuated by picturesque beauty and cultural diversity. Hotel de la Coupole opened in December 2018, ushering in a new Golden Age for luxury travel in this onceforgotten mountain retreat.

Jean Pierre Joncas, General Manager, Hotel de la Coupole MGallery by Sofitel

Awards Hotel de la Coupole was recognised by the prestigious World Travel Awards 2019 with numerous accolades at the event held in Phu Quoc on October 12th. Mr Jean Pierre Joncas, General Manager, Hotel de la Coupole MGallery

by Sofitel picked up the awards on the night.

The awards were presented at a glittering award ceremony attended by eminent industry leaders and VIPs from across Asia at the World Travel Awards 2019. Voted by travel and tourism professionals worldwide, these awards are a recognition for the hotel’s commitment to be the leading hotel Asia as well as the first international five-star brand in Sapa within its very first year of opening.

During this award ceremony, Hotel de la Coupole was honoured as:

Asia’s Leading Hotel 2019 Asia’s Leading Design Hotel 2019 Asia’s Leading New Hotel 2019 Vietnam’s Leading Luxury Hotel 2019

influencers MAGAZINE

award winning hotel

Sapa and the hotel story Sapa was once a sleepy market town tucked between high peaks and verdant rice terraces, but in 1914 it became the summer capital for French colonists, seeking to escape the summer heat of the Red River Delta.

This hotel tells the story of the second hotel built in Sapa, the Hotel de la Coupole, which was created by ten French architects. They created an enchanting masterpiece in the clouds, embellished with 50 shades of mustard!

The DNA of the hotel comes from French Haute Couture and Sapa’s Hill Tribe fashion.“ The hotel was inspired

by French motifs du jour from 1914, when the French Civil Authority moved all of its offices to Sapa for the summer.

To this french touch we added a Sapa twist - telling the story of the French living amongst the hill tribes in the early 1900s. The architects of who designed the hotel in 1914 decided to pay tribute to Vietnam and their French homeland through constant comparison between Parisian Haute Couture and traditional Hill Tribe garments.

"One of our mottos at Bensley is ‘More is never enough!’ What may seem to be too much at first creates layers and layers of narrative throughout the hotel, and truly brings the story we are trying to tell to life. As the DNA of La Coupole is a turn of the century hotel, inspired by French and Hill Tribe fashion, we chose pieces that evoke that story. For instance, the lobby is evocative of the Galeries Lafayette in Paris. We piled antique trunks to the sky, and in between them interspersed hats, antique bobbins, books, sparkly outfits on dress forms, hill tribe necklaces, fur coats, and even some military apparel. This is in honor of the first Frenchman to set foot in Sapa: Colonel de Maussion. It was his battalion’s bravery which opened Sapa to the rest of Vietnam! All of these objects - including original storefronts from 1900s Paris, full of mannequins wearing exquisite robes! - were found on shopping trips to antique stores and flea markets in Paris, Lincoln, Bangkok, and many more places."

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award winning hotel

Sapa Sapa is a town in the Hoang Lien Son Mountains of northwestern Vietnam. A popular trekking base, it overlooks the terraced rice fields of the Muong Hoa Valley, and is near the 3,143m-tall Fansipan peak, which is climbable via a steep, multiday guided walk. Hill tribes, such as the Hmong, Tay and Dao, make up much of the town's local population.

Rooms and Suites Whether visiting for business or pleasure, bedrooms and suites at Hotel de la Coupole are infused with the glamour of the 1920s and ‘30s, full of fun and colourful touches inspired by

the local Sapa hill tribes. Bold colours, playful design and art deco elements abound, to create rooms which transport you to another era.

In homage to the hotel’s French hautecouture heritage, each suite is named after a special type of fabric used by France’s vintage fashion houses.

Designed for the ultimate in comfort and luxury, rooms are equipped with everything you would expect from a luxury hotel, from premium bedding to luxury bathroom products.

All rooms feature full-length doors leading to balconies overlooking the hotel's pretty courtyard garden, Sapa town, the mountains or the iconic rice paddies of the Sapa valley, allowing guests to fully immerse themselves in the stunning surroundings.

influencers MAGAZINE

award winning hotel

Dining Delicious food is central to the guest experience at Hotel de la Coupole. The hotel boasts a restaurant, a bar and a patisserie, each with a unique yet synchronous design, united by a dedication to dining and service excellence. From refined Haute-cuisine French dishes carefully created using fresh, seasonal local ingredients in our restaurant, Chic, to indulgent macarons and hot chocolate in our French-style patisserie, Cacao, to classic and bespoke cocktails in our stunning Absinthe bar, guests will be taken on a gastronomic adventure.

Chic: The Restaurant A gastronomic menu of classic French dishes crafted from the finest local ingredients, alongside a carefully curated wine list, Chic is grand yet intimate, the perfect atmosphere for a romantic date or exclusive business dinner. As night falls, Chic glows with ambient light from the many lanterns lining the stunning raised catwalk in the middle of the restaurant where on weekends a dinner buffet with local entertainment brings guests an authentic Sapa experience.

For dinner alfresco, Chic has a large outdoor balcony with majestic views over the mountains and valleys of Sapa. There are regular live cooking stations by the hotel’s talented team of chefs, offering guests a real sense of theatre.

influencers MAGAZINE

award winning hotel

Absinthe: The Bar What could be more relaxing than enjoying a bespoke cocktail or glass of fine wine and delicious tapas while soaking up the natural beauty of the mountains surrounding Sapa? The rooftop Absinthe bar has a stunning outdoor open fireplace for guests to enjoy an aperitif or after dinner cocktail in warmth and comfort, with tranquil and uninterrupted views of the Sapa skyline and stunning misty mountains. Inside, Absinthe has a lavish domed ceiling, period features, and includes unique vintage fashion pieces.

Decorated with accents of bright magenta, Absinthe takes inspiration from the glamour and sophistication of Coco Chanel. It is a destination bar in its own right and is also open to non-hotel guests.

The Cafe: Cacao Rest tired feet after a busy day exploring the beautiful natural scenery of North Vietnam, or simply watch the world go by outside on the streets of Sapa with a well earned sweet treat at Cacao. Situated on the lobby floor of the hotel and open to walk-in guests, Cacao brings the authentic tastes of a French patisserie to Sapa. With a unique spiral staircase and the hotel’s signature haute coutureinspired design, Cacao is a feast for the eyes as well as the senses. Featuring a menu of master crafted Marou chocolates, cakes, pastries and macarons alongside Cacao’s signature luxury hot chocolate, Cacao is the perfect place for a spot of indulgence.

influencers MAGAZINE

award winning hotel

Wellness For the ultimate in relaxation, find peace of mind at the hotel’s restorative wellness facilities designed to nourish mind, body and soul. Take a dip in the hotel’s breath-taking heated indoor pool, sweat it out in the well-appointed fitness centre, and drift away with some pampering in the Nuages Spa. Children can enjoy fun and games at Bobbins children’s club too.

Le Grand Bassin Le Grand Bassin must be seen to be believed. With emerald green marble columns, bronze statues and pink chandeliers over the vast swimming pool, Le Grand Bassin provides the ultimate indulgent swimming experience. The luxury heated indoor

pool is flanked on each side by floor to ceiling windows with spectacular views across the Sapa valley. Relax with a good book on the velvetcovered pool-side loungers and while away a blissful afternoon.

Nuages Spa Nuages Spa is located on the 7th floor and offers guests a range of treatments and services that blend the finest products and techniques with Traditional Red Dao wisdom. The spa is decorated in creams and blacks, with a nod to the refined glamour of 1920s and ‘30s French haute couture to create a unique and tranquil environment. Guests can choose from a selection of personalised massages, body scrubs, body wraps and facial treatments, all of which sooth and restore both body and soul.

influencers MAGAZINE

award winning hotel

Conference and events As the only international luxury hotel in Sapa, Hotel de la Coupole offers a unique setting for your next meeting or event. The hotel has a sophisticated 435 sqm ballroom capable of hosting events for up to 570 people, plus three stylish meeting rooms for smaller meetings and conferences. The spacious, versatile and well-equipped

meeting rooms in Hotel de la Coupole feature natural lighting, state-of-theart audio-visual equipment, air conditioning and some include podiums.

Delegates can also sample the best of Hotel de la Coupole’s extensive food and beverage offerings, thoughtfully catered to the preferences of meeting planners.

influencers MAGAZINE

award winning hotel

Location In the centre of Sapa town. Accessible to the Fansipan cable car. Surrounded by lush hills and rice paddies.

• 5 hours from Hanoi by car • Approximately 8 hours from Hanoi by train and transfer by car from Lao Cai station; • An Airport is being constructed in Lao Cai with an expected opening in 2019. www.hoteldelacoupole.com

influencers MAGAZINE

24 February 2020

Hôtel de la Couple Sapa, Vietnam www.travelinfluencers.social

social media awards

Presenting the WORLD TRAVEL INFLUENCERS AWARDS 24 February 2020 The World Travel Influencers Awards The World Travel Influencers Awards celebrate the very best Travel Social Media Contributors and reward the Influencers, Companies and Organisations that are using online platforms to communicate in fresh and innovative ways, engaging with their audience. The Awards are open to all corporate, creative, design, digital, marketing, advertising, media and public relation organisations based globally.

The Event Taking place on 24th February 2020.

The event is the perfect opportunity to network and celebrate your achievements amongst your peers, friends and colleagues in the industry.

A chance to meet the top 120 of the World's Most Famous Travel Influencers under one roof - an event not to be missed.

The event will begin with a Cocktail Reception, a Gala Dinner and Ceremony followed by a “Meet The Influencers” After Party.

LUXURY WORLD TRAVELLER

CELEBRATING THE VERY BEST TRAVEL MEDIA CONTRIBUTORS AND REWARDING THE INFLUENCERS, COMPANIES AND ORGANISATIONS USING ONLINE PLATFORMS TO COMMUNICATE IN FRESH AND INNOVATIVE WAYS.

influencers MAGAZINE

social media awards XENIA TCHOUMITCHEVA

Voting Process The Awards will celebrate exceptional Travel Influencers in many categories. The final nominees shortlist is determined by our advisory board, creative and consistent content, engagement and growth rates. Winners are then crowned as examples of excellence in their respective categories at the Ceremony.

MIKE COOTS

Categories World's Leading Travel Influencer World's Leading Landscape Photographer Travel Influencer World's Leading Fashion Travel Influencer World's Leading Luxury Travel Influencer World's Leading Wildlife Travel Storyteller World's Leading Ocean Travel Storyteller World's Leading Arctic Travel Explorer World's Leading Travel Couple World's Leading Travel Network World's Leading Fitness Travel Influencer

influencers MAGAZINE

social media awards WONDERFUL PLACES

Importance of Social Media Influencers in the Travel Industry?

“The power of social networking is such that the number of worldwide users is expected to reach some 4+ billion monthly active Social Media users by 2021, around a third of Earth’s entire population.”

Statistica.com • Consumers are excited to hear about product recommendations from social influencers.

• There’s an emotional connection and an element of authenticity that cannot be replicated by traditional forms of advertising.

• It’s an effective way to increase brand awareness by capitalizing on the influencer’s reach without having direct involvement in a product’s promotion.

• Products and brands are endorsed by a trusted source on social media platforms— where 71 percent of consumers research before making purchasing decisions.

• Influencer marketing can be likened to ‘wordof-mouth’ marketing—a powerful endorsement from a trusted source that is likely to induce customers into making a purchase.

• Out of 86% marketers who used influencer marketing in 2019, 92% of them found it useful.

• To make the most out of digital channels, 44% marketers are planning to use influencer content.

• 36% of ecommerce marketers are planning to use influencer content in 2020 to increase their product sales.

influencers MAGAZINE

social media awards SAM KOLDER

Host Venue: Hôtel de la Coupole MGallery by Sofitel Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery

by Sofitel is a Bill Bensley masterpiece designed by fusing the local culture, French history and vibrant modern ambiance of Sapa into one impressive property. Boasting incomparable views of the Sapa valley and the famous rice fields, the Hotel De La Coupole Sapa with 249 rooms, will become the new benchmark of luxury in this up-and-coming destination and will change its perception across the region.

With an air of nostalgia of the French Indochina era, Hotel de la Coupole fuses high fashion glamour and colourful hill tribe style. Featuring 249 luxurious rooms, dining venues, a spa and meeting venues, the hotel is an ideal hideaway for vacations. www.travelinfluencers.social

MARIE FE & JAKE SNOW

TRAVEL AWESOME

influencers MAGAZINE

1st to 31st October 2020

United Arab Emirates www.worldsocialmediafestival.com

social media events

WORLD SOCIAL MEDIA FESTIVAL 1-31st October, United Arab Emirates

AN ANNUAL REDCARPET EVENT WITHOUT COMPARE, SEEN AS ONE OF THE MOST COVETED INVITATIONS ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA CALENDAR.

The World Social Media Festival is an annual red-carpet event without compare, seen as one of the most coveted invitations on the Social Media calendar. It is where the World's Greatest Brands, Influencers, Social Media Platforms and Contributors get together at prestigious venues to forge relationships and celebrate their achievements in this groundbreaking industry.

The World Social Media Festival recognises and celebrates Social Media Contributors in a multitude of categories, which showcase exceptional creativity,

innovation and execution. The event is the perfect chance to toast to the industry's finest achievements, whilst providing an evening of networking and celebration.

Eminence, splendour and elegance set the scene for a spectacular festival, with prestigious venues setting the backdrop for its events.

The 2020 Awards Ceremony promises to be a spectacular occasion, with the line-up including world-class entertainment, finest cuisines, and a star-studded guest list.

influencers MAGAZINE

social media events WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE FESTIVAL MEET THE WORLD'S MOST ILLUSTRIOUS INFLUENCERS The world's most influential Social Media Stars will reign supreme at dazzling World Social Media Festival.

A PANOPLY OF FESTIVAL THEMES There is something for everyone.

During the festival, venues will be hosting themed mini-festivals from lifestyle to travel to restaurants to entertainment.

DISCOVER THE AMAZING VENUES FROM THE UAE The UAE has some of the most prestigious establishments. Many exclusive will host the festival, drawing notable names, respected luminaries and key decision-makers in the industry together.

SHOP TILL YOU DROP Explore the shopping festival and enjoy the best retail experiences.

TRY SOME OF THE FINEST CUISINES FROM AWARD-WINNING CHEFS When it comes to food, UAE cuisine is almost too exotic to imagine. Enjoy the true range and diversity of the international restaurant scene.

CROWNING THE WORLD'S BEST SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS The best Social Media Contributors make the grade, as top influencers and brands from across various continents, countries and categories compete for the ultimate accolade in overall excellence.

THEMES The World Social Media Festival will be taking over many venues in Dubai during 1-31 October 2020. The venue partners have been carefully selected and paired with the social media themes for the festival. The public will be able to access all venues with a single ticket.

Aquarium - Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo Art Automobiles Bollywood Business Children Entertainment - Kidzania Communications Dance Desert & Safari Expo Financial Geography Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Golf - Dubai Hills Golf Club History Hospitality Ice Skating - Dubai Ice Rink Lifestyle Luxury Goods Luxury Lifestyle Museums Music News Opera Photography Premium Property Radio Restaurants & Cuisine Royal Sculpture Shopping - Dubai Mall Spa - Armani Spa Dubai Sports - Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club Technology - VR Park Dubai Theme Parks - Atlantis Aquaventure Tourism Yachting - Dubai Marina Yacht Club

influencers MAGAZINE

social media events

VENUES IN UAE The Emirati hospitality is famed worldwide. We are delighted to bring The World Social Media Festival's first edition to the beautiful region of UAE. The UAE has been described as the jewel in the desert, the ever-rising icon of the Middle East, with its gleaming skyscrapers, impressive architecture, culture, history and a myriad of attractions and food experiences, the city lures visitors from all around the globe.

Park Hyatt Dubai Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark Burj Al Arab Atlantis The Palm, Dubai Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Jumeirah Saadiyat Island Resort Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah Dubai St Regis Saadiyat Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi

Madinat Jumeirah Museum of the Future Queen Elizabeth 2 - Dubai Port Ras Al Khaimah's Jebel Jais zipline Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort The Emirates Palace Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah - Al Wadi The Oberoi Al Zorah - Ajman The Meydan Hotel The Louvre Abu Dhabi Armani Hotel Dubai 3In1 Vida Downtown Address Hotel Dubai Mall Address Downtown Address Palace Downtown The Address Fountain Views Address Boulevard Address Sky View

Zeta at Address Downtown Thiptara at Palace Downtown The Restaurant at Address Downtown The Restaurant at Address Boulevard The Courtyard at Manzil Downtown Stage2 at Vida Downtown Nezesaussi Grill Downtown Dubai at Manzi Neos at Address Downtown Lounge at Address Downtown Lounge at Address Boulevard Fai at Palace Downtown Kambaa at Address Dubai Marina Ewaan at Palace Downtown Buhayra Lounge at Palace Downtown Boulevard Kitchen at Manzil Downtown Cigar Lounge at Address Downtown Asado at Palace Downtown Al Bayt at Palace Downtown The Spa - Bliss at Address Downtown

Cabana at Address Dubai Mall The Cafe at Address Dubai Mall Karat at Address Dubai Mall The Spa at Address Dubai Mall The Spa at Address Boulevard The Spa at Palace Downtown The Tea Lounge at Address Fountain Views Club Lounge at Address Fountain Views The Restaurant at Address Fountain Views The Cafe at Address Fountain Views The Patisserie at Address Fountain Views The Pool Lounge at Address Fountain View Brazilbanese at Address Sky View The Restaurant at Address Sky View The Cafe at Address Sky View The Lounge at Address Sky View Pool Lounge at Address Sky View Patisserie at Address Sky View The Spa at Address Sky Views

influencers MAGAZINE

social media events ABOUT US The World Social Media Festival is an annual redcarpet event without compare, seen as one of the most coveted invitations on the Social Media calendar. It is where the World's Greatest Brands, Influencers, Social Media Platforms and Contributors get together at prestigious venues to forge relationships and celebrate their achievements in this groundbreaking industry.

The World Social Media Festival recognises and celebrates Social Media Contributors in a multitude of categories, which showcase exceptional creativity, innovation and execution. The event is the perfect chance to toast to the industry's finest achievements, whilst providing an evening of networking and celebration.

Eminence, splendour and elegance set the scene for a spectacular festival, with prestigious hotel venues setting the backdrop for its events.

World Social Media Festival, A Golden Stamp of Excellence Epitomized acclamation will set the tone for the World Social Media Festival as it recognises the world's leading Social Media influencers, who are continuously striving for excellence and setting the standard in the industry. The world's most brilliant contributors will be lauded at the prestigious event, and thereby inspired to reach even greater heights.

www.worldsocialmediafestival.com

influencers MAGAZINE

JW Marriott Phu Quoc EMErald Bay Discover the five-star luxury, unique style and unbeatable location of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa. Set on the pristine beach of Phu Quoc, a hidden gem off of Vietnam's south coast, our hotel blends oceanfront tranquility and elegance with a quirky, fun atmosphere. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=spWYKW53S4u

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focus on travel

“A spaceship on water�

Porsche-designed Royal Falcon One superyacht goes on sale.

It's been nearly a decade in the making, but this new Porschedesigned superyacht looks more than worth the wait.

KaMeWa waterjets, which offer an estimated speed of 35 knots and a range of around 3,200 kilometers with low fuel consumption.

with its own private deck, a sun deck, with a Jacuzzi and bar, an observation lounge and a tender garage.

Described as "a spaceship on water," the innovative Royal Falcon One went up for sale earlier this month, and it's as sleek as any luxury sports car.

"The idea was to create the equivalent square footage of a 210 foot monohull yacht with a length of 135 feet," according to Studio F.A. Porsche, formerly the Porsche Design Studio.

Developed to "create an impression of functional luxury," Royal Falcon One's modern interior features a lot of white and blue, as well as metallic and wood surfaces.

Developed by Singapore-based firm Royal Falcon Fleet and designed by Studio F.A. Porsche, the futuristic vessel is designed in the style of a catamaran, with two parallel hulls.

Royal Falcon One, which can accommodate up to 10 guests, features twin 4,600 horsepower diesel engines and twin Rolls-Royce

"The exterior was to represent speed and dynamics in a new and different way. The two hulls create a completely different stance impression, almost resembling the track of a sports car."

Inside, there are four spacious guest cabins and a large master

The superyacht was first commissioned in 2009, when Royal Falcon Fleet requested a yacht that "no one had ever built."

According to Studio F.A. Porsche, their only stipulation was that it would be a catamaran configuration.

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on travel

Royal Falcon One was constructed by ship builders Kockums AB in Swedish town Nynäshamn and the project was shrouded in secrecy for several years.

It comes just weeks after Dutch yacht design company Sinot unveiled a model for Aqua, the world's first hydrogen-powered superyacht.

Back in February, Latvia's Latitude Yachts announced plans for the Valkyrie Project, a huge luxury yacht that would span 229 meters, making it the largest in the world.

SPECIFICATIONS Overview Name: ROYAL FALCON ONE Yacht Type: Motor Yacht Class: Lloyds Builder: Royal Falcon Fleet Dimensions Length Overall: 41.14 m / 134 ft 98 in Beam: 12.50 m / 41 ft 1 in Max Draft: 1.97 m / 6 ft 46 in Gross Tonnage: 492 Construction Builder: Royal Falcon Fleet Year of Build: 2019 PERFORMANCE & CAPACITIES Max Speed: 35 Knots (approx) Cruising Speed: 15 Knots (approx) Engines Generators: Kohler 150EFOZD 150kW

Materials Hull: Aluminium Accommodation Guests: 10 Cabins: 5 Crew: 10 Royal Falcon One is listed exclusively on Camper & Nicholsons International and its price is available on application. www.camperandnicholsons.com/lu xury-motor-yacht-for-sale/royalfalcon-one-royal-falcon-fleet-2019

PHOTO CREDITS: With the Courtesy of Camper and Nicholsons International

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STARS

Social Media Stars The latest on the social media stars that are changing this sector, the platforms and the posts...

The latest stories on the social media stars that rock this sector, the platforms and the posts...Our aim is to deliver content that is shaping the future of social media, platforms, engagement and the stars of social media. Featuring the breaking celebrity news and now videos available too

Find us on: facebook.com/socialmediastars365/ influencers.socialtv.tube/ socialmedia.socialtv.tube/

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

World Travel Influencers

Diamond Category 2 million followers or more

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Alex Strohl @alexstrohl

Alex Strohl is a Madrid born, French photographer whose work is characterized by his extraordinary travels. Instead of creating contrived scenes, Strohl creates authentic moments and captures them as they unfold before him—continually blurring the lines between work and life.

Learn more about Alex in these audio interviews: "Having A Message In Photography" by Tinker Street* Podcast; "Focus On Your Inner Story" by Your Creative Push: "A Path To Creative Freedom" by Prologue Profiles

Strohl's photography has been featured in prestigious publications such as Forbes, Vanity Fair, and Gentleman's Journal; his client lists includes dozens of household names. He is based in Whitefish, Montana—but spends the vast majority of his time on the road with his life partner Andrea Dabene; they often journey to the most remote reaches of the world.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

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Anyuta Rai @anyuta_rai

Anyuta Rai is a Russian model, travel blogger, and fitness influencer. She’s garnered the support of countless fans online, who’ve been following Anyuta ever since she began posting her content online.

Anyuta’s modeling career began at the age of 18, after she was discovered in a shopping mall in her hometown. It was at this point, Anyuta began making a name for herself by doing photo shoots with well-known photographers in her area.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

The success kept on coming, as Anyuta inspired more and more people with her awesome photos – here are some of them: Mixing Cardio and Weightlifting Anyuta Rai works out three to five times per week, ensuring she stays in an awesome shape for her photo shoots.

Working Out Anytime, Anywhere Because she travels often, Anyuta doesn’t always have an access to the gym. However, this doesn’t stop her from getting a solid workout in.

Throughout the years, Anyuta expanded her career in multiple directions. She became a model, fitness and lifestyle blogger, and social media influencer famous for her toned figure.

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Beaches n Resorts @beaches_n_resorts

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

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Beautiful Destinations @beautifuldestinations

We passionately believe that travel is a force for good. It is an antidote to racism, bigotry, and inequality, and allows us to create meaningful, engaging stories that inspire people to open their minds and make a positive impact on the world.

We create the world’s most inspiring travel content, using elevated storytelling to reveal what lies at the heart of a destination, its culture, and its people. We encourage our audiences to explore, to respect, and to inspire positivity whenever and wherever they travel.

state, and city levels, as well as some of the world’s top hotel and airline brands, have turned to us to for strategy and content creation. We drive economic development through tourism, with campaigns that bring our partners more visitors, more revenue, and more exposure.

We’ve built the world’s largest tourism community on social media. Over 20 million people in 180 countries turn to us daily on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, and Weibo to be inspired by travel and tourism, and to learn more about our partners.

We know how today’s tourist thinks, which is why leading tourism boards at the country, 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

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Best Vacations @bestvacations

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

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Camila Coelho @camilacoelho

Camila Coelho is a Portuguese diva. She is the English dialect design and magnificence blogger/vlogger most surely understood for her MakeUpByCamila YouTube channel and self-titled blog.

Camila was conceived and experienced childhood in Virginopolis, Brazil. She has three brothers. Her guardians name and training foundation isn't accessible in media till date.

on her Portuguese YouTube channel and very nearly 1 million endorsers on her English Youtube Channel. Also, Camila gloats more than 5 million Instagram devotees and very nearly 260,000 Twitter followers. Camila has gotten press from a few unmistakable magazines. She has been highlighted on the front of Women's Health Brasil and has been included in Forbes Brasil and InStyle Brazil.

Camila began posting excellence tips in Portuguese on her YouTube direct in June of 2010. In the wake of picking up footing, she made an English dialect divert in September of 2011. Camila has more than 2.8 million supporters 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/camila-coelho/

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Caroline Daur @carodaur

A high fashion & beauty blog written by hamburg based digital talent and entrepreneur caro daur. the blog features fashion photos, new trends and inspirations around fashion and beauty.

Caroline Daur is from a tiny village near Hamburg in Germany. “ I remember back in the days when I was a kid after finishing my homework, I would be head deep in my mom’s wardrobe playing dress up. This habit has never stopped, leading to the start of my blog 3 years ago. At the moment I am constantly on the run. I travel around the world and engage in many great opportunities in the fashion 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

world. I am incredibly grateful to have been working with brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Dior, Valentino, Off-White, Adidas, Roger Vivier, Cartier, Levis, to name a few.

“My pictures allow me to tell an ongoing story of my personality and style. My style philosophy is having fun and being confident in my clothes. I always say I am a “chameleon”. Sometimes I like to dress like a princess and another day I feel more a super androgyn vibe. I like to create casual high fashion looks that you can wear everyday and offer style inspirations to my community.”

worldsocialmedia.directory/caroline-daur/

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Clark Little @clarklittle

Award-winning photographer Clark Little was born in Napa, California in 1968. Two years later, a move to the North Shore of Oahu (Hawaii) dramatically changed his future. In the 80’s and 90’s he made his name as a pioneer of surfing at the Waimea Bay shorebreak. Clark had a unique talent for taking off on hopeless closeout shorebreak waves and surviving in one piece.

In 2007, Clark discovered his ability and passion to capture the extraordinary beauty of the shorebreak when his wife wanted a picture of the ocean to decorate the bedroom wall. With the confidence of an experienced surfer, Clark went out and bought a waterproof camera setup, 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

jumped in the ocean, and started snapping away, recording the beauty and power of Hawaiian waves. "Clark’s view" is a unique and often dangerous perspective of waves from the inside out, captured in photos for all to enjoy from the safety of dry land.

In a short time, Clark has gained worldwide recognition for his North Shore shorebreak wave photography with exhibitions in Japan, Canada, Brazil, Spain and throughout the US along with appearances on television shows including CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Inside Edition, Discovery Channel, ABC World News Now, France 2, NHK and Asahi TV programs in Japan.

worldsocialmedia.directory/clark-little/

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Discover Earth @discoverearth

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

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Earth Focus @earthfocus

James lloyd Cole - Traveller, urban planner, photographer, designer, bartender, basketball enthusiast, and part-time Canadian.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

James has been developing my passion for photography, design and film for years, and find my best work comes from combining it with my other interests: travel, landscapes and architecture.

worldsocialmedia.directory/earth-focus/

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Earth Official @earthofficial

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

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Jack Morris @doyoutravel

Morris, the face of the travel blog Do You Travel, recently hosted a Q&A where he gave his 2 million Instagram followers travel and money tips and answered their burning questions about his beautiful Australian girlfriend and how they turned everyone's dream life into a reality.

In the post, he reveals he didn't go to college, cleaned carpets for a living, lived out of a backpack for four years, and got a house with Bullen in Bali last October after meeting her in March.

million Instagram followers and also has a blog of her own. “On our last night in Fiji I asked her to come to Bali with me, she said yes and we've been together ever since!’

The pair has since traveled to more than 20 countries, and recently celebrated their one year anniversary with some PDA under a turquoise waterfall.

“We met in March 2016 whilst on a job together in Fiji. We got on so well from day one and were inseperable throughout the whole trip,” Morris writes of Bullen, who goes by @gypsea_lust to her 1.2 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

socialmedia.directory/jack-morris/

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Jasmine Sanders @golden_barbie

Jasmine Sanders better known as Golden Barbie is a successful model, actor, and Instagran Star.

She became a known face because of her endorsements for top brands and her movies like ‘School Dance’, ‘Smooth Talking Sexy Hair’! and ‘Glosses’. She is a sensation on Instagram with over 2.7 million followers and is being followed by 113K people on Twitter. Her Vine videos have also gone viral. The ‘School Dance’ fame girl was dubbed as British make-up artist Pat McGrath’s muse, which made her feel honoured and humbled. She looks up to supermodel Tyra Banks and wants to be like her. The modelactor’s net worth is supposed to be around $1.5 million. Jasmine came up with her handle name 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

Golden Barbie by combining her childhood nicknames of Goldilocks and Barbie. Her teacher used to call her Goldilocks because of her curly hair. Her friends too told her that she was like a life-sized Barbie.

When it comes to photographs, the model tries to keep them ‘as honest as possible’ and personally likes to avoid filters on Instagram.

But if she had to choose, she prefers Crema or Aden.

Rosewater spray and makeup removing wipes are a must have for her. Jasmine is a good friend of American reality television personality, Kim Kardashian and her younger sister Kylie Jenner.

worldsocialmedia.directory/jasmine-sanders/

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Jay Alvarrez @jayalvarrez

Jay Alvarrez was born on July 5, 1995, in Ohau, Hawaii, United States. Jay had a deep interest in photography in his early age. His curiosity got the wings when he became infatuated with a girl in his school, a girl named Amber.Together they decided to drop out of school to make some money using their talent and creativity.

Jay faced a very hard as he has no money for survival. He took every chance he got and did several jobs. He finally made some money he could spend on his passion: to travel. During that time social media was rising, so Jay decided to use this medium to connect with the people and share his photos and videos of him 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

traveling to different places around the world.

He shared his exhilarating experiences of significant sports like skydiving on social media pages.

Although now Jay is recognized as a model and internet celebrity, he paved his way from photography, and he still is a talented photographer. And in his extreme and exotic vacation, he uses his talent for photography to capture the moment and earn from them.

worldsocialmedia.directory/jay-alvarrez/

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Jen Selter @jenselter

Jen Selter is an American internet celebrity and fitness model. She’s known for her fit and curvy looks, especially her abs and glutes.

Starting her fitness journey around the age of 15, Jen gradually built an awesome figure over the years. One day, she decided to post progress pictures on her social media profiles.

The pictures quickly went viral, and Jen’s online recognition ‘skyrocketed.‘

Jen’s physique is the result of her own hard work, she says she never had a personal trainer. The way Jen learnt was by looking at other experienced lifters and trainers in the gym; trying to replicate their routines.

As time went by, Jen learned what worked for her, and what didn’t. She eventually adopted her own routine which gave her the best results for fat loss and building muscle.

Ever since then, Jen has become a true icon in the world of fitness and modeling.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/jen-selter/

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Jennifer Tuffen @izkiz

Jennifer otherwise known as izkiz. I’m an instagrammer, travel photographer and content creator from the UK. Although I was born in England, I grew up in a town just outside of Amsterdam in Holland and I now split my time between the UK, the Netherlands and a seaside resort on the Aegean coast of Turkey.

I started this blog last year along side my Instagram account. It’s my little corner of the internet where I can show you behind the scenes of the photos I post on Instagram, write reviews about the hotels i’ve stayed in, talk about the products i’m loving and post some of the zillions of photos I take on a daily basis.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

I’m a real girly girl that loves all things pink, dresses, make up and I spend far too much time buying skincare that I can’t afford but i’ll also be the first to cliff dive, climb a tree or roll around in mud. I love my dog like he’s my baby, going on long roadtrips, R’n’B, and scary movies. Most of the time I speak my own language which is a mixture of English, Dutch and Turkish and I believe that a good cup of tea can solve pretty much anything.

I wanted a short, catchy name. It’s very random but ‘iz’ comes from the first two letters of the city I lived in at the time (Izmir) and ‘Kiz’ meaning girl in Turkish. Voilà – izkiz was born!

worldsocialmedia.directory/jennifer-tuffen/

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Jimmy Chin @jimmychin

Jimmy Chin is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, National Geographic photographer and mountain sports athlete known for his ability to capture extraordinary imagery and stories while climbing and skiing in extremely high-risk environments and expeditions. He began his professional career in 1999, and his talents were quickly recognized by top expedition leaders and outdoor brands. In 2002, he secured a breakthrough assignment to be the cinematographer for a highprofile National Geographic– sponsored trek across Tibet’s Chang Tang Plateau. In 2006, he became one of the only people to ski off the summit of Mount Everest.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

Jimmy has garnered numerous photography awards from Photo District News (PDN), Communication Arts, the American Society of Magazine Editors, and others. As a filmmaker, his years of experience in the adventure and extreme sports world enables him to bring an authentic and unique perspective to his storytelling.

Jimmy’s photos have appeared on the cover of National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine, among others, and he has directed commercial film projects for a diverse range of clients that includes Apple, Chase, Pirelli, Red Bull, The North Face, and RSA Films.

worldsocialmedia.directory/jimmy-chin/

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Julie Sariñana @sincerelyjules

Julie Sariñana founded Sincerely, Jules in February 2009. It initially started as a creative outlet, where she compiled all of her daily inspiration, thoughts, and photos of her personal style. Over the years Sincerely, Jules has developed into a top destination for style inspiration, signifying Julie as a top international fashion and lifestyle influencer.

Julie is also the owner and Creative Director of the clothing line Shop Sincerely Jules.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

Julie strives to create beautiful content to inspire and help her readers achieve their goals. She lives by the motto ‘Dream , Believe, Achieve’ and encourages everyone to do so as well. Julie strongly believes that if you put your mind and your effort into everything you do you are destined for success.

worldsocialmedia.directory/julie-sarinana-2/

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Lauren Bullen @gypsea_lust

Lauren Bullen is an Australian travel blogger based in Bali, Indonesia who is best known for her content related to travel, fashion and lifestyle that she posts on her Instagram profile @gypsea_lust and her blogging website gypsealust.com. Along with her boyfriend, Jack Morris, fellow travel blogger from the UK, she travels to exotic locations around the world to take breathtaking pictures that have earned them a combined Instagram following of nearly 5 million. They have worked with brands such as Tourism Fiji, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Disney, Air NZ, AirBnB, and NRMA insurance; however, they only work with brands they support, like or believe in. Bullen, who has 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

individually worked with some of her favorite brands like Tiffany and Co and Land Rover, has turned down offers from some fashion brands because she doesn't use their products. She has an identical twin sister named Ellie Bullen who is also an Instagram star who loves to travel, but her content is more focused on healthy lifestyle, which she promotes via her profile 'Elsa’s Wholesome Life'.

worldsocialmedia.directory/lauren-bullen/

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Leonie Hanne @leoniehanne

ohhcouture.com was founded in the beginning of 2014 by former strategy consultant and passionated shopper Leonie Hanne. After being named one of the most promising talents of the textile industry by German textile journal “Textilwirtschaft”, Leonie decided to quit the corporate career in order to fulfill her dream of working independently on her own fashion and lifestyle blog.

Since December 2015 Leonie runs ohhcouture.com together with Alexander Galievsky who has been in charge of cooperations and photography from the early beginnings. Alexander – Who used to be a Finance nerd – takes care of the editiorial posts on ohhcouture.com and has already 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

photographed campaigns and projects for brands such as Cartier, Sarenza and H&M. Leonie is now working as a blogger, stylist, model and social media consultant and has already cooperated with brands such as Cartier, Bulgari, Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, Lancome and Net-APorter. Traveling around the world with her partner in crime, Leonie creates visual stories for fashion, beauty and travel brands and shares her passion for lifestyle and wanderlust with her followers around the world.

worldsocialmedia.directory/leonie-hanne/

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Louis Cole @funforlouis

Louis Cole is a British film-maker and YouTuber who loves travelling and making videos on the go. He is known for posting vlogs on his channel ‘FunForLouis’ that documents his life and travel adventures. With ‘Peace out, enjoy life and live the adventure’ as his motto, Cole makes video blogs with the aim of giving positive messages to his viewers.

The social media personality initially found fame after filming eating stunts on his former channel ‘FoodForLouis’. However, after getting heavy warnings from RSPCA for violating certain acts by eating live creatures on camera, he took the food videos down and moved on to form another channel. Since then, he has been encouraging people to 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

go out and enjoy life. With his interesting and inspirational videos, Cole has gained a huge fan following.

Louis Cole created his channel ‘FunForLouis’ in 2011. His first video was regarding his Norway Road trip. This video was followed by several other travelling and adventure videos such as ‘Adventure Vlog-Park Ranger Trouble’, ‘Yoda Loves Djing-UK Roadtrip’ and ‘Pancakes and Bicycles-LA Trip’, to name a few. Cole also updated his channel by posting daily vlogs on it.

socialmedia.directory/louis-cole/

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Luxury World Traveler @luxuryworldtraveler

Luxury World Traveler is the world’s largest luxury travel focused social media account with over 2.9 million avid travelers worldwide. We have leveraged the power of social media, coupled with a universal growing desire to travel the world, to create an internationally recognized travel community.

Over the last 6 years we have partnered with over 400 luxury hospitality companies throughout the world to create compelling media and showcase their properties and services to our rapidly expanding global travel community. During this time we have identified characteristics in digital media that create maximum engagement and viral 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

lift. By understanding and applying these attributes we have rapidly grown our social media following and used this platform to create and distribute highly engaging digital media to our world class travel demographic.

The popularity of the digital media we have created has also lead to the creation of our own luxury travel agency, which specializes in helping our community book and experience the destinations and services we showcase on our social platforms.

worldsocialmedia.directory/luxury-world-traveler/

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Murad Osmann @muradosmann

We are Murad and Natalia Osmann. Five years ago we started our photo project Follow Me. We have been inspired by love - love to travel, love to unknown countries, love to beautiful places, and, of course, love to each other.

FollowMeTo.travel is our own map of the world.

We are sharing with you our stories about some of the world’s most unknown and unrecognizable landmarks and showing you how a travel to a destination you always dreamt about could become a reality. And it doesn’t matter what language you speak, or how much you earn.

With you in mind we created 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

detailed guides tracing #FollowMeTo, adding to them a pinch of secret and very useful instructions from locals, and a dash of our own recommendations.

Only here you could literally ‘get inside our heads’ and find out all we think about different countries, airlines, hotels, how to pack your suitcase, and other little things, which when summed up create a whole big picture of a great journey.

socialmedia.directory/murad-osmann/

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Nature @nature

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/nature/

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Pamela Reif @pamela_rf

Pamela Reif is a German-born fitness model and social media star. Her rise to success all began at the age of 16, when she started posting pictures of her lifestyle online.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

“I started posting pictures and I had absolutely no idea that social media could get me somewhere in life.”

People became intrigued by Pamela’s aesthetic and lean physique, so much so, that they started spreading the word about the German model among others.

Pamela’s followers became intrigued by her physique, as well as her fitness story. This is where Pamela realized she could make an impact on people’s lives, along with building a healthy career on the internet.

Before long, Pamela’s social media sites started growing like never before, as she slowly made her way to the top of the fitness and social media world.

With millions of followers across the globe, she is an example for everyone who wants to take a ‘leap of faith’ towards their dreams in life – just like she did.

By 2018, Pamela became a worldwide fitness sensation, with an army of followers who support her every step of the way.

worldsocialmedia.directory/pamela-reif/

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Paul Nicklen @paulnicklen

Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist who has documented the beauty and the plight of our planet for over twenty years. As an assignment photographer for National Geographic magazine, Nicklen captures the imagination of a global audience.

Nicklen is uniquely qualified to create his brand of documentary photography which informs and creates an emotional connection with wild subjects in extreme conditions. His work delivers audiences to an underwater realm witnessed by few. Nicklen’s sensitive and evocative imagery has garnered over 30 of the highest awards given to any 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

photographer in his field, including the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the prestigious World Press Photo for Photojournalism.

In addition to being one of the world’s most acclaimed nature photographers, Nicklen is a sought-after speaker, a TED Talks legend, an author, and National Geographic Fellow. In the past two decades, Paul has collaborated with scientists, filmmakers, conservationists and explorers to create awareness and inspire action for global issues like climate change.

worldsocialmedia.directory/paul-nicklen/

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Travel Awesome @travelawesome

Travelawesome is a digital media agency specializing in social first content creation, influencer marketing and brand advertising.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

Some of our most recent clients include tourism boards, luxury hotels and resorts, fashion brands, entertainment , health and fitness celebrities and TV personalities.

worldsocialmedia.directory/travel-awesome/

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Wonderful Places @wonderful_places

Travel enthusiast Suzanne Bruch started on Instagram in 2012 and in the span of six short years has amassed a dedicated following of over 15 million across four accounts. Her most followed account @wonderful_places is an amalgamation of the world’s most stunning destinations, ranging from Krabi, Thailand to the Swiss Alps. Bruch sets herself apart from the web’s countless travel influencers by curating images and videos from some of the best travel photographers around.

Facebook page. I made the decision to focus on travel because I wanted to inspire people by the beauty of our world, and it caught on and started growing.

“I hope to inspire my audience to travel to some of these incredible places or at least to show them places they may not know, or in ways that they haven’t seen them before.”

“My husband and I have always been avid travelers, even before Instagram, so when I started on Instagram back in 2012, I was thinking outside of the box, trying to make it different from my 2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/wonderful-places/

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Xenia Tchoumitcheva @xenia

Xenia Tchoumi is a fashion influencer, digital entrepreneur and public speaker based in London.

Armed with an economics degree and knack for entrepreneurship, the Swiss-Italian influencer with Russian origins speaks six languages (Italian, Russian, English, German, French and Spanish) and turned down an offer to work full- time at J.P. Morgan to continue her online endeavours for her webmagazine.

2 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

Xenia has worked or is the digital ambassadress of high end fashion and lifestyle brands. She shoots with magazines of the likes of L’Officiel, Vogue, Vanity Fair or Elle. She has recently given three motivational TEDx talks and spoke at the United Nations.

She’s a freelance magazine contributor and stands for female empowerment.

worldsocialmedia.directory/xenia-tchoumitcheva/

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See the ďŹ gures updated daily and live links to social media, for e.g. Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah:

Step

1

Visit worldsocialmedia.directory

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2

Search for a brand

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3

4

See the brand’s social media engagement across all networks and their overall total and ranking globally!

Click the speciďŹ c links to take you direct to each of the brand’s social networks

Explore the biggest brands on social media http://worldsocialmedia.directory

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IPHONE 11 PRO & PRO MAX THE WORLD'S BEST CAMERA FOR INFLUENCERS?

Apple announced iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, a new pro line for iPhone that delivers advanced performance for users who want the very best smartphone. The new Super Retina XDR display is a pro display with the brightest display ever in an iPhone. The powerful Apple-designed A13 Bionic chip provides unparalleled performance for every task while enabling an unprecedented leap in battery life to easily get through the day. A new triplecamera system provides a pro-level camera experience with an Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto camera, delivering huge improvements to low-light photography and offering the highest quality video in a smartphone that is great for shooting action videos. iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max come in four gorgeous finishes including a beautiful new midnight green, and will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, September 13 and in stores beginning Friday, September 20. “iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are the most powerful and advanced smartphones we have ever made. They are packed with sophisticated technology that pros can count on to get their work done, and for anyone who wants the very best device made, even if they are not a pro,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 11 Pro has the first triple-camera system in iPhone and is far and away the best camera we’ve ever

made, it provides our customers with great range of creative control and advanced photo and video editing features in iOS 13.

The Super Retina XDR is the brightest and most advanced display in iPhone and the A13 Bionic chip sets a new bar for smartphone performance and power efficiency.”

A Pro Camera System for Everyone iPhone 11 Pro introduces a transformative triple-camera system with all-new Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto cameras, deeply integrated into iOS to create a pro-level camera experience designed for everyone. iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max set a new standard in video, with the highest quality video ever in a smartphone. Each camera in the triple-camera system records brilliant 4K video with extended dynamic range and cinematic video stabilization.

With a wider field of view and large focal plane, the Ultra Wide camera is great for shooting action videos. Users can easily zoom between each of the three cameras, while Audio Zoom matches the audio to the video framing for more dynamic sound. With iOS 13, powerful video editing tools are accessible to everyone with the ability to rotate, crop, increase exposure and apply filters to videos instantly. These adjustments are easy to apply and review at a glance, so even a novice can create professional quality video projects. www.apple.com

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Alexandra Lapp The Carrie Bradshaw for a new generation! Influencer Alexandra Lapp who owns 400 pairs of shoes and has been on 35 trips abroad this year alone says being over 40 is the secret to her success Just one look at Alexandra Lapp's Instagram page makes it clear to see she enjoys the finer things in life.

The fashion and travel blogger, 44, from Dusseldorf, boasts 260,000 followers on her social media platform and floods the fashion pages across several magazines.

A former model who worked until she was 42, Alexandra is also a busy fashion entrepreneur who shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

Her Instagram fans follow her trips and engagements as she hops from one country to the next - whether it's to attend exclusive fashion shows, cosy up to the trendiest designers or simply relaxing on a Greek beach.

And while this content doesn't sound too different from other influencers who've made a business of documenting their lavish lifestyles, the online sensation has told Femail it's her age that sets her apart.

She boasts an impressive portfolio with brands she's collaborated with - such as Dior Beauty, Chanel Beauty, La Biosthetique, IWC, Christian Louboutin, Roger Vivier, as well as beautiful hotels around the world.

'I guess a big success factor is surely my age as there are not a lot of women blogging past 40,' she explained.

She's also a keen traveller and admits there's not a lot of times she's not out travelling - so it's no surprise by the end of 2019 she would have made about 35 trips around the world.

'But there are many women of my age and older with buying power out there looking for styling advice and inspiration.'

She continued: 'I never expected to receive that kind of visibility that fast therefore, this was a very pleasant surprise and helped me to establish myself in the fast-paced blogger industry swiftly.'

Alexandra started her blog in 2015 after encouragement from her sister, Isabel.

She is often compared to Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw, due to her love of fashion.

The nickname is well-deserved as Alexandra, who is known as 'The Influencer in heels,' owns 400 pair of shoes and 90 designer bags including the likes of Chanel, Hermès, Gucci and other wellestablished names.

Alexandra gained prominence in the fashion world thanks to her blogging and admits she has no idea what her net-worth is.

'This year I have been to numerous amazing places like Positano, Ischia, Capri, Verona, Cannes, Santorini, Mykonos, Tirana, Berlin for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, St. Tropez, Abu Dhabi, the Maldives, Paris for Paris Fashion Week, Venice for the Biennale, Marrakech and many many more…

'I simply love travelling and exploring the world,' she added.

But what looks like a life of leisure comes with hard work and Alexandra says she wakes up at 7am everyday and then takes several hours getting ready, before working all day on creating content for her blog, and writing articles on fashion or travel.

CREDIT: dailymail.co.uk

In Focus • Alexandra Lapp, 44, from Dusseldorf is a travel influencer and fashion blogger • The former model will have completed 35 overseas trips by the end of the year • Owns more than 400 pairs of shoes, 90 bags and a dreamy designer wardrobe • Speaking to FEMAIL, she says being over the age of 40 is part of her success

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Grab Your Passport!

10 Travel Influencers Share their Christmas Getaway Ideas Lofoten Islands

If you’re thinking about going on a Christmas getaway this winter break—whether it’s a trip with your extended family or a little getaway for just the two of you—now is the perfect time to start planning!

Besides, since getting excited about your upcoming trip is half the fun, it’s never too early to start figuring out where to go for a Christmas getaway.

So if you’re still looking for the best Christmas getaway ideas for 2019, here are 10 of the top destinations for winter break vacations, according to some of our favorite travel influencers.

Leavenworth

1. Lofoten Islands, Norway “The remote granite peaks and white sand beaches of Norway’s Lofoten Islands are truly a spectacle and during winter. Plus, you get the added benefit of seeing the northern lights, which are a sight to behold. There are few places that feel more raw and remote, while still allowing you the opportunity to have a truly cultural experience.”

Chris Burkard, founder of Chris Burkard photography, @chrisburkard

2. Leavenworth, Washington “Keeping it local, our favorite Pacific Northwest holiday destination is most certainly Leavenworth, Washington.

Between the Bavarian feel, the craft brewing, unique accommodations (we love LOGE Camps and the Sleeping Lady), and the cross country skiing, it is the perfect place to experience Washington State in the winter.”

Rob Taylor, founder of the 2 Travel Dads blog, @2traveldads

3. Belize, Central America “This past spring, I traveled (and adopted a puppy!) from the island of Caye Caulker off the coast of Belize. Caye Caulker is just a 45 minute boat ride from Belize City and is an oasis of relaxation, yoga, ex-pat owned shops, and so much more. Unlike its more popular

Belize Colombia

neighbor, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker is smaller, calmer, and the perfect escape for travelers looking to disconnect.”

Nikki Vargas, editor and co-founder of Unearth Women magazine, @niknakvargas

4. Penang, Malaysia “If you are looking for warmth, culture and fabulous food, the multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual second city of Malaysia, Penang makes an interesting choice for celebrating Christmas.

The winding streets of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Penang— with its colorful colonial mansions, beautifully conserved doors and world famous street art—are a delight to wonder through and photograph. My favorite part of the city is probably the boisterous, colorful neighborhood of Little India, which is filled with amazing Indian restaurants, as well as dozens of shops and vendors selling Indian clothing and jewelry.

If you’re looking for some quality beach time, there is also the really pleasant Batu Ferringhi beach nearby, which also has a pretty decent night market.”

Kash Bhattacharya, founder of the Budget Traveller blog, @budgettraveller

5. Keystone, Colorado “While many might be looking to escape to a warm weather destination for Christmas, I say embrace the snow and celebrate in the mountains. Keystone Resort has ski runs for all abilities, and when you want to escape the ski lift crowds, you’ll find plenty of holiday activities to enjoy including a massive snow fort, tubing slides, and a parade with Santa.”

Kim Tate, founder of the Stuffed Suitcase blog, @stuffedsuitcase

One of my favorite countries in the world, Colombia is a tantalizing assault on the senses

Panang

6. Colombia, South America “One of my favorite countries in the world, Colombia is a tantalizing assault on the senses, and I have spent two Christmases there. With a stunning virgin jungle, ancient lost cities, a gorgeous coastline, a multi-colored river and endless hikes and rafting adventures, Colombia is an adventurer’s mecca.

The people are super friendly and laid-back, which is one of the reasons why Colombia will always have a special place in my heart.

Plus, December is a brilliant time to visit since it isn’t too hot. And, of course, Colombians love to party, so it’s a brilliant place to spend New Year’s Eve.” Will Hatton, founder of The Broke Backpacker blog, @willhatton

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7. Maldives, South Asia at the St. Regis Maldives

8. Nürnberg, Germany

“If you are looking to relax and totally unplug, this is the place. The service and rooms were great, but there was also amazing scuba diving. The stay was a phenomenal use of points for an over-water bungalow. It just doesn’t get any better than this.”

Brian Kelly, CEO and founder of The Points Guy travel site, @thepointsguy

“Nürnberg’s Christmas market is a festive swirl of heartwarming sights, sounds, and scents. Handcarved wooden ornaments, festive wreaths, and aromatic candles line the booths as the sweet smell of gingerbread wafts through the air.

Visit in the evening, stroll under the glow of the cheerful lights, and wrap your mittens around a mug of hot mulled wine spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and citrus fruits.”

Germany

Rick Steves, founder of Rick Steve’s Europe travel company, @ricksteveseurope

9. Regensburg, Germany on a European River Cruise “Nothing beats exploring the Christmas Markets in Europe, and especially on a river cruise. I loved experiencing the ‘Romantic Christmas Market’ in Regensburg, Germany, in the courtyard of Thurman and Taxis Palace. It is truly stunning during the holidays!”

Kiersten Rich, founder of The Blonde Abroad blog, @theblondeabroad

10. A Disney Cruise “For my family, we’ve always spent holidays at home. […] This will be the first time we are going away for the holidays. We are going on a Disney Cruise December 21st through 28th! It’s going to be amazing to celebrate with my family, including my 2 adorable nieces (ages 6 and 9), plus all the characters— and not have to worry about cooking or cleaning!”

Haley Woods, founder of Girls Love Travel group, @girlslovetravel

Nothing beats exploring the Christmas Markets in Europe.

CREDIT: Parade.com | Maryn Liles Disney Cruise

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Tourism NI pays £11k to influencers for social media posts Tourism NI has paid £11,000 to influencers and bloggers to encourage holidaymakers to book a trip to Northern Ireland, it can be revealed.

Since 2017, it has "worked with" eight influencers who have posted about Northern Ireland across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Instagram as Where is Tara? and has more than 40,000 followers, while Ms Slattery, who is known as The Travel Expert, has 5,720.

They include Paulo Ross, who works as a breakfast presenter and sports reporter at Cool FM.

Ms Slattery said she wasn't paid to work with Tourism NI but was given tickets to promote the Game of Thrones exhibition on her social media channels.

He has 20,500 followers on Instagram and his own website, where he has posted about walking The Gobbins cliff path using a 'sponsored' hashtag commonly used by influencers to indicate a post has been paid for.

The retired English golfer Nick Dougherty is included on the list of influencers used by Tourism NI. In August, he took in a tour of several golf clubs and restaurants, starting at Holywood Golf Club, from where Rory McIlroy hails.

He went on to visit Ardglass, Massereene and Galgorm golf clubs in a whistle-stop tour, along with a visit to Deane's Meat Locker and the Grand Central Hotel and a guest appearance from Niall Horan.

Tourism NI has also worked with Tara Povey and Sarah Slattery, influencers from the Republic of Ireland.

Ms Povey posts about travel on

Nadia El Ferdaoussi, who posts on Instagram as Nadia Daily Self, has also worked with Tourism NI to promote Northern Ireland to her 27,800 followers.

Conchur Moore of Document Belfast has also worked with Tourism NI to post about Northern Ireland. He has 12,500 followers on Instagram and 168 subscribers on YouTube.

He posted on Instagram about giving away four tickets to the Game of Thrones Touring Exhibition using the hashtag associated with Discover NI. Xavier Serra, also known as golf60s and Mairi Rivers, also known as Ginger Vegan, have also worked with Tourism NI. The organisation is working on a social media strategy to investigate how influencer marketing could

help their promotions.

Tourism NI said: "We have commissioned a strategy to look at the ways in which influencer marketing has evolved and where potential lies for Tourism NI. Tourism NI employs a broad marketing mix, of which digital marketing is an integral part.

"As with the majority of our competitors in the sector, and indeed many brands globally, influencer marketing is becoming an increasingly important way to promote our destination. Digital influencers now play a very relevant role in the decision of consumers to book a holiday.

"This is an area of huge potential for Tourism NI to inspire people in our target market to plan a short break to Northern Ireland.

"Digital influencers can deliver our key messages to priority segments in an engaging and authentic way because they know how best to communicate with their audiences by delivering inspiring and creative content."

CREDIT: Belfast Telegraph | Eimear McGovern

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Telling Better Travel Stories Taking a Lesson From Instagram Influencers

Instagram influencers have been accused, among other things, of caring more about perception than reality. But maybe there's some justification for that and something we can learn from it. The problem may not be the idea itself, but only that it's sometimes taken too far.

Imagine you’re camped deep in the slick rock country of the American Southwest along the shore of Lake Powell. The scenery is awe inspiring, towering walls rise like stone cathedrals from the water’s edge straight up into a twinkling wash of stars. You’re settling into a soft evening after a long day of paddling.

Your camp stove whirs away nearby, warming the contents of a great dinner (alright, a possibly palatable dinner), the scent wafting toward you. You’ve got a glass of wine in hand and great friends for company as you lean back in your Crazy Creek, taking it all in. You realize this is the quintessential camp moment, the perfect example of why you spend all that time planning, why you spend all day pulling at a paddle, working your way up a lake. This is precisely the kind of moment that should be frozen in time, the kind of moment, the visual story, that has the potential to capture the essence of the experience. You grab your camera, but when you bring it to your eye, the magic fades. Your friend looks out at the most beautiful bit of the scenery, which means in the shot, he's actually framed against a few spindly bushes

and an awkwardly cut-off mesa. The wine and your own whirring camp stove don't even register in the scene.

The image in the viewfinder is obviously “true” insofar as it documents the technical details of the moment. But who cares about those? From the perspective of conveying the emotional tenor of the experience, the image is at best ineffective and might even lead to your audience feeling the wrong thing. And isn’t that what we’re really trying to capture with our travel and adventure photography, how it felt to be there? An image may be true when taken strictly as a documentary snapshot, but at the same time be wholly misleading as a work of art meant to convey an emotional impression.

Unfortunately, this is an article about learning from my mistakes rather than an instance of leading by example. I’ve always approached the documentation of travels with family and friends much as I would street photography: scenes are to be discovered, not concocted. This has a couple of advantages. First, there’s that element of truth in the visual advertising (at least in a simple, tangible way). What you see really is what happened. There’s also relatively minimal disruption to the folks I’m traveling with. They may be asked to wait patiently for an extra moment or two while I fumble with a shot, but rarely are they asked to

spend any time or energy being accomplices in the messy process of creating art.

But if we apply that street photography approach to tell the story of a trip, we're also likely to have roughly the same success rate that we have in street photography, which, if you're like me, is,abysmally low. How often do all the stars align in a street photo — lighting, composition, subject, moment, story — without any influence on your part? I can wear through the soles of a pair of street shoes and only get a handful of decent shots, if that. The likelihood of my fellow travelers being artfully composed against a backdrop that strengthens their story, rather than being a distracting mess, isn’t particularly high in my experience, even in really beautiful places. The likelihood that the resulting image will fully capture the emotional tenor of the place or moment is even lower. Simple photos like the one above record the most basic technical aspects of a trip, but they fail to convey its emotional tenor completely. And in that sense, they’re not a true accounting of the experience at all, let alone something that might inspire others to get out and go exploring.

A long exposure looking in the other direction a short while later provides a better idea of what we would soon be fortunate enough to bear witness to. While this image does a better

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job at capturing the emotional tenor of the place itself, it still fails to capture the comradery of four friends on a paddling trip, the warm glow of a camp stove heating dinner, or the even warmer glow from a partially polished-off bottle of wine.

I’m wondering, then, if there might be value in throwing a dash of the Instagram influencer’s philosophy into one’s own personal travel photography, even for those of us with zero desire to rule the Instagram world. The objective isn’t to oversell the experiences we’re having, but to better capture the way those experiences actually felt, to more effectively inspire others to seek out similar experiences of their own.

A big part of me revolts merely at the thought of “staging” a scene, at taking a role in shaping the actions of my fellow travelers rather than merely being a passive observer of their experiences from a photographic perspective, though I’m obviously an integral part of the broader experience myself. But why can’t we be a few friends out on an

adventure photography trip rather than just an adventure? Why shouldn’t we declare up front that our goal is to go have a great time in amazing places and send back some great visual stories — stories that capture what it felt like to be in those places — even if we need to take a little bit of an active role in figuring out how to most effectively tell those stories?

We had to set up a spot for dinner somewhere. With a little repositioning and a minimal bit of fuss, we might well have been able to compose a scene that would actually have conveyed to our friends, families, and, yes, maybe even to our social media followers, how the evening really felt. We might have created an image that could have, years later, taken us each back to that moment in time, sitting on that sandstone bench together beneath that dusting of stars. None of that would’ve been a terrible burden on my congenial and understanding travel partners, themselves photographers and videographers. None of it would have misconstrued in any way the

experience we were all having.

Next time, I’m going to do better.

Each time we take a trip, we swear we’re going to prepare shot lists in advance. And each time, we get swamped with other things in the days and weeks leading up to the trip, so that by the time we leave, we’re just hoping to find that we’ve remembered paddles and tents and stoves when we touch down wherever it is we're going. So, I’m going to start my shot list for the next trip right now: Shot 1: Camp mates, cook stove, wine, and stars. Two exposures. One long exposure for the stars with the cook stove off. One short exposure for the cook stove flame and immediate surroundings. Blend in Photoshop.

Shot 2: TBD Having said all that, it’s probably worth remembering that it can be taken too far. My wife and I honeymooned in Hawaii a few years back. One morning, we walked down to the beach and sunk our toes in the cool sand. We sat with

our warm (five dollar) coffees in hand to ward off the chill of the early morning breeze. There before us was the “perfect” family, a young husband and wife with their two small boys; one looked to be about six, the other about two. They all wore matching outfits, some combination of red and blue. The parents were determined to memorialize their perfect family on their perfect vacation with the perfect, quintessential beach picture. To this end, little six-year-old “Timmy” had been instructed to write something, no doubt both sweet and profound, in the sand with a stick, a love note to his grandmother or something I’m sure.

The problem was that Timmy kept screwing up the letters, at first accidentally, then, I’m nearly certain, on purpose. Each time, they’d have to move six feet over to a fresh bit of sand and start again.

We sipped our coffees and watched in amusement. Timmy’s head eventually slumped forward as he listlessly poked the stick at the sand. The mom would alternately grab his hands, showing him how to drag the stick, then run out of the picture trying to leave as few footprints as possible. Dad would squint, lift the camera, stoop over trying to frame the shot, looking like a linebacker getting in position, then invariably lower the massive DSLR from his eye, sigh, and gesture for them to move over and try again. His gestures became more and more stilted and emphatic as time went on.

Meanwhile, the two-year-old — remember the two-year-old? They didn’t. He was sitting on the beach behind them, completely forgotten, his stubby little fingers shoveling tiny fistfuls of sand into his mouth just as fast as his little arms would

go. We wondered how much that diaper was going to weigh.

My wife took a long sip of her coffee: “Should we tell them?”

I took a longer sip of mine, letting the warm liquid swirl across my tongue as I dug my toes further into the cool sand. The breeze wafted my wife’s sweet, honeyorange lotion past my nose. I could just make out the clinking of breakfast-ware in the hotel restaurant over the sound of the gently collapsing waves and rustling palm fronds. I smiled and shook my head: “Nah. There’s a worthwhile life lesson in there somewhere. Let ‘em learn it.”

CREDIT: Fstoppers.com | Brent Daniel

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84% of UAE inuencers do not disclose paid partnerships in 2019 UAE inuencers are growing in numbers and they need stronger regulations

Nothing seems to stop the billiondollar Influencer Marketing wave, and it is growing bigger and getting smarter. From traditional media to press relations, these days all advertising and communication strategies are now dedicating significant budgets to influencer marketing.

Emirati entrepreneur Anas Bukhash, and Founder & Managing Director of digital marketing consultancy Bukhash Brothers commissioned a survey about the influencer market of the UAE and discovered some interesting facts.

The majority of influencers residing in the UAE are female, at 63 per cent.

Even though the UAE is vastly populated by men, the influencer industry is dominated by women.

The research has also revealed that 84 per cent of influencers do not “disclose in a clear manner any brand integrations or branded content” that is posted, while only 44 per cent use the “paid partnership” tag on Instagram when being paid by brands. This lack of transparency in disclosure of branded content or paid partnerships is particularly noteworthy, as 61 per cent of respondents shared that they have signed exclusive contracts with at least one brand.

While over 80 per cent of respondents said that they would barter for free products, services or experiences, 24 per cent of influencers shared that ‘influencing’ was their main source of income, with the majority of microinfluencers charging in the $1,000 – $2,500 range per sponsored post.

Paying for more followers Interestingly enough, 29 per cent of UAE influencers would consider paying money to grow followers and increase engagement. That includes bots or tools that comment, like, follow or unfollow. These are

considered fraudulent, especially that they generate fake engagement.

Bukash Brothers analyses that growing a following on social media is not an easy thing to do as platforms become more and more saturated with micro and macroinfluencers. Consistency, creativity and uniqueness are some of the key elements that determine an influencer’s success.

As engagement helps increasing the reach, some influencers are attracted to such tools to gain engagement, and therefore exposure. However, this practice always backfires and is only beneficial on the short terms.

Additional findings revealed that “lifestyle” was the number one category of specialization with 68 per cent of respondents posting lifestyle focused content, followed by travel at 58 per cent and fashion at 50 per cent.

Which platform do they favour?

Instagram remained the undisputed platform of choice, followed by Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube respectively. Instagram and Snapchat are two of the most popular social media platforms in the Middle East, especially in the UAE where their usage is ahead of the global average.

The use of the social media platforms in the UAE is outgrowing the rest of the world, offering a real opportunity for brands to tap into this trend and create content to connect with their target audience.

More than half (52 per cent) of respondents confirmed that they are officially licensed in the UAE. In order to take part in any activations or campaigns, influencers need to be signed with a licensed agency or have their own license.

Transparency is critical – It’s about respecting your audience and not trying to fool the consumer. The survey results were surprising, but we predict that the transparency numbers will level out as followers are getting savvier and influencers are getting more serious about fostering authentic long-term relationships.

Additionally, the regulations by the National Media Council and licensing system for UAEbased influencers has already had an impact towards streamlining the industry into international best practice and protocols.

– Anas Bukash

CREDIT: gulfnews.com | Yousra Zaki

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Selfie obsession: UAE residents speak, and how it almost claimed one of their lives With smart phones, beauty filters, there are enough reasons for selfies say UAE residents

Taking a selfie is pretty much a norm today, with a host of new smart-phones that come with advanced cameras that can make you look like you have never looked before.

While many people take selfies, use 'Beauty' filters to smooth their skin out and look good for the 'gram, the act of taking a selfie photo is not always safe depending on where you are.

In the aftermath of the young girl who died in Dubai after falling off her balcony in an attempt to capture a selfie, we spoke to UAE residents about the selfie trend and its dangers.

the tip of the mountain to try and take a selfie. We were all standing in a line and I happened to take a step back. My friend just held my hand and yelled at me for not noting we were on the tip of the mountain. It scared the hell out of me.”

Sakina said she has not taken a selfie since. “Before this incident I was obsessed about taking pictures and selfies. I had just lost a lot of weight and I wanted to capture myself in all my new outfits and clothes,” she added.

But all this changed, said the young Indian. “I realised my life was more important than anything else.”

Sakina Feroz, 27, a Dubai-based Indian expat working as a PR manager, said she almost fell of the Jebel Jais mountain this February while trying to take a selfie.

Henna Karzai, 25, a Dubai-based American expat with Afghan origins who is a beauty and fashion influencers admits to taking selfies all day long.

“I was off-roading with my friends in February. We all lined up close to

She said, “It is my job. I have to do it. As an influencer my job is to

influence everything – from the clothes I wear, the make-up I use, the hair-style I wear. I promote brands so I have to be in the knowhow and the way to do it is taking picture and selfies.”

It is her [Henna’s] source of income. “Unfortunately, influencing now is a job and we do take a bit of risk to take the best photos with the best lightings and selfies are a big part of the game,” she added.

Henna said location is key and the more adventurous it is the more exciting the picture looks.

About her own adventurous clicks, she added, “I once climbed up a tree to take a picture. For many influencers taking a picture from the tip of a mountain makes for a great click.”

“Having said that, I would caution everyone to be responsible while taking a photo. Your life is more important than anything else.”

British expat Alexandra SaikkonenWilliams, 33 admits to taking selfies too. “The beauty of selfies is all the incredible filters you can use to make yourself look prettier and better. The impression you give to the world is far from the reality – thanks to all the advanced technology.”

She said it puts one into a whole new different world – away from reality. “It is the best thing that has happened especially for women.

Some phones have beauty filters switched on while taking a selfie. It makes you look whiter, your eyes look brighter. Imagine!”

She said selfie obsessions have pushed many to become influencers as it gives them a perfect excuse to take all the pictures they like taking.

But there is a fine line that needs to be drawn. “Have a balance. Don’t obsess over it and over do what you are doing. I feel like telling

people sometimes – hey you’re pretty, calm down, don’t take a selfie every five minutes.”

Denise Bonnici, 40, Australian, said she was saddened by the news of a young girl who last week plunged to death trying to take a selfie. The mother of four (19, 14, 12, 10) said she sent the news links to her children. “But they already knew about it from the school. The school has spoken to them about the incident.”

“I personally don’t take selfies but my children do. So I have been talking to them a lot about.”

She said parents can do their bit to spend more time with their children and talk to them about taking responsible pictures.

“Children love to post pictures on social media and we cannot stop them from doing it a lot. But as parents we can talk to them every now and then and teach them to

be responsible on social media,” said Denise.

Debrie Dela Cruz, 32, who works as an advertising professional in Dubai said the need to fit in and be a part of the new society is pushing people to take more and more selfies. “The world is full of influencers who love to project a world that sometimes may not be the reality or maybe the reality. But it is all done through pictures.”

“I just wish people would relax a bit more and live in the moment,” he said.

For Irish expat, Nikki Carol, 46, she hates taking a selfie. “I take very few. It is usually at the dinner table with the family, that too for a special occasion. Never otherwise. I am totally against it.”

CREDIT: gulfnews.com | Anjana Kumar

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Social media influencers must be honest with their views Social media influencers have a huge impact on their followers. They have radically changed the way people view fashion and beauty trends and brands.

Many social media followers rely on product reviews posted by influencers they trust before purchasing the product themselves. So the influencers must be honest with what they promote.

This was discussed by prominent Arab and Emirati social media personalities at a session in Dubai.

They shared their perspectives on the influence of social media on the fashion and beauty industry at the ‘Arab Social Media Influencers Majlis’ organised by the Arab Social Media Influencers Club (ASMIC), an initiative of the Dubai Press Club (DPC). The event was held at the Dubai Design District (d3).

Speakers shared their experiences as active bloggers in both industries during the session moderated by TV presenter Rehab bin Shaiban Al Muhairi from Dubai Media Incorporated. The session also examined the rise of virtual influencers and their role in promoting creativity in the fashion world.

Dubai Press Club said that the event was aligned with ASMIC’s objective of encouraging innovation and creativity across social media platforms and enhancing the positive role and contribution of influencers.

Participants in the session also included Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of Dubai Design District, Aida Al Busaidi, Director of C2C Campaigns and Marketing Management at the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), and well-known social media celebrities.

Marwa Nasser Al Koudah, Project Manager of the Arab Social Media Influencers Club, DPC, said: “The Arab Social Media Influencers Majlis is one of a series of activities organised under the Arab Social Media Influencers Club. The event serves as a platform for influential Arab figures in the fields of social media, technology and other key sectors to discuss challenges brought by the rise of digital platforms, in addition to other topics relevant to Arab communities.”

Al Kouda highlighted the growth of e-commerce in the Arab world, saying it has played a key role in the region’s emergence as an important player in the global fashion scene.

“This growth has promoted greater interest among social media influencers in covering beauty and fashion. Many of them have succeeded in attracting millions of social media followers, especially on Instagram. The huge fan-base of these influencers increases their responsibility in playing a positive role in their communities,” she said.

“The Arab Social Media Influencers Club is keen to impart knowledge and experiences that can support the growth of UAE-based social media influencers. Through these training programmes, we seek to provide them with practical knowledge in various media fields,” she further said.

Speaking during the event, Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of Dubai Design District, said: “Social media influencers have a responsibility to be honest with what they promote. Users today have significantly more information on products and brands than previously.”

Digital influencer and TV presenter Tamara Jamal said that social media has revolutionised the fashion and beauty industry. “Instagram, in particular, has made it easier for consumers to closely experience international brands through their favourite social media influencers.

Many users rely on product reviews posted by influencers they trust before purchasing the product themselves,” she said.

It is important for people, especially youth, to be aware that not everything they see is real and to accept themselves as they are,” she said.

TV actress Mayssa Maghrebi spoke at the event on the use of artificial intelligence in the fashion industry.

Computer-generated virtual models are unlikely to be popular among users in the Middle East since they would prefer to connect with real

influencers rather than virtual ones, she said.

Established in 2016, the Arab Social Media Influencers Club aims to enhance Arabic content on social media platforms and encourage innovation and creativity in the different fields that influencers operate within.

CREDIT: gulftoday.ae

“In recent years, we have seen a growing number of international and local brands establishing a strong presence on the platform because of their ability to interact directly with users,” Jamal added.

TV presenter Diala Ali discussed the part played by social media in creating unrealistic beauty standards that can affect the self-esteem of social media users. “Exposure to the perfection of airbrushed photos and images of perfect-looking models have affected the self-confidence of users and made them obsessed with seeking impossible ideals of beauty.

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on influencers

Why hundreds of music stars are giving fans their phone numbers In August, as OneRepublic took the stage at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside of Denver with the Colorado Symphony, giant monitors displayed what appeared to some fans to be too good to be true: a phone number for the band.

“Hey it’s OneRepublic!” read the message to roughly 2,000 fans who tried texting the number that night in the sold-out 9,500-seat venue.

“This is an autotext to let you know we got your text. From now on it will be us. Make sure you click the link and add yourself to our contacts so we can text you back.”

As a result, the band racked up contact information and locations for most of those attendees, to whom it can now sell concert tickets, merch and music directly by sending text messages to the specific groups — or even the individuals — who might be most likely to respond. “We captured over 20% of our audience at Red Rocks

and immediately had so much more engagement than we've ever had with Instagram and Twitter,” Ryan Tedder, the lead singer of OneRepublic, told Billboard.

“Nobody else should have your fan's information other than you — the fact that Facebook owns all of it and we can't have access to it unless we want to pay exorbitant fees is ridiculous.”

OneRepublic is one of about 300 celebrity acts — from Paul McCartney and Marshmello to Diddy and Jennifer Lopez — who’ve given out their digits in recent months, asking fans to text them at seemingly personal numbers that often bear the area codes of their hometowns. Behind their outreach is a startup called Community, backed by Madonna’s longtime manager Guy Oseary, co-founder and principal of Live Nation’s Maverick management group. He’s betting that texting will allow artists to wrest information about the identities, whereabouts and

preferences of their most engaged followers away from Twitter, Facebook’s Instagram, Alphabet, Apple and Spotify, which guard such data closely.

The fledgling platform is gaining traction as the U.S. regulators pursue antitrust investigations into the big tech companies, with the Justice Department’s antitrust chief saying at a conference this month that the practice of stockpiling consumers' data can threaten market competition, and that privacy could factor into the department’s antitrust analysis.

“You may have millions of followers, but you don't know who's in that audience,” Community co-founder and CEO Matthew Peltier told Billboard recently, in his first public interview since closing a $35 million funding round and launching the company on July 24th. “People are starting to wake up to the fact that you may be investing a ton of time and energy and resources into

social media, but you don't necessarily have a direct relationship with that audience.”

Text messaging has long intrigued the music industry as a better way to market to fans, given how much more likely people are to open text messages than they are to engage with posts on social media. Peltier says that 98% of the texts sent through Community are opened within the first three minutes, while 90% of those are opened within the first three seconds of being sent. By contrast, the percentage of an audience that interacts with a post is 1.6% on Instagram; 0.48% on Twitter; and 0.09% on Facebook, according to the social media analytics firm Rival IQ. Even when artists and labels spend six figures on ads to target specific fan bases on social platforms, less than 2% of the targeted fans tend to click through.

SuperPhone, a company founded by music producer Ryan Leslie, has

been using a similar blueprint since 2016 with limited success, letting customers such as Atlantic Records manage text message conversations from thousands of users.

But hurdles to text-based marketing remain. One pop star’s manager told Billboard he was hesitant to use Community because it doesn’t yet support text messaging worldwide — and he was wary of confusing or frustrating the large number of his client’s fans living outside the U.S. (Community says its international coverage will expand in 2020.)

Dragging artists off Instagram isn’t easy, either, especially in a world where high follower counts translate to both bragging rights and rich branding deals.

CREDIT: Billboard.com | Micah Singleton

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focus on pinterest

Is Pinterest already running out of room to grow?

Pinterest's (NYSE:PINS) stock recently plunged after the social networking company posted mixed third-quarter numbers. Its revenue rose 47% annually to $280 million, but that marked its slowest growth since the company's IPO and missed estimates by about $2 million On the bottom line, it posted a non-GAAP (adjusted) net profit of $6 million, compared to a loss of $15 million a year earlier. On a pershare basis, its non-GAAP EPS of a penny beat estimates by a nickel.

Its adjusted EBITDA of $4 million also marked a big improvement from its loss of $13 million a year earlier. But on a GAAP basis, its net loss widened from $19 million to $125 million, mainly due to $130 million in share-based compensation (SBC) expenses.

322 million during the third quarter. Its MAUs in the U.S. grew 8% to 87 million, while its international MAUs surged 38% to 235 million.

Pinterest expects its full-year revenue to rise 46%-48%, which barely meets the consensus forecast for 48% growth and marks a slowdown from its 60% growth last year. It didn't offer exact earnings guidance, but it expects an adjusted EBITDA loss of $10 million to $30 million, compared to a loss of $39 million in 2018.

Its total ARPU rose 14% annually to $0.90 during the quarter. Its ARPU in the U.S. rose 26% to $2.93, while its ARPU in international markets more than doubled to $0.13. But that marked a significant slowdown from its 40%+ ARPU growth in the U.S. in previous quarters:

Pinterest's slowing growth and lack of profitability are troubling, especially when rivals like Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) are consistently profitable on a GAAP basis. Do those problems indicate that it's time to dump Pinterest before it slips below its IPO price?

How bad is Pinterest's slowdown?

Pinterest's total monthly active users (MAUs) rose 28% annually to

That growth looks stable relative to previous quarters, but there's a growing concern that Pinterest is running out of room to grow in the U.S. -- which is problematic, because its average revenue per user (ARPU) is much higher in its home market.

Pinterest's international ARPU growth is encouraging, but isn't offsetting its slowdown in the U.S. yet. Pinterest acknowledged a need to diversify its advertising base in the U.S., update its app, and develop new ad products (like its shoppable pins) — but that progress seems painfully slow compared to that of its rivals.

Snap (NYSE:SNAP), for example, grew its North American ARPU 43% annually to $3.75 last quarter, which outpaced its growth in overseas markets. Facebook's ARPU in the U.S. and Canada rose 25% to $34.55 last quarter.

Pinterest is also struggling to capture younger social media users in the U.S. In Piper Jaffray's latest "Taking Stock with Teens" survey, Pinterest ranked fifth in terms of total user engagement among leading social media platforms with a 25% mindshare, putting it behind Instagram (85%), Snapchat (81%), Twitter (40%), and Facebook (31%).

Ongoing losses and a questionable valuation Pinterest's non-GAAP earnings and adjusted EBITDA are improving, but its massive GAAP loss and stock-based compensation expenses indicate that it's still burning through the $1.6 billion it raised from its IPO in April. It's also rapidly diluting its existing shares by issuing new shares, as seen in its massive spike in SBC expenses.

Pinterest ended last quarter with $1.03 billion in cash, compared to $1.41 billion in the second quarter.

At this rate, Pinterest faces the same long-term threat as Snap — it could potentially run out of cash before it ever turns a profit.

The other major problem with Pinterest is its valuation. At $20, it trades at about seven times next year's sales. By comparison, Facebook and Twitter both trade at six times next year's sales.

The bottom line Pinterest's high-growth days aren't over yet, but its slowing ARPU growth in the U.S. is troubling. That slowdown wasn't surprising, but it needed more time for its

international business to catch up.

It also indicates that Pinterest is struggling to expand beyond its core market of older female users as Instagram and Snapchat attract younger users. I'd personally stick with either Facebook or Snap as

my main social media play instead of this niche player.

CREDIT : fool.com | Leo Sun

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focus on twitter

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey praised Facebook’s experimental moves to hide Instagram ‘likes’ Twitter chief Jack Dorsey praised Instagram’s experiments with hiding likes in the US.

In a retweet of Instagram chief Adam Mosseri's Friday tweet, Twitter CEO Dorsey comment: "Great step."

On Saturday, Dorsey signalled his approval for the move, retweeting Mosseri's Friday tweet while adding the words "Great step."

Speaking at the Wired25 tech conference last week, Mosseri explained the reasons for Instagram's decision.

Dorsey has not been shy in criticizing Instagram's parent company Facebook recent months, criticizing its stance on political ads and its corporate rebrand.

Dorsey has not been shy in trolling Facebook, Instagram's parent firm, in recent weeks.

"It's about young people," Mosseri said. "The idea is to try to 'depressurize' Instagram, make it less of a competition and give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love, things that inspire them."

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has praised Instagram's decision to experiment with hiding likes in the US. Instagram has been trialling making likes private in several countries over the past year, including Australia, Ireland and Italy, and is now planning to expand its trial to a "small portion" of US Instagram users, according to a tweet sent on Friday by the firm's head Adam Mosseri.

The like-hiding idea is simple: while the person who published a particular post will be able to see who has liked that post, that person's followers will not.

Instagram has been trialling making likes private in several countries over the past year, including Australia, Ireland and Italy, and is now planning to expand its trial to a "small portion" of US Instagram users, according to a tweet sent on Friday by the firm's head Adam Mosseri.

The like-hiding idea is simple: while the person who published a particular post will be able to see who has liked that post, that person's followers will not.

On Saturday, Dorsey signalled his approval for the move, retweeting Mosseri's Friday tweet while adding the words "Great step."

Dorsey has not been shy in trolling Facebook, Instagram's parent firm, in recent weeks.

"It means we're going to put a 15year-old kid's interests before a public speaker's interest," he added. "When we look at the world of public content, we're going to put people in that world before organizations and corporations."

CREDIT: Business Insider | Charlie Wood

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focus on twitter

Twitter may fundamentally change how retweets and mentions work Making Twitter more pleasant through anti-harassment features.

Twitter leadership has made it a goal of the last few years to be more transparent about its decision-making and to provide more detailed road maps for when new features and other big changes come to the platform. Just look at CEO Jack Dorsey’s rather epic multi-tweet Facebook takedown when he announced the platform’s political ad ban last week.

In that spirit, Dantley Davis, Twitter’s vice president of design and research, yesterday evening released a list of features he says he’s excited to “explore” in 2020.

They include some fundamental changes to how Twitter functions, in particular how the retweet works and how freely users are able to pull others into their conversations with or without their permission.

While Davis says he’s “looking

forward to” these features coming in 2020, he’s not officially announcing any of them — in fact, Twitter tells The Verge they’re just “ideas we’re exploring” and suggests they may not come to pass at all: “The features mentioned are ideas we’re exploring – explorations and experimentation have always been part of our process. We’ll have more to share should we decide to move forward with any of them,” a spokesperson writes, echoing a follow-up tweet from Davis where he referred to them as “ideas he’s excited to explore.”

Two of these ideas stand out, though. The first is the ability to disable a retweet on your tweet.

That could help prevent its spread throughout the broader Twitter network, in the event you’re concerned malicious people or other bad actors want to signal

boost it as a way to direct negative attention your way. In other words, it’s an anti-harassment feature.

Short of making your account private, which may not be in your best interest if you’re a publicfacing individual (like a journalist or artist) or a bona fide public figure, this may be a useful tool in helping blunt the viral spread of a tweet you feel is being misinterpreted or wielded against you for reasons unrelated to the actual content of the message. This of course would not stop people from going to your profile and looking at the tweet there. But it does seem like a genuinely smart approach to promoting healthier conversations and reducing toxicity.

The creator of the retweet button, software developer Chris Wetherell, told BuzzFeed News in an interview this past summer that the feature, developed back in

2009, was akin to handing “a 4year-old a loaded weapon.” He says Twitter did not think through the implications of creating a button that could boost the reach of any post regardless of context, and that the retweet button may have made the platform worse off overall.

Dorsey even told BuzzFeed he understands the sentiment.

“Definitely thinking about the incentives and ramifications of all actions, including retweet,” he said at the time. “Retweet with comment for instance might encourage more consideration before spread.”

The other feature Davis mentions that’s especially noteworthy is the ability to prevent other users from mentioning you without your permission. That could also fundamentally change how Twitter functions, if suddenly you were no longer allowed to tag people in

threads or dunk tweets without getting their express approval beforehand. Again, this looks a lot like an anti-harassment feature.

Call out culture is still a foundational element of the discourse on Twitter, and publicly mentioning a user in a tweet criticizing them allows the people who view the tweet to more easily follow suit. It provides them a link to your profile, and it ensures that every reply they make also shows up in your mentions (depending on your settings).

That can result in a huge flood of negative mentions that make Twitter effectively unusable and, often, a miserable and unyielding source of online vitriol. Although Twitter has better filtering and moderation tools built in these days to help reduce the visibility of negative tweets, it’s still not great to face a barrage of harassment in your mentions tab. Being able to

cut that process off entirely would be a fascinating experiment in personal moderation that could have profound platform-level effects on how people communicate on Twitter.

That said, these aren’t official features, just Twitter’s product gurus being more outspoken about in-progress or just plain experimental ideas, as they have been known to do recently. Davis says Twitter is soliciting feedback from the community on what it should prioritize and ways to safely implement certain features without messing up other parts of the product that do work well today.

CREDIT: theverge.com | Nick Statt

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travel destinations top twenty

top tw

must-see l

Take a look as we explore some of the hottest destinations in global hospitality – all ideal for that perfect Instagram snap‌

wenty

locations for 2020

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travel destinations top twenty

Dubai Dubai is a stirring alchemy of profound traditions and ambitious futuristic vision wrapped into starkly evocative desert splendour. It's hard not to admire Dubai for its indefatigable verve, ambition and ability to dream up and realise projects that elsewhere would never get off the drawing board.

This is a superlative-craving society that has birthed audaciously high

buildings and palm-shaped islands.

Sci-fi concepts such as flying taxis, a lightning-fast Hyperloop train and an army of robocops are all reflections of a mindset that fearlessly embraces the future. With many more grand projects in the pipeline for World Expo 2020, it's clear that Dubai is a city firmly in charge of writing its own narrative.

Abu Dhabi Proudly modern and cosmopolitan, Abu Dhabi is the UAE's forwardthinking cultural heart where nothing stands still – except perhaps the herons in its mangroves. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, with its globe-trotting collection covering the breadth of humanity's artistic achievements, finally threw open its doors in 2017. It's the first of the city's planned mega-museum

projects to open and a major feather in Abu Dhabi's cap as it pushes to become the region's cultural leader.

Need some adrenaline in your life?

Yas Island provides enough distractions to keep even the most dedicated thrill-seeker happy. This is the setting for the famed Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the track hallowed

ground for Formula One fans. Yearround there are opportunities to hop in the driving seat yourself and make your own Yas Marina Circuit memories. Off the track, Ferrari World and its speed-freak favourite Formula Rossa roller coaster plus Warner Bros World provide full-on family entertainment with enough rides to wear out and sate the thrill tick-list of kids and adults alike.

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travel destinations top twenty

Antalya Once seen simply as the gateway to the Turkish Riviera, Antalya today is very much a destination in its own right. Situated right on the Gulf of Antalya (Antalya Kรถrfezi), the largest city on Turkey's western Mediterranean coastline is both classically beautiful and stylishly modern. At its core is the wonderfully preserved old-city district of Kaleiรงi (literally 'within the

castle'), which offers atmospheric accommodation in the finely restored Ottoman houses on its winding lanes. The old city wraps around a splendid Roman-era harbour with clifftop views of hazyblue mountain silhouettes that are worth raising a toast to. Just outside of the central city are two beaches and one of Turkey's finest museums.

The ancient Lycians were on to something when they based their empire on the stunning Teke Peninsula, the chunk of Mediterranean paradise between Antalya and Fethiye. This is Turkey at its most staggeringly beautiful: sandy sweeps of shore hug a coastline lapped by jade waters and backed by forest-blanketed slopes.

British Columbia Visitors to Canada's westernmost province should pack a long list of superlatives to deploy here; the words 'wow,' 'amazing' and 'spectacular' will only go so far.

Luckily, it's not too hard to wax lyrical about the mighty mountains, deep forests and dramatic coastlines that instantly lower heart rates to tranquil levels.

There's much more to British

Columbia (BC) than nature-hugging dioramas, though. Cosmopolitan Vancouver fuses cuisines and cultures from Asia and beyond, while mid-sized cities such as Victoria and Kelowna are increasingly creating their own vibrant scenes. It's also hard to beat the welcoming, sometimes quirky character of smaller communities – from Cumberland to Powell River

and Salt Spring – that are the beating heart of BC. Wherever you head, the great outdoors will always call. Don't just point your camera at it: BC is unbeatable for life-enhancing skiing, kayaking and hiking experiences that can make this the trip of a lifetime.

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travel destinations top twenty

Seoul Fashion- and technology-forward but also deeply traditional, this dynamic city mashes up palaces, temples, cutting-edge design and mountain trails, all to a nonstop KPop beat.

Gaze down on this sprawling metropolis of around 10 million people from atop any of Seoul’s four guardian mountains and you’ll

sense the powerful pungsu-jiri (feng shui) that has long nurtured and protected the city. History clings tenaciously to the ‘Miracle on the Han’, a phoenix arisen from the ashes of the Korean War. So while Seoul has its eye clearly on the future, you'll also encounter fascinating fragments of the past in World Heritage–listed sites such as Jongmyo shrine, in the alleys

between the graceful hanok (traditional wooden homes) in Bukchon, and striding along the magnificent Seoul City Wall.

South Africa Black-maned lions framed against Kalahari dunes; powdery beaches lapped by two oceans; star-studded desert skies; jagged, lush mountains – this truly is a country of astounding diversity.

buffalo, elephant and rhino) and more in accessible parks and reserves. You can drive right into the epic wilderness at Kruger, Kgalagadi and other parks, or join khaki-clad rangers on guided drives and walks.

South Africa is one of the continent's best safari destinations, offering the Big Five (lion, leopard,

South Africa's ever-changing scenery is the perfect canvas on which to paint an activity-packed

trip. Try rock climbing in the craggy Cederberg, surfing off the Eastern Cape coast, abseiling from Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain, bungee jumping from the Garden Route's Bloukrans Bridge, or swinging into Graskop Gorge.

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travel destinations top twenty

Sapa, Vietnam Established as a hill station by the French in 1922, Sapa today is the tourism centre of the northwest.

Sapa is oriented to make the most of the spectacular views emerging on clear days; it overlooks a plunging valley, with mountains towering above on all sides. Views are often subdued by thick mist rolling across the peaks, but even

when it's cloudy, local hill-tribe people fill the town with colour.

If you were expecting a quaint alpine town, recalibrate your expectations. Modern tourism development has mushroomed haphazardly. Thanks to rarely enforced building-height restrictions, Sapa's skyline is continually thrusting upwards.

Join us at the 2020 World Travel Influencers Awards at the Hotel de la Coupole with it's enchanting mix of haute couture and hill tribe style, where its brings you a nostalgia of the French Indochine era. Immerse in an authentic Vietnamese experience punctuated by picturesque beauty and cultural diversity.

Danang Nowhere in Vietnam is changing as fast as Danang. For decades it had a reputation as a provincial backwater, but big changes are ongoing. Stroll along the Han riverfront and you'll find gleaming new modernist hotels, and apartments and restaurants are emerging. Spectacular bridges now span the river, and in the north of the city, the landmark new D-City is

rising from the flatlands. Venture south and the entire Danang Beach strip is booming with hotel and resort developments.

restaurants and nightlife is probably enough. Book an after-dark tour to see Danang at its shimmering neonlit best. The city's street-food scene also deserves close investigation.

That said, the city itself still has few conventional sightseeing spots, except for a very decent museum and a stunningly quirky bridge (or three). So for most travellers, a few days enjoying the city’s beaches,

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travel destinations top twenty

Phu Quoc Phu Quoc Island boasts idyllic beaches, romantic sunsets, evergreen forests, and a serene atmosphere, making it an ideal holiday destination for travellers looking to escape bustling city life.

Located 45 kilometres west of Ha Tien in the far south of Vietnam, the northern part of the island is relatively untouched due to its status as a UNESCO-listed national

park but there are plenty of luxurious resorts, funky bars, and quaint cafes along the southern coastline.

Aside from beachside activities, visitors can also explore traditional villages, expansive nature parks and Buddhist pagodas, all of which are easily accessible via motorcycle, taxi, bus or even daytrips by

reputable companies. Catering to just about any budget level and preference, Phu Quoc’s dining scene ranges from local markets selling fresh seafood and Vietnamese street food to expatowned bistros offering authentic western and European fare.

Kenya Vast savannahs peppered with immense herds of wildlife. Snowcapped equatorial mountains.

Traditional peoples who bring soul and colour to the earth. Welcome to Kenya. When you think of Africa, you’re probably thinking of Kenya.

It’s the lone acacia silhouetted on the savannah against a horizon stretching into eternity. It’s the snow-capped mountain almost on

the equator and within sight of harsh deserts. It’s the lush, palmfringed coastline of the Indian Ocean, it’s the Great Rift Valley that once threatened to tear the continent asunder, and it’s the dense forests reminiscent of the continent’s heart. In short, Kenya is a country of epic landforms that stir our deepest longings for this very special continent.

Kenya is the land of the Masai Mara, of wildebeest and zebras migrating in their millions with the great predators of Africa following in their wake, of endangered species like black rhinos managing to maintain their precarious foothold.

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travel destinations top twenty

Chile Chile is nature on a colossal scale, but travel here is surprisingly easy if you don't rush it. Preposterously thin and unreasonably long, Chile stretches from the belly of South America to its foot, reaching from the driest desert on earth to vast southern glacial fields. Diverse landscapes unfurl over a 4300km stretch: parched dunes, fertile valleys, volcanoes, ancient forests,

massive glaciers and fjords. There's wonder in every detail and nature on a symphonic scale. For the traveler, it's mind-boggling to find this great wilderness so intact. The human quest for development could imperil these treasures sooner than we think. Yet for now, Chile guards some of the most pristine parts of our planet, and they shouldn't be missed.

In Chile, adventure is what happens on the way to having an adventure.

Pedal the chunky gravel of the Carretera Austral and end up sharing a ferry with SUVs and oxcarts, or take a wrong turn and find heaven in an anonymous orchard. Serendipity takes over.

Plans may be made, but try being just as open to experience.

Jamaica Jamaica is the Caribbean country that comes with its own soundtrack.

Groove to its singular rhythm as you explore beyond the beaches and allinclusives. Even in a region as crammed with jewels as the Caribbean, Jamaica is a powerfully beautiful island. Jamaica begins with crystalline waters flowing over gardens of coral, lapping onto soft sandy beaches, then rises past red

soil and lush banana groves into sheer mountains. Rushing waterfalls seem to erupt out of nowhere.

Jamaican culture can be a daunting subject for foreigners to understand, but ultimately it’s a matter of appreciating this great green garden of a land and how its cyclical rhythms set the pace of so much island life.

While Jamaica's beaches are certainly alluring, this is a country to dive into, literally and figuratively.

Beneath the waves there's great scuba diving and snorkeling, and you can float on the water too with lazy bamboo-raft trips (let someone else pole). The adventurous can go caving, or get their hiking boots on to explore the remote crags and forests of this crumpled landscape.

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travel destinations top twenty

InterContinental Maldives Opening earlier this year, InterContinental Maldives is the latest in a series of luxury resort openings from the brand.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts’ first property in the region, it is situated on the southernmost tip of the Raa Atoll near Baa Atoll, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and one of the most secluded locations in the Maldives.

The resort boasts 81 beach, lagoon and overwater villas and residences and is the first to offer all guests access to the world-class service and amenities of Club InterContinental throughout the entire island.

These generous offerings, coupled with extensive wellness facilities, bespoke experiences and six restaurants and bars, combine to take this Maldivian gem to the next level.

Emerald Palace Kempinski Dubai Set within 100,000 sq. m of manicured grounds, Emerald Palace Kempinski Dubai lies on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made archipelago.

One of the hottest new destinations, its location gives guests panoramic views of both the sea and Dubai’s skyline.

Rising above the waters of the Arabian Gulf, and flanked by 500 metres of private sandy beach, the palace is a regal landmark offering 391 luxurious rooms, suites and villas, eight restaurants and bars, a 3,000 sq. m Cinq Mondes spa, kids’ and teens’ club, and the largest private cinema on Palm Jumeirah.

Inspired by European palaces of the past, the magnificent building has been meticulously designed with neoclassical architecture at the forefront – book now!

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travel destinations top twenty

Oman While other destinations in the Middle East battle to recreate the authenticity they have lost as they have developed, Oman has it in spades. Low-rise towns dotted against the desert retain their traditional charms, while Bedouin values remain at the heart of the local welcome.

With an abundance of natural beauty, from spectacular mountains, wind-blown deserts and a pristine coastline, Oman is a great choice for travellers looking for something new.

Bosnia & Herzegovina Long a byword for civil strife, Bosnia & Herzegovina has in recent years reinvented itself as an affordable destination on the periphery of Europe.

What’s more, Rotana Hotels & Resorts has just opened its first hotel in the destination, making visiting even easier. Bosmal Arjaan

by Rotana is strategically located within Sarajevo’s Bosmal City Centre complex and offers 132 fully serviced one, two and threebedroom deluxe hotel apartments.

The city itself attracted more than half a million visitors during 2018, representing an 18.8 per cent increase year-on-year. Renowned as one of the region’s fastest-growing business centres, Sarajevo is also establishing a reputation as a touristic hotspot.

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travel destinations top twenty

Vilnius After HBO miniseries ‘Chernobyl’ took the world by storm earlier this year, everybody wants to visit Lithuania. The small Baltic state had previously struggled for recognition, but is now attracting global attention as the go-to film set for period dramas and docuseries.

Many of Chernobyl’s action scenes were filmed in the country, with specialist tours of the set and reallife nuclear power plant available for visitors.

In particular, the capital city Vilnius is playing host to international film crews for a variety of projects.

Diverse historical backgrounds are imprinted in the city’s surroundings, making Vilnius a go-to location for shooting films depicting various periods.

Monkey Island Estate Monkey Island Estate in Bray-onThames offers a fabulous mix of quirky charm and cutting-edge service. The island, with its intriguing history dating back 800 years, has been the haunt of monks, monarchs, aristocrats and writers alike.

Visitors from London and beyond will be transported to their own private countryside escape steeped in stylish yet laidback luxury.

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travel destinations top twenty

Jewel – Changi Airport With the Canopy Park and the Changi Experience Studio now open, Jewel at Changi Airport in Singapore is now complete. Four years in the making, the 135,700 sqm complex, designed by worldrenowned architect Moshe Safdie, features a distinctive dome-shaped façade.

The location offers travellers and visitors unique attractions, extensive shopping and dining experiences, as well as airport and accommodation facilities. The majestic 40-metre HSBC Rain Vortex, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, will greet visitors as they enter. Surrounding it are the manicured grounds of the Shiseido Forest Valley.

Already much more than an airport, Changi is now a destination in its own right.

Radisson Collection Hotel, Moscow From the impressive, palatial exterior to the luxurious interior featuring 501 stunning rooms and suites - Radisson Collection Hotel is a true Moscow landmark.

The property itself is one of the capital's ‘Seven Sisters’, a family of renowned neoclassical skyscrapers, while the rooms and public spaces echo the special nature of the building - with the finest materials and most exclusive furniture seen throughout the hotel.

Located on the bend of the Moskva River, the hotel was formerly the tallest in Europe. It remains an imposing presence on Moscow’s skyline – a must see for any selfrespecting traveller.

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1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

World Travel Influencers

Platinum Category 1 million followers or more

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world travel influencers platinum category

Aggie Lal @travel_inhershoes

Adventurer. Inner peace seeker.

Nature addict. Sailor. Olympiclevel liquid spiller. Obsessive learner. Explorer. Story teller.

I visited 53 countries so far, but who’s counting? (ok, I am!)

I am a Polish born, Australian educated, Los Angeles based adventure traveler, writer, blogger and photographer.

I sailed across the Pacific (without any prior sailing experience), lived in a Zulu village in Africa and studied on 3 different continents in Brazil, Australia and Poland. I also used to be a TV host (#childstar), an actress in over dozen TV commercials, PAed for MTV and multiple Hollywood productions.

These days I love infecting people with a travel bug.

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Altug Galip @kyrenian

Altug Galip (kyrenian) is a world traveler who was born in London but later moved backed to his parents’s native land of Cyprus.

He’s a freelance photographer, a social media specialist, and one of T+L‘s social ambassadors. His photos are jaw-dropping, as you’ll see with one glance at his Instagram account. It’s no surprise he has over a million followers.

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Angelica Blick @angelicablick

With nearly a decade’s experience in the social media sphere, Angelica is currently one of Europe’s top lifestyle and fashion influencers and has one of the most loyal and wide-ranging fan bases on all platforms: Instagram, blogs and YouTube. She has won numerous prestigious awards such as VR Blog Awards’ ‘Fashion Blog of the Year’ and Vixen Awards’ ‘Best International Blog’.

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Angelica has designed 2 hugely successful collections for BikBok and collaborated on designs with Nelly.com, as well as working with leading brands such as Pretty Little Thing, Dior, GUESS, Maybelline, L´Oréal, Missguided and Schwarzkopf. with In 2019, Safira Angelica is launching her own jewellery collection.

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W O

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World Luxury News, has one aim, to bring you the latest luxury news from around the globe from the world's leading brands and luxury service providers.

R L D

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Working across a multitude of social media platforms, delivering content in an easily digestible image-lead format, we engage with those that live and experience a luxury lifestyle each and every day.

Delivering the best news on this exciting and ever changing market and working in conjunction with the leading world luxury events.

www.luxnews.co

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Cristina Mittermeier @cristinamittermeier

Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier was born in Mexico City in 1966 and grew up in nearby Cuernavaca, in the sunny state of Morelos. She is a photographer and marine biologist who for the past 25 years has been working as a writer, conservationist and photographer. She graduated from the ITESM University in Mexico with a degree in Biochemical Engineering in Marine Sciences and later attended the Fine Art Photography program at the Corcoran College for the Arts in Washington, D.C. In 2005 she founded the prestigious International League of

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Conservation Photographers (ILCP) to provide a platform for photographers working on environmental issues. In 2015 she co-founded Sea Legacy, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the ocean, with her partner, Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen SeaLegacy is an organization dedicated to promoting the protection of the world’s oceans through storytelling. Cristina’s work has been published in hundreds of publications, including National Geographic Magazine, McLean’s and TIME.

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Daniel Kordan @danielkordan

I have been fascinated by the possibilities of photography since my early childhood. I grew up at beautiful lake region under Moscow exploring wild nature, spending most of my free time in the nature. I graduated the art painting school when I was a kid.

Mix art, nature, constant activities and you’ll receive a summary – art of Landscape photography. Life started swirling me, pushing me into the rush. University, hard work on my quantum physics thesis, family and friends… But there is always a pleasure in the pathless woods: places I always returned and always admired.

Nature is my inspiration, with all the beauty and variety of colors and compositions.

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Lucky for me during my study at Institute of Physics and Technology I gained experience in mountain climbing and hiking, guiding tourist groups in winter and in summer. I became a guide of photo-workshops and chief editor of “Continent expedition” magazine.

I live in the world today, but there are places on Earth, I attached with by my soul. It’s villa Gaia in Tuscany I live mainly these days. I love Lofoten islands, with their remarkable atmosphere of fishing villages, sailing adventures, incredible hikes and northern lights dances during the winter time.

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Debi FluĚˆgge @debiflue

Debi Flugge was born on the 24th of August, 1991. She is best known for being a Blogger. She and Adventurous Miriam are both known travel bloggers. Debi Flugge’s age is 28. German blogger and globetrotter who founded her eponymous blog, Debi Flue. She originally started blogging as a hobby in 2013 to share her travels with friends and family and it grew from there. The 28-year-old blogger was born in Berlin. She was a track and field athlete growing up and participated in the German Championships.

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Dotz Soh @dotzsoh

star from Singapore. Dotz graduated from London as an Interior Designer. She travels around the globe to capture majestic natural and urban landscapes.

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“Inspired by many amazing photographers and started shooting and still learning. Being a designer I love to create my artwork with a different touch.�

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traveltv.tube

travel videos from around the world

Discover the latest news from 200 different locations around the world in an easily digestible and fun format.

Discover group is the world's leading destination and lifestyle multi-channel content network.

Discover your next travel destination now.

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Hannes Becker @hannes_becker

Hannes Becker is a freelance photographer specializing in outdoors, adventures and landscapes from Hesse, Germany.

Hannes grew up in a rural area which significantly shaped his photographic style. Before starting freelancing he did a photography apprenticeship in the studio for one year.

In order to inspire the viewer and portray his experiences realistically, he aims not only to document his travels in nature but incorporate his personal interpretation with particular importance on composition and mood.

Passionate about traveling, he has used the platform of Instagram for the last five years to share his impressions on a daily basis.

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Joel Sartore @joelsartore

Joel Sartore is an award-winning photographer, speaker, author, conservationist, and the 2018 National Geographic Explorer of the Year. He is a regular contributor to National Geographic Magazine, and an Eagle Scout. His hallmarks are a sense of humor and a Midwestern work ethic.

Joel specializes in documenting endangered species and landscapes around the world. He is the founder of the Photo Ark, a 25-year documentary project to save species and habitat.

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“It is folly to think that we can destroy one species and ecosystem after another and not affect humanity,” he says. “When we save species, we’re actually saving ourselves.”

Joel and the Photo Ark are the subjects of the television series RARE, in which he documents some of the most endangered creatures left on Earth.

In addition to National Geographic, Joel contributes to Audubon, Geo, the New York Times, and Smithsonian. He has several books, including Photo Ark: A World Worth Saving, and RARE: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species.

Joel is always happy to return from his travels around the world to his home in Lincoln, Nebraska.

worldsocialmedia.directory/joel-sartore/

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Keith Ladzinski @ladzinski

Born in New York, raised in Colorado, Keith’s love of photography started after buying a beat up camera from a pawnshop. His early subjects mirrored his polarized passions, skateboarding in the city and exploring the quiet mountains of Colorado. One, built around an immersed subculture, skating from concrete place to place with friends, trespassing, shooting photos in the dead of night with rushed artificial light setups and running from security guards. The other, alpine starts in the mountains, long approaches alone to quaint places, patiently hunting for natural light and thoughtful composition. It was an unintentional education in two styles of photography and wasn’t 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

URL

long before the two merged, initially into his love for rock climbing. It was here that Keith forged his roots, in the world of extreme sports working tirelessly with the industries top athletes, outdoor industry clients and agencies.

Today, Keith’s work primarily focuses on natural history, climate change, extreme sports and advertising, sending him to the furthest reaches of the 7 continents multiple times over.

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Konsta Punkka @kpunkka

Konsta Punkka is a worldwide published wildlife, adventure & landscape photographer and speaker. Specialised to capture expressions and feelings of wildlife around the world. Clients varies from car industries and photography brands to tourism boards and outdoor brands. He has also worked with several organisations sharing the effects of climate change.

Konsta Punkka started his career as a 17-years old when photography hobby turned into a full time job. Local wildlife and nature has always inspired Konsta who spent all his summer holidays in central Finland looking for wildlife and beautiful nature.

Later the journey took him 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

around the world to capture the same intimate moments of different species. But north is still the most inspiring area for Konsta. With specific fox families he has known for years.

Konsta spends 200 days a year outside Finland on different commissions but loves to spend time in Finland during the midnight sun and harsh winter.

Konsta is always looking for new projects related to his passion.

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Lyss Boss @lyss

Alyssa is from New York: “I’ve always had a sincere passion for reading and writing, but recently I’ve taken an interest in social networking and blogging.

“I realize that accepting yourself, and loving yourself, is the KEY to being healthy and happy.

Exercising and dieting is certainly helpful, but they are void if you do not respect who you are. Be happy, love your body, love who you are and don’t set crazy expectations for yourself like I did.

There is no reason to stress and hurt yourself in the process of wanting to better yourself. You just need a little patience and determination, and you will most definitely reach all of your goals in life.

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“All of this being said, I’m taking what I have learned during my fitness journey and sharing it with the world. I hope my blog will inspire and motivate others to be the best person they can be in a safe, healthy, and happy way!”

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Max Rive @maxrivephotography

Born and raised in the flat country off the Netherlands, Max visited the high mountains of Switzerland for the first time at the age of 5. Looking at topo maps, making hiking routes and running in front of his parents and brother, it was immediately obvious that Max had a true and deep passion for mountains and landscapes.

It is through his experience - that growth, fulfilling dreams and the success that comes with it will come eventually over time when following the things deep within your heart and daring to free

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yourself from all barriers that have been taught, learned and accepted in today’s society – which has given him confidence and understanding that everything is possible with his photography.

Future Photography tours are planned in China, Russia, Canada, Kyrgyzstan, Peru and New Zealand. Through his tours, Max shares an incomparable experience of adventure which often results in dramatic, unique and compelling Photography.

www.instagram.com/maxrivephotography/?hl=en

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Michael Yamashita @yamashitaphoto

Photographer Michael Yamashita has been shooting for the National Geographic magazine for over 30 years, combining his dual passions of photography and travel. After graduating from Wesleyan University with a degree in Asian studies, he spent seven years in Asia, which became his photographic area of specialty. Upon returning to the US, Yamashita began shooting for the National Geographic as well as other American and international magazines and clients.

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In addition to Yamashita’s focus on Asia, his work has taken him to six continents. As a thirdgeneration Japanese-American, he is fluent in Japanese, and has covered the length of Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Yamashita’s particular specialty is in retracing the paths of famous travelers, resulting in stories on Marco Polo, the Japanese poet Basho, and the Chinese explorer Zheng He.

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Mike Chen @mikexingchen

Versatile Youtuber who captains numerous popular channels including the insanely popular mystery and paranormal channel Beyond Science and the popular food channels Strictly Dumpling and Pho The Love of Food. He also shares the Asian culture channel The Chen Dynasty and posts travel vlogs to the channel Mikey Chen.

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He first launched his channels Strictly Dumpling and Beyond Science in October 2013.

He has documented travels to Japan, Mongolia, New York, and countless other locations on his self-titled YouTube channel.

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Nataly Osmann @natalyosmann

Noteworthy, you will not see the face of a slender brunette whom photographer Murad Osmann followed. The Internet famous project featuring a mysterious girl leading her boyfriend by the hand has become a sensation. Indeed, the photographs show the most beautiful destinations around the world. So, the authors of the project have finally opened their secrets. In particular, the muse is a Russian glamorous girl Nataly Zakharova, and it’s time to show not only her back.

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Following the success of the images, proud Osmann was happy to reveal the face of his lover.

Osmann’s Instagram account reveals images of the pair’s travels including trips to Disney World, Venice, London among their many destinations. Originally from Dagestan, Murad moved to Moscow, where he lives now. Let’s remember how the photographer’s girlfriend led him around the world.

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Ocean Ramsey @oceanramsey

Growing up surfing and diving my whole life I’ve shared the water with many sharks. I’m a marine biologist, shark and marine conservationist, professional freediver, professional scuba instructor, surfer, swimmer, yogi, and professional model. I achieved my associate’s degree in behavioral sciences, psychology, my undergraduate was marine biology, and masters studies ethology, the study of animal behavior, specifics on shark behavior, body language, social hierarchy and how they react and interact with their environment.

My current research seeks to measure if their behavior is significantly affected by environmental specifics including weather and the presence of 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

other animal species and what are the human implications of spending time in proximity to sharks in and out of known aggregation sites. My passion is conservation work, sharing my voice for sharks, other marine life, the ocean, and nature in general because I deeply value and respect sharks and the natural world because of my many years of personal experience and the depth of my understanding of ecological roles as well as the incredible “best moments of my life” that have happened while interacting with marine life and being in the ocean and nature away from human civilization.

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Pilot Madeleine @pilotmadeleine

There's no shortage of lifestyle bloggers travelling the world, sharing their wanderlust-inducing pictures on Instagram to hoards of followers.

But few of them have the knowledge of the globe that a pilot does — and a view from the cockpit.

Known as @pilotmadeleine on Instagram, Madeleine SchneiderWeiffenbach calls herself a "blogger & globetrotter" — and she also happens to be a trained pilot on the hunt for a job.

Until the perfect role crops up, her followers watch as she travels the world — usually with her boyfriend, who also has a big following — sharing stunning 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

snaps of destinations like Santorini and the Taj Mahal.

Meanwhile, she also writes a lifestyle blog where she shares her tips on travel, fitness, fashion, recipes, and even has an online shop where she sells her own book about "clean and creative cooking."

She gained her Commercial Pilot License a few years ago, but has since struggled to find the perfect pilot job. Instead, she has focused on lifestyle blogging, travelling the world, and occasionally flying privately.

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Quin Schrock @everchanginghorizon

Quin Schrock is an adventure and lifestyle photographer based out of Southern California and Oahu.

As a kid, Quin spent his free time outside surfing, skating, and pushing the limit on acceptable back flip locations. That sense of wonder and freedom that Quin got from nature as a child never went away, and there is still nothing he would rather do than play outside. Although now you’ll find him with his camera in tow!

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Always one to forge his own path, Quin’s distinct photographic style captures the intrepid human spirit engaging with diverse, remote, and off the beaten path landscapes. Quin genuinely enjoys living on the edge, and the excitement and anticipation that he experiences for each new destination and adventure comes through in his unique and creative compositions.

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Renan Ozturk @renan_ozturk

Renan lives to tell stories about our connection to the natural world, often set within the most challenging environments on Earth. He’s constantly searching for projects that move him -films that have a strong visual identity matched with some deeply compelling human element.

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He began his career as an expedition climber and landscape artist, spending years living in a tent beneath the big walls of U.S. National Parks and in the snowy Himalayan mountains. All of his paintings were created on expedition, carrying large cotton canvases on his back, sometimes even using natural pigments pulled straight from the earth to capture these wildly beautiful

landscapes. He received National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2013 for his combination of cutting-edge first ascents and visual storytelling.

Currently, Renan works as a commercial and documentary filmmaker, an expedition climber for The North Face, and a photojournalist for Sony and National Geographic. THe’s probably best known for MERU (cinematographer/subject), which won the 2015 Audience Choice Award at Sundance, and the critically acclaimed Sherpa (cinematographer/co-director), which screened at TIFF and Telluride. He’s directed and shot commercial work for major international brands such as Apple, Google, DJI and Nike.

worldsocialmedia.directory/renan-ozturk/

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Rocky Barnes @rocky_barnes

Her fashion is always on point, her girl squad is goals, and her pictures will give you a serious case of wanderlust. It's easy to see why model, Rocky Barnes is so successful. She’s attracted enough attention that she’s partnered with some big brands and inspired tons of followers with her fashion sense. This model has another talent, though, that you might be surprised about. It’s also part of the reason she’s always camera ready. Keep going to learn more about this influencer.

Rocky, as she calls herself, is a 31year-old model who got her big break by appearing in a Justin Bieber video back in 2013. She seemed destined for a life in front 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

of the camera, being the daughter of a FOX television stylist who soon caught the eye of various companies. While she still works in front of the camera, her real love is fashion and she isn’t afraid to show it. Her blog and other sites are filled with pictures of herself showing off her favorite pieces, as well as some of her beauty must-haves.

This love goes beyond liking clothes. According to an interview with mag.agolde.com, she actually used to customize vintage shirts.

She even began selling them to friends, which soon led Rocky to her current job – running her own label and site.

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Sam Schnur @thenaughtyfork

The Naughty Fork had its beginnings as an Instagram page founded by Samantha Schnur in order to showcase her passion for food, drink, and photography.

After three years and continued exposure, TNF has grown into a fully licensed digital media news and marketing company that services all entities in the food industry; from local restaurants and hotels to national chains and fortune 500 food and beverage companies.

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We pride ourselves in featuring the best cuisines locally and around the country, in a lighthearted and indulgent manner. Whether you’re selfproclaimed foodie or a professional restauranteur, you’re sure to get your gastronomic fix with us.

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Sara Escudero @collagevintage

Fashion and travel Instagrammer and blogger behind the brand Collage Vintage. Her photographer was her partner Diego Anciano.

She and Diego, her boyfriend of more than a decade, relocated from Madrid to Los Angeles.

She and Patricia Alejos Monzon are both Spanish travel bloggers.

She and her partner founded Collage Vintage in 2009. She studied advertising and graphic design, but left her job in advertising.

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hotel videos from around the world

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Senna Relax @sennarelax

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.

When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.�

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adventure | travel | lifestyle | Switzerland

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Sjana Elise Earp @sjanaelise

Sjana, but you can call me SJ. I’m a 22-year old yoga-doing, adventure-seeking, sunshineloving, hug-giving Aussie girl.

I believe that ALL women deserve to feel empowered and confident in their skin. Through my own experience, I have learned that yoga is an invaluable tool for the enrichment of the lives of women of all ages.

Initially, yoga helped me through some of the hardest moments in my life. And nowadays yoga continues to help me to feel stronger, healthier and happier each and every day. My mission and purpose is to assist others in finding that same enlightenment and to help them discover the 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

countless benefits that yoga can provide in life.

For me, good health is all about balance. To achieve this balance, my programs focus on a holistic approach to wellbeing. Let me step you through the sequences, or you can set your own pace.

Yoga has the potential to be so much more than just a workout.

Together, we’ll work on transforming your body and your mind, strengthening your spirit and making your life even more amazing!

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Tara Whiteman @taramilktea

Tara Whiteman is a Creative from Sydney, Australia. Her work is dedicated to documenting her daily lifestyle as Tara Milk Tea. This mostly includes her latest travel adventures, showcased through food, places and people.

Her images are usually portrayed through a kaleidoscope of colour, as she seeks out the most beautiful and brightest places around the world.

Currently twenty-five years old, she recently completed her Honours degree in Design from The University of New South Wales, all while travelling and working full time on projects with clients, as well as managing her lifestyle blog and Instagram.

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She has a particular interest in the travel, food and lifestyle genres and can be found working with clients from a wide range of fields from Canon to Tiffany & Co. She has also been a member of Qantas’ exclusive Q Collective team since 2016.

Tara’s goal has always been about living life to the fullest, and creating her own happiness, which is why she has pursued entrepreneurial roles, and chased what she loves doing from a young age. Having grown her online audience to over one million people, she hopes to inspire others to do the same.

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Thomas Peschak @thomaspeschak

Thomas P. Peschak is an assignment photographer for National Geographic Magazine.

He is a Founding/Associate Director of the Manta Trust, and a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers. He has been named as one of the 40 most influential nature photographers in the world.

Originally trained as a marine biologist specializing in human– wildlife conflict, he retired from science fieldwork in 2004. He became an wildlife photojournalist after realizing that he could have a greater conservation impact through photographs than statistics. His work focuses on some of the 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

most critical marine conservation issues of our time.

Thomas has written and photographed five books: Currents of Contrast, Great White Shark, Wild Seas Secret Shores and Lost World. His latest book Sharks and People was released in 2013 and chronicles the relationship between people and sharks around the world.

He is a multiple winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards and received World Press Photo Awards for his work in2011 and 2013. In 2015, he gave a TED talk, Dive into an ocean photographer’s world, aboard Mission Blue II, hosted by TED Prize winner Sylvia Earle.

worldsocialmedia.directory/thomas-peschak/

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Tim Laman @timlaman

Tim Laman is a field biologist and wildlife photojournalist. He credits his childhood in Japan, where he had ready access to the mountains and oceans, for his strong interest in exploring nature, both above and below water.

Tim first went to the rain forests of Borneo in 1987 and the AsiaPacific region has been the major focus for both his scientific research and photography ever since. His pioneering research in the rain forest canopy in Borneo led to a PhD from Harvard and his first National Geographic article in 1997. Since then, he has pursued his passion for exploring wild places and documenting littleknown and endangered wildlife by 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

becoming a regular contributor to National Geographic. He has 21 articles to his credit to date, all of which have had a conservation message. Some have focused on endangered species such as Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys, or Hornbills, while others, such as a series of articles on Conservation International’s Biodiversity Hotspots, have highlighted regions under intense pressure. Tim has also published more than a dozen scientific articles related to rainforest ecology and birdlife.

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VuThĂŠara Kham @vutheara

VuTheara Kham is a french photographer of cambodian origins, based in Paris. He is fascinated by the light, street photography and urban landscape.

He discovered photography thanks to Instagram in January 2011. It's in Paris that he takes his first photographics steps with his smartphone. VuTheara likes to play with new perspective and point of view. His pictures capture the emotion of the moment. He published a book Point Of Vuth in La Martinière Publishing House in 2013. Since adolescence, he has cultivated his passion for art, music and skateboarding by developing a particular interest in graphic design. On his arrival in 1 MILLION PLUS FOLLOWERS

Paris in 2007, he began working as a web designer until 2011 when he discovered photography through Instagram, where today he is one of the most popular profiles with over a miilion followers. Known for light and graphics in his compositions, his style of photography is defined by street scenes in Paris and around the world.

worldsocialmedia.directory/vutheara-kham/

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Xenia Adonts @xeniaadonts

Xenia Adonts, formerly known as XeniaOverdose — due to her ‘oversharing’ approach on all things fashion and style, tops our charts having generated $1,243,437 in MIV during the SS19 schedule alone. Her recent (and active) involvement in all 4 major Fashion Weeks, starting with Tory Burch in NYC, has proven to keep her 1.2 million followers engaged as she brought them with her to the shows, soirées, and everywhere in between from London, to Milan and Paris.

Hailing from Hamburg, Xenia is moving to Paris at the end of the month to continue her pursuits in the city of lights. Xenia Adonts is one of the best known

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trendsetters of the moment and was listed as the #1 fashion influencer of the past fashion weeks by Launchmetrics.

Despite her tremendous success, the blogger has remained grounded and is still super likeable. Since Xenias life is very busy as an influencer, she is rarely at home. Whenever she comes back to Hamburg, she spends her time with her family. Since her mother always brings her to the airport and picks her up again with a freshly made fruit salad, Xenia recently interrupted an appointment in Berlin to do the same for her mum. Cute!

worldsocialmedia.directory/xenia-adonts/

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sporttv.tube

sport videos from around the world

CHANE

CHANEL LE LIFT FIRMING ANTI-WRINKLE EYE R

The expert duo that revives the youth of the look in the blink of an eye. FLASH EYE REVITALIZER illuminates the eye area in two steps: a massage using the roll-on releasing the anti-aging serum enriched with a vitamin C complex, followed by the application of revitalising patches. The spectacular result is immediately visible.

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The anti-ageing serum diffused by the roll-on has an intense firming and lifting action thanks to the LE LIFT star active ingredient.

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Smoothness: +10 %* Radiance: +16%* * Clinical test on 32 women after the first application.

For the serum: • The LE LIFT star ingredient: highly firming 3.5 -DA • Three vitamins essential to the skin's beauty: B3, C and E for radiance.

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Application ritual • For an instant beauty fix: Glide the roll-on over the eye contour, then apply the patches and leave on for 10 minutes.

• For a firming treatment: Use the roll-on morning and evening for ten days.

Apply the patches in the evening only.

Serum application and massage: • Remove makeup, cleanse, dry skin. Shake the serum before use. Glide the roll-over the upper and lower eye contour, as well as crow's feet, from inner corner to outer corner. Repeat five times at a vertical angle, without pressing.

• Blend by patting with fingertips, then delicately smooth from the inside outwards.

• Next, apply each patch. Leave on for 10 minutes to enjoy a moment of relaxation. www.chanel.com

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focus on instagram

New report examines the impact of Instagram’s Hidden Likes experiment on inuencer engagement Back in April, Instagram announced that it would begin a new test of hiding total like counts on posts, a move which sparked much concern among platform inuencers and those who use Likes as a proxy for their relative content performance.

How would the removal of Like counts change user behavior?

Would users be less inclined to tap 'Like' if they didn't have the context of how many others had done the same? And how would that impact overall on-platform engagement?

a study of content from more than 154k Instagram influencers, each of whom sees at least 30% of their following coming from users in the regions in which Instagram's hidden Like counts test is currently running.

This week, influencer marketing platform HypeAuditor has released

For context, Instagram's hidden like counts test is currently live for

users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Japan and New Zealand.

The test is not active in the UK, so HypeAuditor has used the UK listing as a baseline, reflecting normal Like trends on the platform in comparison to the regions involved in the test.

Here's what they found The HypeAuditor team has split its results into four influencer tiers: Those with 1k to 5k followers Those with 5k to20k followers Those with 20k to 100k followers Those with 100k to 1m+ followers For nano-influencers, there has been a pronounced reduction in some regions, but not all.

The results here are not definitive while they do reflect an overall reduction in Like activity in regions impacted by the change, HypeAuditor's categorization (influencers with 30% of their following in the test regions) does leave a few questions around the specific methodology.

But the data does show that the removal of total Like counts is seemingly having some impact on overall engagement stats for influencers.

Is that a good or a bad thing? It's hard to know - maybe reducing the reach of influencers who showcase unrealistic lifestyles and/or physiques is actually kind of the point, as that would also lessen the negative societal impacts through comparison.

Maybe. We don't know because Instagram hasn't shared its measures of success for the trial, what metrics it's looking at, internally, in order to determine if removing total Like counts is a beneficial step. But either way, the data here would appear to suggest that, overall, removing total Like counts is likely to also reduce total Likes allocated overall, at least to influential users. Japan is the only real anomaly - and HypeAuditor notes that Japanese influencers so see the second-highest overall engagement rates in the world (behind Greece).

So, if you're an influencer, you may well see a reduction in your

Instagram engagement - but then again, that wouldn't definitively impact reach, or even engagement on balance. These stats look at influencer performance specifically, but if the same trends hold for all users, that may mean that influencers still perform just as well, with comparative stats for regular people also dropping. If that's the case, then influencer engagement may remain well above the norm, so again, the true impacts are hard to determine.

The data provides some interesting, yet non-definitive, insights into the Instagram Like test. Hopefully, Instagram will soon be able to provide more clarity around the impacts that it's seeing and recording within the test regions.

CREDIT: Social Media Today | Andrew Hutchinson

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on instagram

Instagram to test Hiding ‘Likes’ in the U.S. What does that mean for influencers and brands?

On the heels of Instagram’s decision to remove its visible “like” counter from its platform in certain geographic regions, such as Canada and Australia, earlier this year, the app’s operators say they will perform the same test in the U.S. beginning this month. The roll-out by the Facebook-owned photo and videosharing app is being touted as larger ethos, which will see Instagram “make decisions that hurt the business if they help people's wellbeing and health," according to Instagram's CEO Adam Mosseri.

There are certainly advantages to such an action, most of which center around the potential effect that the hiding of “likes” will have on users’ self-esteem, since removing “likes” is being likened to a removal of the incentive to treat social media as a form of numbers-based competition.

In other words, the removal of users’ “like” scores may function “to restore the more socially collaborative” –

rather than competitive slash comparative – “nature of social media, and may improve user selfesteem in such a way that social validation may have to come through substantive engagement as opposed simply comparing ‘like’ counts,” says Western University Information and Media Studies professor Kane Faucher.

On the other hand, questions abound as to how the removal of “likes” will impact social media influencers, many of whom depend on the visibility of the size of their audience and level of engagement – as demonstrated, at least in part, by likes. To be exact, many are questioning how will this new initiative – which will still enable users to see their own metrics but will hide them from other users – might affect the ease with which influencers can enter into advertising partnerships and the rates that they can demand from brands for posting endorsements, something that no long depends (in many cases) exclusively on the size of their individual audiences but on engagement levels, as well.

Without visible “like” counters in place, Faucher says that “it makes it much harder for influencers to make the case that they are, indeed,

influential in the endorsement of products and services, and it potentially reduces their ability to pitch their effectiveness to companies in securing new work.”

More than that, he says that the removal of visible “like” counts “may make it even harder for new social media influencers to build their reputations, while enabling alreadyestablished influencers to prosper on the basis of their existing follower base” and past track records.

Aside from impacting influencers, brands are expected to be affected, as well, particularly since they also rely heavily on the metrics produced by counters of comments and “likes” to measure the reach of the influencers they are working with – or might want to work with – and to test marketing tactics of their own aside from influencer-specific marketing campaigns.

Ultimately, Faucher suspects that without having easily-viewable numbers to assess performance and justify expenditure, the removal of the “like” counter may deprive businesses of some much-needed market intelligence. (Although, this is almost certainly somewhere that Instagram can and probably will step in with a service … for a price).

At the same time, there are other measures that can be utilized by brands and influencers. As Ali Grant, the founder of digital communications agency Be Social, stated last month, “There [will] still [be] access to the number of swipeups on Instagram Stories, click-

More than merely extending its tagging/shopping capabilities to individuals for the first time, the move paved the way for Instagram to take a percentage of all sales that occur on its platform, while cutting out middlemen, such as influencer monetization platforms like rewardStyle’s LIKEtoKNOW.it app, which have built businesses doing that very thing. throughs from the link in your bio, new followers to a page, and the number of comments,” meaning that “likes” are hardly the the only measurable KPI – or key performance indicator, even if they are more telling than some other figures. Faucher notes, for instance, that Instagram sans counters does “not provide as easy a path to track return on investment” as it does when “likes” are in play. “There may be a follower count,” he states as an example, “but that speaks only to impressions not engagement.”

Finally, there is one more entity that stands to be affected by the removal of visible “likes” that cannot be overlooked: Instagram, itself, since much of its revenue stream is derived from advertising and in particular, its ability to match ads to users based on their activity on the app. In order to do so, Instagram “looks at a user’s time spent logged in and his/her engagement (viewing, posts, likes, etc.),” per Faucher, meaning that “some form of metric must remain in place – publicly visible or not – in order for the company to make the case that

there is a good return on investment for ad placement.” This, after all, will be essential to Instagram, which generated ad revenue of a whopping $9 billion in 2018. That figure is emptied to grow to as much as $14 billion for 2019, according to fresh estimates from Jefferies, making the identification and measuring of a user’s "activity, including “likes,” a staple element in the operation of the app.

Instagram will likely make metrics easily accessible for influencers and businesses in connection with their own accounts in a behind-thescenes capacity, and it would not be surprising if it provides such a service in exchange for a fee. After all, it would not be the first time that it looked to boost its in-app nonadvertising revenues.

For instance, the company announced in April that it would introduce a new feature – which lets influential individuals “tag products in their posts, giving [their followers] the ability to buy whatever they may be wearing (from apparel to cosmetics) directly from the app.”

Even if it does provide intel to brands and influencers, Instagram may still be walking a fine line with influencers and brands, and this is critical, since, as Intelligencer stated this spring, “Social networks need influencers as much as, possibly more than, influencers need them.”

Influencers “drive traffic that platforms can sell ads against, and it’s often creators, not the platforms, who show companies the full use and scope of what the product they have built can do, Intelligencer’s Madison Malone Kircher wrote in May, likening the potential problem to the one that Snapchat experienced.

“If you were a rising Snapchat star looking to do sponsored content or branded deals, you had to take it upon yourself to prove to those companies that you were worth the investment — it wasn’t immediately apparent who was popular and highly sought-after, unlike on Instagram.” The same could soon be said for Instagram.

CREDIT: The Fashion Law

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on instagram

Selena Gomez has a huge Instagram following, but can’t stand the App Selena Gomez has a long history of being open and honest with her fans, and in her years since becoming a star on the Disney Channel, she has matured into a graceful, intelligent woman.

She has earned acclaim for her habit of being transparent regarding her mental health, and over the summer, Gomez spoke out, revealing her feelings towards one particular social media platform that is more popular than ever these days.

While her thoughts surprised many fans, experts actually back up Gomez’s feelings about the app.

Keep reading to learn what Selena Gomez has said about her mental health, why she doesn’t like Instagram, and what experts have to say about the platform.

Selena Gomez has struggled with her mental health Selena Gomez became famous as a little girl and for most of her life,

has dealt with being in the public eye. She has struggled openly with staying healthy and mentally well while still navigating the pitfalls of fame. In 2018, Gomez stepped away from the spotlight, with sources saying that she had checked herself into a facility to work on her mental health.

Gomez later talked about her time away from the public eye, saying that she wasn’t able to “keep things normal” and that at one point, it was the “scariest moment of her life.”

Gomez did admit that during her time away, she was able to get an exact diagnosis from her doctors as to the root cause of her anxiety and depression and felt like the “veil was lifted.”

She also said that these days, she’s in a much better place and is happier and healthier than she has

ever been. Gomez claimed that she wanted to share her story for the benefit of others and that although she has feared being “judged” for sharing her mental health journey, ultimately, it has been worth it.

What did Selena Gomez say about Instagram?

In a June interview, Gomez opened up about Instagram, an app where she has over 160 million followers.

Gomez revealed that even though she is immensely popular on Instagram, she doesn’t even have the app downloaded on her phone.

She said she will check in on her account occasionally by logging into her account on someone else’s phone.

As to why she avoids Instagram, Gomez said that she feels Instagram is actually “really

unhealthy” and that young people, herself included, tend to get too fixated on the comments.

After stating that it was affecting her, Gomez decided to take a step back and disconnect a bit from the world of social media.

Studies say that Instagram is the worst app for mental health

after viewing images of models and those who are considered to have perfect figures. As a result, these young women can feel as though they aren’t “good enough.”

The study also revealed that Instagram can have a negative effect on sleep patterns and causes many to feel as though they are missing out on fun activities or trips that other people on Instagram seem to be enjoying.

As it turns out, Gomez isn’t too far off base with her view on Instagram. A 2017 study reveals that out of all the social media platforms around, Instagram is the one that is most likely to be detrimental to the mental health of young people.

Some social media platforms did get positive marks, with YouTube rated as the social media platform that creates the most positive impact. Selena Gomez might be on to something with her decision to take a step back from Instagram.

It noted, in particular, that young women can be negatively affected

CREDIT: Cheatsheet.com | Stefan Preston

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on tech

Nearly half of America’s millennial millionaires live in California, highlighting just how strong the relationship between tech, money, and real estate is There are 618,000 millennial millionaires in America — and 44% of them live in California, according to a new report by Coldwell Banker.

The Coldwell Banker Global Luxury program worked with wealth intelligence data and research firm WealthEngine to analyze the lifestyles of millennial millionaires, from wealth creation and property investments to spending trends. It defined millennial millionaires as those ages 23 to 37 with a net worth of more than $1 million.

It also looked at the top 10 ZIP codes where these millennial millionaires live. Turns out, eight of those ZIPs are in California; of those eight, no fewer than seven are in Silicon Valley, from Cupertino to San Jose.

It's not just millennial millionaires who are concentrated in California.

According to the report, the state also has the highest population of millionaires overall, regardless of age. That doesn't come as a major surprise, given that Silicon Valley is the country's tech capital — but it does go to show the power Silicon Valley has in minting young wealth.

million home in Palo Alto, or Snap.

Inc. And Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey bought his San Francisco home for $9.9 million in 2012.

Some of today's most prominent tech companies emerged in Silicon Valley in the 2000s: Facebook, Twitter, Uber, and Tesla all got their legs in the area.

"They're 26 years old, only a few years out of school, and they have just gotten a big equity play of $5 million because of what they can do at their desk behind a computer," Karen Yang of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Los Altos said in the report of California's millennial millionaires.

"They view real estate as a significant way to build wealth."

It follows that some of the biggest names in tech are known to live in some of the biggest price-tag mansions in the area. Look no further than Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who purchased a $7

And Silicon Valley is still busy minting new millionaires today.

In 2019, several Silicon Valley tech startups went public, amongst them Uber, Lyft, Slack, and Pinterest.

Earlier this year, Nellie Bowles reported for The New York Times that "even conservative estimates predict hundreds of billions of dollars will flood into town in the next year, creating thousands of new millionaires."

But while this may be good news for Silicon Valley's young tech workers, it's not without a dark downside.

This influx of wealth is already driving what Bowles called a "housing madness."

In fact, the housing situation in San Francisco is often now referred to as being in crisis. In August 2018,

Business Insider's Melia Robinson reported that 60% of tech workers — who are often paid more than the general population — said they couldn't afford homes in the city.

And even if you can find housing, chances are, you'll be paying a lot of money for not a lot of space. In San Francisco, the median $1 million home will get you less than 1,200 square feet of space; that's compared to the national median of 2,200 square feet of space for the same price.

The median home price in Silicon Valley right now is upwards of $1.2 million, Meira Gebel reported for Business Insider. If newly minted young millionaires are inclined to make real estate investment moves,

they could drive these prices even higher. As Bowles reported, San Francisco single-family homes could cost as much as $5 million by 2024.

Now, some of the tech companies that contributed to the crisis are pledging big money to solve it. In June, Google pledged to invest $1 billion in land and building homes in the area, Daisuke Wakabayashi and Conor Dougherty reported for The New York Times. And on October 22, Facebook pledged $1 billion to help fix the affordable housing crisis, Business Insider's Libertina Brandt reported.

CREDIT: Business Insider | Hillary Hoffower

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on tech

Tech billionaires’ net worth has skyrocketed, and it looks like they’ll only get richer Tech billionaires are leading the ultra-wealthy in growing their fortunes, according to a UBS report titled ‘The Billionaire Effect’.

The Swiss bank found tech tycoons' wealth grew 3.4% or $1.3 trillion in 2018, and the number of tech billionaires nearly doubled from 76 to 148 in five years.

- Billionaires have become a key policy issue in the US as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic presidential candidates have proposed wealth taxes.

— growing 91%.

Tech billionaires are leading the ultra-wealthy in growing their fortunes, according to a UBS report titled "The Billionaire Effect" released on Friday.

Billionaires have become a key policy issue in the 2020 US presidential election with Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other democratic presidential candidates saying they would implement a tax on the ultra wealthy.

"If tech billionaires' wealth were a country, it would rank second only to the US," the report said. "Looking back over five years, tech billionaires have driven almost a third of the growth in billionaire wealth. US tech billionaires accounted for more than half of that growth."

UBS, one of the world's largest wealth managers with roughly 1,000 billionaire clients, found tech tycoons' wealth grew 3.4% or $1.3 trillion in 2018, and the number of tech billionaires nearly doubled from 76 to 148 in five years.

Warren has been criticized by billionaires such as Leon Cooperman for her proposed wealth tax of roughly 3% to 6%. Cooperman said she was "s------- on the American dream."

The Swiss bank estimated the wealth of tech entrepreneurs like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg almost doubled in the last five years

Meanwhile, tech billionaires have come under fire for issues such as data protection and political advertising on their platforms.

Zuckerberg — who's worth $72.9

If tech billionaires' wealth were a country, it would rank second only to the US.

billion, according to Bloomberg — was recently grilled by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over Facebook's sale of personal user data to third parties and policy of allowing false political adverts.

the internet, and equipment are the wealthiest in the tech industry.

However, fintech and multimedia have grown rapidly — 419% and 504% respectively in the past five years.

"I think there will be a change in behavior [of billionaires] driven by the mainstream, with a reduction in risk appetite and I think there will be a reduction of output," said Josef Stadler, head of UBS' global ultrahigh net worth department.

"Whether that's a good or bad thing I don't know,"

"Even so, pioneers of the future such as e-commerce, fintech, ride hailing, and data systems are making headway, as they stand to disrupt swathes of the global economy," the report said.

Stadler made the comments at the report's launch event in London, in response to a question about whether billionaires will be forced to clean up their acts.

"Banking today is already different today than it was five years go. You look at Revolut and Monzo and the newly developed systems and this will fuel new billionaires or at least millionaires," said Marcel Tschanz, Swiss head of wealth management at PWC, at the event.

The report highlighted that entrepreneurs who built software,

CREDIT: Business Insider | Yusuf Khan

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on tech

600,000+ millennial millionaires in the US There are 618,000 millennial millionaires in the U.S. and their wealth is only expected to grow.

Millennials are expected to be five times wealthier in the next decade than they are now, according to a report by Coldwell Banker. Some of their wealth can be attributed to what’s been dubbed the “Great Wealth Transfer,” where nearly $68 trillion in assets are expected to flow to younger-generations.

“The difference between the millionaires of the early 1980s and the ones being created today is that many of them stand to inherit even more wealth from their baby boomer parents, who are

considered the wealthiest generation in history,” the report says.

Currently, 93% of millennial millionaires have a net wealth between approximately $1 million and $2.5 million, according to the report. Nearly 60% live in either California or New York and they are investing more in real estate than their elder-millionaire counterparts.

On average, millennial millionaires own three homes, slightly higher than the 2.4 properties the average

older millionaire possesses. They also have larger real estate portfolios than non-millennials, $1.4 million compared to $919,000.

In addition to inheriting their money, the report suggests that there is a significant tech influence to the rise of millennial wealth. Some of the top zip codes for millennial millionaires are in Silicon Valley, including Cupertino, California home to the tech behemoth, Apple -though only about 15% are business owners.

The report goes on to say that the next generation of millionaires value home ownership and consider it key to wealth-building in the long term.

“Both younger and older millennial millionaires in Silicon Valley share the view that real estate is key to wealth creation. Even younger millionaires in their 20s who know their life is going to change and probably only plan on living in a property for two to three years.

They have the intention of hanging on to the property afterwards and converting to a rental property,” the report says.

CREDIT: CNBC | Olivia Raimonde

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on tech

Europe isn’t competing with the US’s tech entrepreneurial spirit Why hasn’t Europe created some social media giants – and what does that say about the future of our continent’s economy?

Six out of the top ten social networks are American – and the other four are Chinese.

It is a question we don’t ask ourselves often enough, for we accept – and I think this applies to continental Europeans as well as Britons – that it should be normal for us to go on Facebook, Google things we want to check, watch YouTube clips on our iPhones, and soon be catching up on Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s next adventures on Amazon Prime. Six out of the top 10 social networks are American – and the other four are Chinese.

Now it is true that the titans are under pressure. There is a move in the US to break them up, and in Europe to make them pay more tax. But it is hard to see their role

being displaced, for there are no significant European challengers.

This failure continues. Look at how TikTok has shot up the global league table. That shows that new entrants can break into the market and is ranked number nine by Statista with 500 million users. But, of course, it is Chinese. It may have started to lose a bit of ground now, but it does raise the question: if the Chinese can create new social networks that attract our young, why on earth can’t we do so?

CREDIT: Independent | Hamish McRae

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on TikTok

Meet Zhang Yiming, the Chinese billionaire behind TikTok TikTok has become an Internet sensation since launching in 2016, reaching over 500 million global monthly active users and attracting the attention of tech giants like Facebook and Google. But Zhang Yiming, the billionaire founder behind TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, is far less famous than the video-sharing tool that’s become the most downloaded app in the world.

Forbes estimates Zhang’s net worth at $16.2 billion, making him the 9th richest person in China on the Forbes real-time ranking of billionaires; Zhang owns an estimated 24% of ByteDance. The 35-year-old has experienced a stellar rise since founding ByteDance in 2012, which earned him a spot on the Forbes China 30 Under 30 list in 2013. Altogether the Beijing-based company has raised $7.5 billion, with investors valuing the company at $75 billion, according to Pitchbook.

Zhang, a software engineer who graduated from Nankai University in Tianjin, got his break in July 2012 when the company raised $5 million in its Series A financing round from billionaire investor Yuri Milner and Susquehanna Investments, which contributed another $10 million in 2013.

The next year, ByteDance secured $100 million in its Series C round from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital China. The deal valued the company at $500 million — but that was just the beginning for

Zhang. Three years later, in 2017, its flagship app Toutiao — a news aggregation service popular among younger users — had become the most downloaded news app on the iOS App Store in China. Two funding rounds in April and December 2017, also led by Sequoia Capital China, pushed ByteDance’s valuation to a mammoth $20 billion. Zhang debuted on the Forbes World’s Billionaires list in March 2018 with a net worth of $4 billion.

Since launching TikTok in international markets in late 2017, the app’s popularity has skyrocketed, reaching a milestone of 500 million global active users in July 2018. Three months later, the privately owned ByteDance raised more funding that valued the company at $75 billion, a move that quadrupled Zhang’s net worth and landed him a place among China’s richest people.

Last week, the New York Times reported that the U.S. government had opened a national security investigation into ByteDance for its

acquisition of Musical.ly, a Santa Monica-based app that was rolled into TikTok. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley scheduled a hearing for Tuesday November 5th to look into the potential national security threats posed by Chinese tech firms in the U.S. and invited representatives from ByteDance to take part.

A spokesman for ByteDance and TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment, but a company spokesman told the South China Morning Post that the company was unable to provide a witness for the hearing on short notice. “We remain committed to working productively with Congress as it looks at how to secure the data of American users, protect their privacy, promote free expression, ensure competition and choice among internet platforms, and preserve U.S. national security interests,” the spokesperson said.

CREDIT : Forbes | Giacomo Tognini

influencers MAGAZINE

focus on TikTok

TikTok: Should we trust the Chinese social-media video app?

TikTok is thought to have about half a billion active users worldwide, with a large percentage in their teens or early 20s.

The short-form video app has become a fertile birthing ground for memes, many of them musicrelated.

One example involved users and their pets switching into cowboy and cowgirl clothing at a certain point in rapper Lil Nas X's song Old Town Road - something that is credited with it becoming a huge hit. But some politicians are worried the app's Chinese owner, Bytedance, poses a risk to national security., and regulators have also raised their own safety concerns.

So is the app safe or is the fervour about TikTok a tempest in a teapot?

How does it work?

People - mostly under-20s - use the app to post 15-second videos. Many involve lip-synching to songs, comedy routines and/or unusual editing tricks. These are then made available to both followers and strangers. By default, all accounts are public, although users can restrict uploads to an approved list of contacts.

An algorithm analyses what type of material each user pays most attention to, to hook them on other clips, and it's easy to lose track of time as one auto-plays after another.

Members can also search for specific topics or users and browse by clicking on hashtags.

TikTok also allows private messages to be sent but this facility is limited to "friends".

Many of its long-term members originally downloaded Musical.ly, a rival short-form video app owned by a separate Chinese start-up. But it was acquired by Bytedance, in 2017, which merged the two platforms.

Beijing-based Bytedance, also has a sister app, Douyin. This is run on a different network in order to comply with Chinese censorship rules.

The company is no stranger to controversy. This past year, it garnered a temporary ban in India, a US counter-intelligence investigation and a record ÂŁ4.3m fine after Musical.ly was found to have knowingly hosted content published by under-age users.

Why are people worried about TikTok's handling of data?

Critics in the US warn the app has the potential to compromise users' privacy. Alex Stamos, who is the former chief security officer of

Facebook and now a Stanford professor, tweeted his concern after reports emerged of a clash between Bytedance's US and Chinese employees.

Former members of the US contentvetting team - which removes clips featuring terrorism and pornography - had said their China-based colleagues had also told them to take down videos that would not normally be flagged for abusive content in the US, according to a report in the Washington Post.

The deleted videos reportedly contained heavy kissing, suggestive dance moves and political debate.

Others worry about the fact China requires its social-media apps to provide the state access to users' information. But Bytedance says

data about users in other countries is stored separately and not shared with the Chinese authorities.

Why else are US lawmakers concerned?

US politicians asked TikTok to testify at a congressional hearing. They wanted the company to clear up allegations it was beholden to the Chinese state.

Several US senators have joined the call for a government investigation.

Arkansas senator Tom Cotton has claimed TikTok might be the target of a foreign-influence campaign, like those carried out on Facebook and Twitter in the 2016 election.

Bytedance says TikTok does not carry political ads - but the senator said there were still concerns China might find other ways to use "personal sensitive information" about the app's users. And he worries the company could be compelled to co-operate with intelligence work driven by the Chinese Communist Party.

What is TikTok doing to allay concerns?

The company says it has changed over the course of 2019.

It used to apply "one-size-fits-all" content guidelines to all its international markets - but now US moderation decisions are handled locally.

Vanessa Pappas, US general manager for TikTok told BBC News: "Consistent with our rapid growth, we are working to further strengthen the capabilities and increase the autonomy of the US team." In addition, the company has hired a third party to carry out an audit meant to ensure users' data is not transmitted to China via thirdparty apps that can plug into TikTok.

What does this mean for TikTok? Grindr, the gay dating app acquired by the Chinese company Kulun, represents a cautionary tale for TikTok. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (Cifius) has compelled Kulun to sell Grindr, which it has agreed to do in 2020. Cifius has the power to unwind foreign takeovers of US companies if it finds there to be a national security threat. And it ruled Grindr held too much personal information about US soldiers.

The same committee is now reported to be looking into the takeover of Musical.ly on the basis the company had a California base, even though it was headquartered in Shanghai. If Bytedance is unable to convince lawmakers - who are in the midst of an election cycle - it does not pose a potential threat, TikTok could suffer a similar fate.

Three things could happen: • the app could be geo-blocked in the US, where it has 26.5 million monthly active users • TikTok could be spun off as a separate company based outside China • Bytedance might have to sell TikTok to another technology company TikTok also faces regulatory scrutiny in the UK. Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham confirmed in July she was investigating how it used children's data.

"We do have an active investigation into TikTok right now, so you can watch that space," the regulator told MPs. CREDIT : BBC Technology

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Explore over 200 different locations around the world in an easily digestible and fun format.

Explore Group is the world's leading destination and lifestyle multi-channel content network.

Explore your next travel destination now.

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Explore

www.exploregroup.co

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

World Travel Influencers

Gold Category 75ok - 999k followers

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Brian Skerry @brianskerry

Brian Skerry is a photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments. Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine covering a wide range of subjects and stories. In 2014 he was one of five photographers named as a National Geographic Photography Fellow. In 2015 he was named a Nikon Ambassador and in June 2017 he was awarded the title of Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year. For NGM, Brian has covered a wide range of stories, from the harp seal’s struggle to survive in frozen

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

waters to the alarming decrease in the world’s fisheries to dolphin intelligence, all cover stories.

During 2016 NGM published three consecutive feature stories by Brian about predatory sharks. His cover story in the February 2017 issue of NGM, focuses on protecting special underwater ecosystems in US waters. During his coverage for this story Brian produced the first images of a US President underwater. He is currently at work on his 28th story for NGM.

worldsocialmedia.directory/brian-skerry/

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world travel influencers gold category

Brit Manuela @britmanuela

Model who has been represented

by Los Angeles Wilhelmina modelling agency. She has gone on to amass over 700,000 followers on Instagram for her bikini and lingerie-related modelling photos.

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/brit-manuela/

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Callum Snape @calsnape

Callum Snape is an adventure and travel freelance photographer from Vancouver, BC. His work is a reflection of his passions and is layered with landscapes, lifestyle, adventure, sports, and the personalities that find meaning from the same sources. In addition to capturing beautiful

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

images, Callum amassed one of the largest digital audiences within the outdoor and travel industry in Canada, of over 970,000+ followers. Allowing him to share the stories of his adventures and travel with everyone that follows.

worldsocialmedia.directory/callum-snape/

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Chelsea Yamase @chelseakauai

I’m a Hawaii-based creative and deeply curious human here practicing courage. I come from a small island in the Pacific and I’m still not quite sure how I got to live a life bigger than I ever dreamed of. For the last 3 years I’ve been hiking, diving, surfing, slacklining, and photographing my way through 53 countries and counting. I’m proud to be supported by some of my favorite brands like Canon USA, Adobe, andgive preference to creating content for companies doing good.

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

Self-improvement, outdoor adventure, and creativity make me SUPER excited and I get to share some of my journey exploring all three bothon here and on my instagram.

socialmedia.directory/chelsea-yamase/

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world travel influencers gold category

Jacob Riglin @jacob

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

Jacob Riglin, 23, from Richmond, London, first picked up a camera as a 16-year-old college student and hasn't looked back since.

'I think for me, the thing I love about photography is the power of being able to capture a moment that wow's people.

He now creates stunning images from around the world on behalf of brands like Amazon and BMW for his 896,000 Instagram followers. Images show Jacob and his girlfriend of two-years, Hayley Vincent, in a series of stunning destinations the world including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India and even sat together in a helicopter over New York City's skyline.

'All of my photography is geared towards celebrating the beauty in the world, I want people to feel inspired and excited when they look at my photos. I also want them to see how delicate and precious the world is.'

worldsocialmedia.directory/jacobriglin/

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Jessica Kahawaty @jessicakahawaty

Miss World Australia 2012 who later went on to finish second in the Miss Universe competition of that same year.

She competed in the 2010 Miss Lebanon pageant before becoming Miss World Australia.

She is a TV Host, beauty queen, model, charity worker, and most recently the face and presenter for Yahoo Maktoob's new entertainment shows, 'omg!

NOW' and 'omg! NUJOOM'. She was born into a Lebanese family in Sydney, New South Wales.

commercials for known brands such as Maybelline Cosmetics for India and Lexus cars for Australia.

She has also been featured in major catwalks, magazines, and photo-shoots around the world.

While focusing on her career, Kahawaty also aids in community service and conducts her own charity events. In 2007 she raised money for charities in both Australia and Lebanon, most notably Lilla community and Charity: Water.

Jessica has studied a combined degree of Bachelor of Laws and Business with a major in Finance in Sydney. In her acting career, she has filmed various 750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

instagram.com/jessicakahawaty/?hl=en

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Mattias Klum @mattiasklumofficial

Mattias Klum was born in Uppsala, Sweden in 1968 and started taking pictures in his teens. He has worked full-time as a freelance photographer since 1986, and as a cinematographer and director on numerous film and television projects since 1994. In an artistic way that is entirely his own, Klum describes and portrays animals, plants, and natural and cultural settings in the form of articles, books, films, lectures and exhibitions.

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

A coveted lecturer worldwide, Klum's work has been published in a large number of international magazines, such as National Geographic, Wildlife Conservation, Audubon, GEO, Terre Sauvage, Stern, Der Spiegel, and the New York Times.

worldsocialmedia.directory/mattias-klum/

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Naomi-Jane Adams @bookonin

Book On In Luxury Collection was founded by Naomi Jane Adams, based between Oxford and London in the UK after over a decade of working in Travel, Media & Finance.

So far Naomi has visited over 40 counties, however for Naomi it not about the number of places, you will often find Naomi returning to many places over and over again a sign that she has built up a good working relationship with those Travel Partners, and that she feels resonate with her brand and audience.

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

Naomi is asked by travel companies, hotels, tourism boards to take press trips where she is paid for social media marketing and producing content for Social first. Naomi also works with fashion and lifestyle brands to produce content for various campaigns that she thinks fit in with her lifestyle and travels. (All of her paid and sponsored trips and brand partnerships are clearly disclosed on all of her Blog and Social posts)

worldsocialmedia.directory/naomi-jane-adams/

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world travel influencers gold category

Sam Kolder @samkolder

Sam Kolder is a popular Instagram star celebrity, a Canadian filmmaker, video editor, and photographer. He was hired to be the head of the video of Beautiful Destinations. As of March 2019, Beautiful Destinations Instagram account had over 12 million followers, while Sam gained over 1.4 million followers on his own personal account. Sam has a huge fan base all over the internet. Let us know more about him.

750K TO 999K FOLLOWERS

socialmedia.directory/sam-kolder/

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social videos from around the world

PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER BRACELET THE CARTIER PANTHER FIRST LEAPT INTO THE MAISON'S AESTHETIC IN 1914.

Whilst Louis Cartier was the first to tame the legendary creature, his associate Jeanne Toussaint went on to make magnificent use of the now-iconic feline motif. Since then, the panther, by turns predatory, playful or languid, has revealed different facets of its wild personality from collection to collection. www.cartier.co.uk

PLATINUM, EMERALDS, ONYX, DIAMONDS REF: H6007517 £243,000 Bracelet - 950‰ platinum, 744 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 12.73 carats, emeralds, onyx.

world luxury

LUXURY REDEFINED www.luxnews.co

FRANK CLEGG A HANDSOME TAKE ON AN OLD SCHOOL ORIGINAL, OUR HAMPTON ZIPPER BACKPACK IS A GAME-CHANGER. FROM THE COMFORTABLY CURVED STRAPS TO THE GENEROUSLY SPACIOUS INTERIOR, THIS TRADITIONAL AND SOPHISTICATED CARRIER HAS YOUR BACK.

world luxury For those times when you need to bring your office with you, or if you're on the go, the timeless design is simple enough for everyday use and complements any wardrobe.

CRAFTSMANSHIP We take pride in what we do, and what we do is not always easy. We have strict guidelines that ensure our products are of exceptional quality and that no short cuts have been taken. This intricate process starts with the leather, closely examining each individual hide, making sure there are no imperfections. After the leather is cut, all edges are buffed, polished and painted by hand. When the product begins to come together, finer details such as stitching are inspected to ensure quality construction. Upon completion, we perform a final inspection to certify the Frank Clegg signature of approval.

SMOOTH TUMBLED LEATHER This leather is gently tumbled in rotating drums filled with vegetable extracts to give it a distinctively soft and relaxed hand, while at the same time remaining durable. This leather is also finished with polishable waxes that will patina, but due to its more natural grain, the aging process will take longer than the harness belting.

And just like our belting leather, a fine protective film is applied during the finishing process for added surface protection.

Rolled Top Handle with a 4.5” Drop Adjustable/Padded Straps Leather Bound Buffed and Polished Edges Interior Zipper Pocket with Multifunctional Slip Pockets Holds up to a 15” Laptop Magnetic Snap Closures Solid Brass Hardware Swiss-Made RiRi Zipper Unlined Handcrafted in Massachusetts

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LUXURY REDEFINED www.luxnews.co

HERMÈS APPLE WATCH HERMÈS SERIES 5 DOUBLE TOUR 40 MM

The latest Apple Watch Hermès Series 5 collection showcases a wide range of new and current Hermès cases and bands, new faces designed for the Always-On Retina display, and a special combination in all black.

Each Apple Watch Hermès will come with the exclusive Hermès Sport orange strap.

The extra-long band of the iconic Double Tour wraps elegantly twice around the wrist. Available in several colorways, each paired with a 40 mm stainless steel case.

Bands also available separately.

Length: 130-155 mm (5.2"-6.1")

Finish: stainless steel Material: Swift calfskin

hermes.com

world luxury

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NURAPH FOR DECADES, HEADPHONES HAVE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR THE DRASTIC DIFFERENCES IN OUR INDIVIDUAL HEARING. UNTIL NOW.

Melbourne-based, personalised sound pioneer nura has launched its highly anticipated debut product — a reinvention of the headphone that looks, feels and works in a radically different way to conventional headphones.

Winner of CES Best of Innovation Award, Red Dot's Best of the Best Award and Good Design Award 2018.

Rediscover your favourite music.

Built to deliver the most immersive experience of the music you love, at its core is a self-learning engine that automatically measures your hearing by monitoring otoacoustic emissions – no need to take a “can you hear this?” test. nuraphones use this information to adapt the sound of the headphones to perfectly match your hearing and bring your music into sharp focus. The learning process takes only about a minute. It is performed using a companion app available free on iOS and Android. Once personalised, your profile is stored on the nuraphone delivering your perfect sound from any music source such as a smartphone, computer, home stereo, airplane seat, etc. The nuraphone can store up to three unique profiles so you can share and compare with your friends.

FrontRow™ immersion The nuraphone is neither in-ear nor over-ear – it’s both. We call it inova™. The revolutionary architecture delivers bass you can feel, while maintaining crystal-clear detail. It works by splitting the melodic sounds to an in-ear speaker, and lowtones to an over-ear driver that delivers the bass through your skin. You can adjust your level of immersion with the companion app. And thanks to the dual isolation of inova™, the nuraphones don’t let any noise in or leak any sound out. www.nuraphone.com

world luxury

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Facebook exec says libra cryptocurrency won’t spread ‘like a social network’ A top Facebook executive has said the tech giant’s proposed libra cryptocurrency won’t go viral like a social media platform and will take decades to roll out.

“This is not going to be a thing that spreads like a social network,” Kevin Weil, vice president of product at Facebook’s Calibra digital wallet unit, told an audience at the Web Summit technology conference. “This is going to be the work not of years but of decades, and it’s worth making.”

The company has come under intense regulatory pressure ever since it first announced its plans for a digital currency back in June. The Libra Association, a Switzerlandbased consortium overseeing the project, lost multiple key initial backers including Mastercard and Visa last month on the back of that pushback.

But Weil seemed optimistic on the interest among other companies in joining Libra. “18 months ago, this was an idea,” he said. “Today we have 21 fantastic committed organisations that are members of the Libra Association; a bunch more that are looking to be involved. So expect that number to continue to grow.”

Libra’s value would be tied to a basket of government currencies and debt to maintain a stable value, similar to the many so-called “stablecoins” that look to avoid the volatility seen in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Facebook says its primary use case would be for remittances, where people send money across borders.

“There are going to be people who are not comfortable using a financial product built by Facebook,” Weil said, adding that it’s “OK” if they feel that way. “You don’t have to use a Facebook product ever to get the greater value of the accessibility and lower cost brought by the libra ecosystem.”

Weil said that the libra token would address the pain currently involved in sending money abroad, claiming the average fee for remittances comes in at about 7% of the total transaction amount.

The idea is that Calibra would be Facebook’s way of making a business out of libra, utilizing it with its digital wallet which users would be able to store and exchange funds on. Weil said there will be plenty of other wallets from companies both small and large that can incorporate libra.

One of the key concerns among some political and regulatory figures has been the fact that Facebook has so far been the organization leading the digital currency initiative. The social network’s boss Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook “would be forced to leave” the association if members voted to move forward without the clearances it feels it needs.

CREDIT : CNBC | Ryan Browne

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focus on Facebook

Ex-top Facebook exec says political ads should be fact-checked When former Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox left the company earlier this year, he was known as an advocate inside the company for getting rid of fake news on the website, saying that political ads should be fact checked, which is not the company’s current policy.

“Most political ads are highly partisan, and fact-checking, part of the place I think you want to get to is find a way to do some sort of fact checking on these that’s not so partisan,” Cox said at the Wired 25 conference in San Francisco.

Cox went on to cite a project he worked on at Facebook that uses a panel of representative people to determine whether content is misleading.

In September, Facebook said that it will not fact check or remove content posted by politicians save for a few exceptions. The decision has drawn criticism from politicians like Sen. Mark Warner and even Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

he won’t be implementing these potential new policies.

While he didn’t announce a new company, Cox said on Friday he is now advising smaller groups, including a satellite startup called Planet Labs.

He also said that he’s an advisor to a left-leaning nonprofit called Acronym, which launched last year to give Democratic candidates access to better digital campaign tools.

“I’m not sitting on the board of directors, but I’ve been been helping Tara [Mcgowan, founder of Acronym] how to raise money, how to hire a team,” Cox said.

It’s a move into the political world that he said he could not have made if he was still working at Facebook.

“When you’re in a very very senior role at a platform, you have a duty to be much more neutral,” Cox said.

But Cox is not afraid to get political now — he said on Friday that he is not a Trump supporter.

“I think Trump should not be our president, the other thing I care a lot about right now is climate change, and he’s not going to help us there,” Cox said.

CREDIT : CNBC | Kif Leswing

Cox also said that Facebook is investigating “microtargeting,” a practice that lets campaigns pay Facebook to display different ads and messages to targeted groups of people. Politico reported on Thursday that Facebook was considering restricting political microtargeting.

“The thesis of all of this stuff is it should be out in the open,” Cox said.

Facebook currently publishes all of the political ads it runs, but Cox said that there can be so many different versions of various ads that it can be tricky to analyze.

Cox also suggested that Facebook could change its user interface to fight false claims. “You’re looking for ways for fact checking to not be so partisan, while also giving the user or consumer a good user experience,” Cox said.

Cox left Facebook in March, a decision he said he made with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, so

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focus on Facebook

A Chinese digital currency is the real threat, not Facebook’s Libra Western governments need to start thinking about their response to currencies they cannot control.

The Facebook chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, was at least half right when he recently told Congress that there was no US monopoly on regulation of next-generation payments technology. You may not like Facebook’s proposed Libra (pseudo) cryptocurrency, Zuckerberg implied, but a state-run Chinese digital currency with global ambitions is perhaps just a few months away, and you will probably like that even less.

Perhaps Zuckerberg went too far when he suggested that the imminent rise of a Chinese digital currency could undermine overall dollar dominance of global trade and finance – at least the large part that is legal, taxed, and regulated. In fact, US regulators have vast power not only over domestic entities but also over any financial firms that need access to dollar markets, as Europe recently learned to its dismay when the US forced European banks to comply with severe restrictions on doing business with Iran.

America’s deep and liquid markets, its strong institutions, and the rule of law will trump Chinese efforts to achieve currency dominance for a long time to come. China’s burdensome capital controls, its limits on foreign holdings of bonds and equities, and the general opaqueness of its financial system leave the yuan many decades away from supplanting the dollar in the legal global economy.

Control over the underground economy, however, is another matter entirely. The global underground economy, consisting mainly of tax evasion and criminal activities, but also terrorism, is much smaller than the legal economy (perhaps one-fifth the size), but it is still highly consequential. The issue here is not so much whose currency is dominant, but how to minimise adverse effects. And a widely used, state-backed Chinese digital currency could certainly have an impact, especially in areas where

China’s interests do not coincide with those of the west.

A US-regulated digital currency could in principle be required to be traceable by US authorities, so that if North Korea were to use it to hire Russian nuclear scientists, or Iran were to use it to finance terrorist activity, they would run a high risk of being caught, and potentially even blocked. If, however, the digital currency were run out of China, the US would have far fewer levers to pull. Western regulators could ultimately ban the use of China’s digital currency, but that wouldn’t stop it from being used in large parts of Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which in turn could engender some underground demand even in the US and Europe.

One might well ask why existing cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin cannot already perform this function. To an extremely limited extent, they do. But regulators worldwide have huge incentives to

rein in cryptocurrencies by sharply proscribing their use in banks and retail establishments. Such restrictions make existing cryptocurrencies highly illiquid and ultimately greatly limit their fundamental underlying value. Not so for a Chinese-backed digital renminbi that could readily be spent in one of the world’s two largest economies. True, when China announces its new digital currency, it will almost surely be “permissioned”: a central clearing house will in principle allow the Chinese government to see anything and everything. But the US will not.

Facebook’s Libra is also designed as a “permissioned” currency, in its case under the auspices of Swiss regulators. Cooperation with Switzerland, where the currency is officially registered, will surely be much better than with China, despite Switzerland’s long tradition of extending privacy to financial transactions, especially with regard to tax evasion.

The fact that Libra will be pegged to the US dollar will give US authorities additional insight, because (at present) all dollar clearing must go through US-regulated entities. Still, given that Libra’s functionality can largely be duplicated with existing financial instruments, it is hard to see much fundamental demand for Libra except among those aiming to evade detection. Unless tech-sponsored currencies offer genuinely superior technology – and this is not at all obvious – they should be regulated in the same way as everyone else.

If nothing else, Libra has inspired many advanced-economy central banks to accelerate their programmes to provide broaderbased retail digital currencies, and, one hopes, to strengthen their efforts to boost financial inclusion.

But this battle is not simply over the profits from printing currency; ultimately, it is over the state’s ability to regulate and tax the economy in general, and over the US government’s ability to use the

dollar’s global role to advance its international policy aims.

The US currently has financial sanctions in place against 12 countries. Turkey was briefly sanctioned last month after its invasion of Kurdish territory in Syria, though the measures were quickly lifted. For Russia, sanctions have been in place for five years.

Just as technology has disrupted media, politics, and business, it is on the verge of disrupting America’s ability to leverage faith in its currency to pursue its broader national interests. Libra is probably not the answer to the coming disruption posed by government-sanctioned digital currencies from China and elsewhere. But if not, western governments need to start thinking about their response now, before it is too late.

CREDIT : The Guardian | Kenneth Rogoff

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focus on social media

Research shows Social Media Inuencers are behind the rise of fashion in UK According to new research released by the Fashion Retail Academy, more than half of UK shoppers believe that social media inuencers play a great role in the rise of fast fashion.

OnePoll has carried out a survey of 2,000 people on behalf of the Fashion Retail Academy. The survey found that 54 percent of people believe that influencers have caused a rise in this type of clothing.

Influencers are those people who style themselves to attract buyers.

The younger generation has risen the figure to almost three quarters.

73% of the younger generation is between 18 and 24 and 68% of them are between 25-34 years old. They have stated that influencers are

behind the sudden rise in disposable fast fashion.

The Fashion Retail Academy has also added that the influencers search for a number of ways like posting the pictures in a variety of outfits on social media. Especially Instagram has made it easier for consumers to make an instant purchase of On Sale items through affiliate links.

Instagram also gets a commission after every purchase. The research

has found that the photo-sharing site, Instagram, is helping different stores to grow the fashion industry.

Every fifth or 17% of people are using this platform to find the latest trends and visit the online stores.

The research has also noted that friends and families are the main sources of inspiration and 26% of people have an impact on fashion choices.

Shop windows are still a source of fashion inspiration for more than 21% of people. They admitted that the shop windows help to style their outfits. Lee Lucas is the chief executive of the Fashion Retail Academy. He said in a statement that the fashion inspiration once came from the glossy magazines and photoshoots. But now a large number of people are making money by styling themselves on the online platforms. These influencers, in turn, are inspiring others to adopt similar looks.

CREDIT: The American Reporter | Richard Brown

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focus on social media

More governments than ever are using social media to push propaganda According to a report from Freedom House, more of the world’s governments are moving away from trying to censor social media and instead are turning to another tactic to influence public opinion: putting their own propaganda on the internet.

Freedom House, a nonprofit group that tracks free speech online, said in a report on Tuesday that it found political leaders in 38 countries had employed people to surreptitiously shape online opinions during the past year — a new annual high, according to the organization.

Tech executives including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have argued that their services allow unprecedented free expression, but the annual "Freedom on the Net" report paints a more dire picture, saying the future of internet freedom rests on people’s ability to fix problems with social media such as abuse by repressive regimes.

"Many governments are finding that on social media, propaganda works better than censorship," Mike Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, said in a statement.

Russia orchestrated the bestknown example of government propaganda and disinformation on social media when its operatives

posted millions of times on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

But Freedom House said similar efforts to shape public opinion through bots and fake accounts grew during the past year in countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and China. Freedom House labeled China the "world’s worst abuser of internet freedom" for the fourth consecutive year.

Even traditional bastions of internet freedom have deployed what the organization called "informational tactics" to manipulate elections, meaning the coordinated use of hyperpartisan commentators, bots or news sites to disseminate false content, often with the backing of the government or a political party apparatus.

The countries using those tactics over the past year included the United States, Australia, Hungary and Italy, according to the report.

Freedom House said it consulted more than 70 analysts and used a 21-question research method to assess internet freedom worldwide. Factors included the blocking of social media services and new laws that criminalize online speech.

The report said overall global internet freedom declined for the ninth consecutive year in 2019. Of the 65 countries included in its assessment, 33 experienced a decline in free expression guarantees based on those 21 questions, while 16 registered increases.

Iceland was the world’s best protector of internet freedom, Freedom House said, citing the lack of court cases cracking down on expression and strong protections for users’ rights.

CREDIT: NBC News | David Ingram

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focus on social media

Three reasons and three tools you need to automate your social media marketing campaigns According to research done by Digg, in one minute, there are about 1 million Facebook users logged in and 87,5000 people tweeting.

There are also 3.8 million queries on Google, 347,222 people on Instagram, and about 188 million emails sent.

These statistics show how hard it can get for your business to keep abreast of customers’ needs on social media. You must be available for every mention and every question on all of the social media platforms your customers frequent.

Speed is important to today’s buyers. They start losing their patience with you after 10 minutes.

Why You Need Social Media Automation There are so many social media channels you can use today to put your brand in front of your ideal customers. However, you need a social media presence that targets the right audience with consistent interactions to promote your brand right.

Social media automation makes this possible. As a social media marketer, you need to have a social media strategy to help you plan and

post content. Social media automation helps you plan and schedule content so you can publish it at the right times.

1. Save Time Ever felt like there’s not enough time in a day to handle all of your social media accounts? Scheduling posts, replying to mentions, and maintaining an active presence on all platforms can be overwhelming.

Automation allows you to manage all of your accounts from one location. You can respond to requests, customer service issues, comments, @replies, and questions on time, without having to login to different platforms manually.

Some automation tools help you find trending topics and discover content that resonates with your target audience. With more time, you can ensure the right content and messaging on each platform.

You will also have more time to

craft appropriate images, especially if the automation app has image editing capabilities. Automation also gives you time to A/B test your marketing campaigns. You will be able to find out what content or message is working best, and support your findings with real data.

Social media automation also gives you time to check on marketing campaign reports and analysis.

Insights you get help you identify areas to improve in the future campaigns. They can also show you what effect your current efforts have on your target audience.

2. Be Consistent Consistency is essential in social media marketing. Your message and how you deliver it should be consistent. You may feel like a robot repeating the same message and using the same language, but this is a big part of branding.

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focus on social media

Delivering content predictably and effectively grows your follower base.

If your audience knows when you will post next, and they will look forward to reading it.

Automating allows you to have publishing schedules across multiple platforms. 83% of marketers say social media post scheduling is the most suitable use of marketing automation.

3. Increase Visibility Automation helps you create a working social media strategy. It ensures your messages are visible to the audience and helps you reach them on time.

Social media automation works for you 24/7 so that you are always available to customers. You can stay in touch with your audience when they are active. You have complete control over content shared, times of posting, and frequency.

Automation tools allow you to schedule posts after creating them.

They then publish at the times of your choosing. They also make it easy for you to post your content on different platforms frequently.

Since automation tools provide you with insights on how your content is performing, it becomes easier to reach your target customers.

Tools to Use When Automating Your Social Media Marketing Campaigns Today’s competitive market demands that businesses produce the best content, establish brand presence, drive traffic, and increase credibility.

Social media automation allows marketers to produce content that stands out and places them above the fold.

Some of the tools you can use for your social media automation marketing campaigns include: 1. Cortex Cortex offers an AI editor that analyzes the content you create and provides suggestions for post enhancement. It has optimization features including hashtags, keywords, images, and videos to use with your copy.

It also analyzes the posts and content from your competitors to ensure that your content stands out.

You also get insights into how your competitors’ posts are performing for comparison purposes.

Cortex even provides you with recommendations on the content that will work best on any social media platform you use.

2. Hootsuite Hootsuite is a social media automation tool with numerous features that can help boost your social media marketing campaigns.

With Hootsuite you can: • Keep track of all social media channels from one location.

• Monitor and get real-time updates.

It keeps you updated on what people are saying about your brand online. This feature comes in handy when averting or dealing with a crisis.

• Receive regular analytics to help you determine the best times to post content.

• Get advanced analytics to generate in-depth reports.

• Delegate assignments to team members and approve workflows.

• Manage your social media customer service effectively.

Cortex

• Find influencers for your brand.

• Use the social media security feature to protect your brand.

3. AgoraPulse AgoraPulse is a comprehensive solution for your social media automation needs. It allows you to: • Understand the type of content that resonates with your audience.

• Plan and schedule content across different platforms so that it stays on-brand across channels.

Conclusion

• Widen your reach by helping you reach customers 24/7.

Social media automation is a substantial aspect of marketing that businesses cannot afford to overlook. It helps your brand stand out from competitors and simplifies your business operations in many ways. It can:

• Help you post quality content on trending topics.

• Free up your time so that you can concentrate on being productive.

• Collaborate easily with teams.

• Help you manage all of your social media accounts from one platform.

• Set up a recurring republishing content schedule based on categories.

• Allow you to publish content at the right time for maximum exposure.

• Engage with customers and prospects from one place.

• Help you increase engagement with customers, which improves brand credibility. You can like, comment on, and engage with customers’ posts immediately.

• Use the smart analytics feature to track performance and conversions.

• Boost your online presence and increase brand awareness through consistent publishing.

• Allow you to reuse content from time to time with a fresh look.

• Provide data reports and analytics to help your team improve your social media marketing strategy.

• Keep you organized by gathering and laying out your campaigns and projects in one place. This feature makes it easier to handle campaigns and collaborate with team members.

Automating your social media marketing efforts will help you run campaigns accurately and reduce your workload.

CREDIT: SmallBizTrends.com | Shane Barker

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Seven ways to stand out on social media Make sure all your hard work on branding pays off Your social media pages can be very rewarding, driving traffic and conversions to your website.

However, it's also very challenging to stand out when you're competing against other businesses and individuals for attention. You need to make sure that your content and marketing strategies are up to date and effective.

Having a strong presence on social media affects traffic, conversions and brand awareness. It's also an important place where customers communicate with you. Making the best use of your social media platforms benefits you and your audience.

Here are the seven ways your brand can stand out on social media.

1. Use a content calendar to plan and schedule content Many businesses still treat their social media content as an afterthought. Irregular posts, quickly typed in content or just shares from other pages is very low-effort, and it shows. People will not pay attention to pages and profiles that don't offer original and eye-catching content. You're not making the best of social media pages if you're only occasionally posting something because you're waiting for inspiration.

You need to be proactive about your social media content by creating a content calendar. A content calendar is where you clearly map out for your social media for each day and even multiple times a day.

Adding interactive content as part of your social media content strategy is a powerful way to get more engagement. It creates personalized content for users, and tells you more about user behavior and preferences.

You can use a spreadsheet or work with paid content calendar tools online. All you need to do is have a clear idea of what you're posting and when.

You can use online tools to create interactive content. Interactive content includes interactive infographics, maps, graphs and charts, and educational video content. Interactive content is a growing trend in content marketing. Some 93% of marketers find interactive content effective; however, 88% of marketers do not make any of their content interactive. Incorporating it into your marketing strategy will create more engagements for your business.

This gives you a clear idea of whether you're posting a variety of formats, such as videos, images and articles. It also ensures that you're prepared for major holidays.

You never leave your audience hanging when you have a content calendar. It also lets you see the big picture and if you're on track with your social media goals.

2. Use interactive content Content is at the core of a business's online success. However, it's harder than ever for good content to stand out. Users are more likely to pay attention to content when it creates interactivity.

Interactive content gets input from your audience. Users aren't passively consuming content. They become part of creating it. You've already seen interactive content like polls, quizzes, contests and tests.

3. Create consistent aesthetics for your visual media You can make your brand more recognizable and appealing by using a consistent theme across all your visual posts. Today, merely grabbing an image that suits your content and posting it will not have a strong effect. Using poor quality images can harm your brand.

You not only need to use good quality images, but you also need to make it consistent in aesthetics.

You are more likely to be rewarded with followers and engagement by creating a brand aesthetic.

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User-generated content gets more attention because the people making it are not backed by a business. They have nothing to gain from creating content and are simply sharing their experiences.

You can do this by making all your posts, especially images, conform to a common theme and style. This is quite crucial if your main social media platform is image-based, like Instagram. You can set a color palette for all your images. Make sure that you use the same filter or a common theme across all of them.

simply sharing their experiences. It is very likely that there is a lot of user-generated content online related to your business and product.

This doesn't just make your social media pages look good. It has a powerful impact on branding. It makes your brand more memorable and can even be a way for people to identify you with just an image.

• Photos of customers using your product

4. Leverage user-generated content People trust user-generated content because it's created by their own peers. There's an enormous amount of usergenerated content that you can use for free on social media. They are also a very effective way to get more engagement.

User-generated content gets more attention because the people making it are not backed by a business. They have nothing to gain from creating content and are

User-generated content can be: • Reviews and ratings • Emails from customers

• Posts about your product made by your customers You can feature your customer's content on your social media pages. Using them in ads is very effective as well. You will increase engagement and get subscribers on your website and social media by leveraging user-generated content.

The other advantage of using usergenerated content is that it creates social proof and shows people that you're listening.

5. Cross channel marketing Your audience is most likely spread out on different social media platforms. While you don’t need to be on every single social media

platform out there, it’s good to have a presence on the most relevant ones.

Without posting content and marketing on other channels you're going to lose potential visitors and engagements. You need to have a presence on multiple channels to make money online.

By having profiles and posting content on diverse and multiple platforms you're reaching more people. Cross-channel marketing on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other places will create a huge reach.

You will very likely find it difficult to post content to different platforms.

But there are social media management tools like Hootsuite to help you out. Hootsuite and other platforms have free versions that do a great job, and you can always upgrade for more features.

6. Create contests and giveaways Another way to stand out is to have giveaway contests for your audience. Contests create excitement and anticipation. Users get the chance to win something by participating and risk nothing.

Promoting a giveaway contest on social media is very powerful. This is because you benefit from the viral nature of the platform. When users engage with your contest posts their friends and acquaintances get notified as well.

This leads to more shares, more follows and more brand awareness.

When you create an online contest you're getting more attention, and your brand becomes memorable.

You'll also drive traffic to your membership site and other platforms to get conversions.

them feel like you're listening.

Staying ahead by using chatbots while it's still growing is a certain way to stand out on social media.

Build an audience by standing out on social media Social media platforms are used by billions of people every day. It has the potential to help your business grow if leveraged properly.

Content will always play a key role in social media success. However, it’s necessary to leverage it by

making it interactive and aesthetically pleasing.

With consistent effort and communication, your social media pages will add to your business's success. By using the seven strategies mentioned above, you can drive conversions and traffic on social media and your website.

CREDIT: Business | Jared Atchison

7. Consider chatbot marketing With impressive developments in artificial intelligence, the use of chatbots is becoming more commonplace on social media. For businesses looking for alternatives to outsourcing customer service, chatbots are effective tools. They help users communicate instantly with businesses. This leads to faster and more convenient problem resolution.

Facebook's Messenger service for businesses is a good example of the use of chatbots on social media. Twitter also allows businesses to send automated messages to users with chatbots.

You can train chatbots to answer your customer’s most common questions and even use them to schedule appointments.

This helps your business save on resources. Not to mention your audience will get a response instantly. With chatbots on your social media platforms, you’ll never miss a customer’s message and you’ll be able to help them right away.

This creates an instant line of communication between your customers and business, making

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#foodporn: Social media is the future of food

Award-winning media publisher, Social Chain, have released their latest data-driven insights report, 'The Flavour of Social', an exploration into the world of food and social media. Social Chain owns and operates Love Food, one of the largest social-first food publishers in the UK with over 10million followers across social, and with this wealth of data have deducted how foodies interact with social content and how this influences their consumer habits. With the UK government reporting consumer spending of food, drink and hospitality above £226bn in 2018, it has never been more important for brands and marketers in the industry to understand the challenges of this lucrative industry.

Throughout this report, Social Chain worked with Tubular Labs and GlobalWebIndex to use their industry-leading analytics tools to present how and why consumer demands are changing.

Since it reached the mainstream, food brands have understood the power of social media, with any respectable brand having a presence online. The research reveals that the core foodie are five times more likely to use recipes they have sourced digitally compared to TV, which still remains as one of the most popular and effective ways of promoting food.

Less known is the use of ‘dark social’ by internet foodies - 62% of foodies share recipe videos with friends and family via messenger, WhatsApp and Facebook groups. This sharing behaviour is 50% more likely than public measures, such as tagging them in the comments and more than twice as likely as them showing them the video in person. Food has also been shown to be one of the best categories for long-form content, showing it can keep users attention the longest for videos. If brands understand how best to harness these points, they can get a

foot in a sector that’s yet to be fully capitalised.

#foodporn Understanding what kind of content consumers want is also paramount.

Traditionally food porn has ruled on social media, yet findings show that tastes have broadened and so has our appetite for food and drink content. 50% of foodies say they seek new ingredients in recipe videos they’ve not seen before, making it the most popular type of content. With 46% seeking out indulgent food content, we can see that the #foodporn trend is maturing and foodies value a variety of content. This year, the food topic that has received the most video views is street food and food trucks, beating pizza, burgers and even health foods.

Video content has been highlighted as one of the best ways to influence the consumer habits of the foodies.

53% of foodies stated that videos are their favourite type of food content on social media, compared to 35% of foodies who suggest pictures. 54% of foodies save recipe videos on social media so they can make it at home for themselves, showing an intent to purchase directly resulting from the content they see on social. What consumers look for the most in video recipes are those that will educate them.

Foodies want convenience, new meals, cost savings or ways to make impressive meals to share with family and friends.

The report also sheds light on the spending habits of foodies. 54% spend most of their disposable income on food, this ranks higher than any other leisure activity, while a third of foodies regularly shop online for groceries. And when it comes to eating out 1 in 4 foodies check the venues Instagram feed before they visit, reinforcing the importance of social media content for the hospitality industry.

Demands for brands Foodies have four major demand for brands on social: value, education, attraction and sustainability. Brands who are able to blend all four of these ingredients on social will have a winning recipe. The research also identified six major psychographic groups amongst foodies that will help marketers further pinpoint who exactly their audiences are. These profiles consist of Bakers, Budgeters, Anti-cooks, Alt-dieters, Adventurers and Hosts.

Food and drink brands need to go beyond claims such as ‘the original’ or ‘the first’ and consider how their story resonates and helps others express their identity. Emotion is still king in food and drink, but we’re also hungry for meaning. Due to its dynamic conversational nature, social is the new battleground for marketers to serve us their story.

Denis Crushell, managing director international at Tubular Labs adds: “Food and drink content is universal and crosses generational gaps, cultural differences, and even language barriers. This makes food content an attractive proposition both for media companies looking to monetize their audiences and also for brands looking to reach broad demographics.”

Chris Beer, trends analyst at GlobalWebIndex, comments: “With food being so integral to our lives, these insights can shed a light on how our everyday habits are changing. We found that going online is commonly done when eating at home by all age demographics, making it the second most popular activity to do while eating at home, after TV. Understanding these cultural shifts and the parallels between the internet and TV will help brands in the industry to thrive.”

CREDIT: thedrum.com | Jon Edwards

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Four ways to use social media analytics to maximize your efforts Here are some ways you can use social media analytics to maximize your brand’s impact online 1. Follower Growth: Identify if your content is drawing in the right audience When it comes to social media analytics, follower growth (or lack thereof or complete loss) can be a good indicator for how your social media channels are performing in general. An influx or steady increase in followers usually means that people are finding your account, and liking what they see and choose to follow you. It can also mean that you’ve had a mention by a bigger brand and you’re getting an influx of traffic.

To maximize brand impact using this metric: This one is simple, pay attention to big influxes or losses of followers. Sometimes factors outside of your control affect gains or losses (big mention vs the social network flushing inactive accounts).

2. Reach and Impressions: How far is your content really going?

First let’s discuss the difference between reach and impressions.

Reach refers to the unique number of people that saw your piece of content or social media post.

Impressions are the number of times your content was displayed (one

person or account can see your post more than once). To add to the confusion, I’ll also go ahead and let you know that each social media network defines reach and impressions a little differently, and it changes once again when it comes to ads. But for now let’s try to keep it simple – here’s why you should keep track of these numbers: they let you know how far your content is going, and they allow you to calculate your engagement rate (how many of the people who saw your post actually took an action on it – we’ll review these actions in the next section).

Higher reach and impression numbers mean your content has legs!

To maximize brand impact using this metric: I use my social media analytics trackers to keep track of both sets of numbers for every social media network a client is active on.

Later we can go back and take a look at time periods when there are peaks and figure out which content is giving us the most reach and engagement. This helps me come up with new content ideas based on what is working.

already got is the best way to grow and reach new people. If the algorithm sees that your audience engages with your posts, it has no choice but to show your content to a larger portion of your audience and some new people as well.

Engagement includes likes, comments, clicks, shares and messages. Keeping score of these helps your brand or business in so many different aspects. Here are a few: Customer service: Keeping track of mentions lets you answer any customer concerns. Even if you get a not-so-great mention or comment, address it – as others seeing this will know your brand cares about its customers. Thoughtfully commenting back to those that comment on your posts is a good way to start building relationships online.

3. Engagement and mentions: Peaks in interaction

Influx of likes, shares, or comments: A big influx of these engagements can mean you’ve hit content gold or another account (or website) is driving traffic to your social media channels. Pay attention to posts that get a lot of engagement so you know what kind of content your audience is into.

The way social media reach is going, tending to the audience you’ve

Messages or DMs: Ask questions and have your followers send you a

message to answer. If someone is taking the time to write you a direct message they are more likely to be interested in you, your products or services.

page and clicks on page buttons where possible. You can do this by using a third party tool like Bit.ly, or for those who are more tech savvy you can use trackable links.

To maximize the impact of your brand using this metric: Again I use my social media analytics tracker templates to fill in the data. Twitter will give you your account’s engagement rate based on a time period chosen (I usually do it for a month at a time). Others like Facebook and Instagram will require you to download data and calculate this yourself or use a third party tool.

To maximize the impact of your brand using this metric: I always make sure to use Google analytics to take a look at which social media networks drive the most traffic to my website. This is useful information to gauge where your audience is “hanging out”. A bonus tip here is – if you were looking to streamline your efforts and find out which network to cut out this can be a good place to start.

4. Clicks and traffic: Your posts are converting Sometimes, clicks and web traffic can be a little bit overlooked when it comes to social media analytics. I briefly mentioned clicks in the pervious point because ultimately clicks and traffic is what you want from your social media audience. If your followers are willing to click away from the social media network that they’re on then you know they must really be into your brand or business. Track clicks to your landing

I hope this can help you navigate the world of social media analytics a little more. I challenge you to go ahead and play around with the analytics sections of whatever social media network you’re on.

Understanding this useful information can make a big difference in how you use social media to reach your target audience.

CREDIT : Business2Community.com | Dhariana Lozano

When it comes to social media analytics, follower growth (or lack thereof or complete loss) can be a good indicator for how your social media channels are performing in general.

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Social media rescues Morocco’s last woman potters Beautiful handcrafted pottery made by Mama Aicha rarely sells in Morocco anymore, but thanks to social media her ancient techniques are drawing students from around the world to the foothills of the Rif mountains.

Mirna Banieh "When I heard about the workshop on Instagram, I signed up immediately because the practice is disappearing.

"Mama Aicha is old and her knowledge must be passed down," she added.

Banieh's four fellow students sit cross-legged on mats, their hands covered in clay learning from the 82-year-old potter.

The tribe counted around 90 potters at the end of 1990s. Now, only a half-dozen remain.

"The youth here don't want to dirty their hands with clay. They dream of being officials with fixed salaries," said the grandmother, everyone affectionately calls Mama Aicha.

Going plastic "When I was young, everyone used clay pots and bowls for daily life

and my mother sold them at market, but today everyone prefers plastic," said Mohamed Tabiz, 53, Aicha's eldest son.

Researchers, collectors, enthusiasts are among the many that have warned for decades of the disappearance of this craft once passed down from generation to generation.

"We wanted to establish a museum in the village," Tabiz said, but "the local authorities weren't interested".

The most scholarly of those calling attention to the tradition's decline, German anthropologist Rudiger Vossen, criss-crossed Morocco in the 1980s and 90s to catalogue the techniques and designs used by each tribe.

New designs With a twinkle in her eye, Mama Aicha patiently guides her students in the studio set up next to the family farm.

Papers tacked to the wall list useful words in the local dialect - terms for pottery and tools, common phrases such as "can you help me?" and "what do you think of this?"

The master potter teaches mainly using gestures. Like the majority of women from remote parts of Morocco, she dedicated her life to her fields, her livestock and her children.

CREDIT: Agence France-Presse

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The most important apps of the decade From games to social media to dating: These 25 apps had the most impact on our lives in the last 10 years.

CREDIT: CNET | Eric Franklin

In the last decade, apps (and by association, phones) have become an almost essential part of our lives.

Since the iOS App Store and Google Play launched in 2008 with what seemed like mostly novelty titles, they've grown to include millions of apps that help us communicate, meet new people, listen to music and kill pigs with birds. Sure, we still use our phones to make calls sometimes, but apps are so popular there are now apps that tell you how much time you spend using apps on your phone. Also, technically, you use an app for actually make the phone calls. As part of CNET's Decade in Review here are our picks for the impactful apps of the 2010s. I crowdsourced this list -- some of the apps on it didn't even exist as the decade began, a few did though -from every CNET editor and then

curated it further from there. The result is the list below in no particular order.

Note that in the case of very similar apps, I combined the most popular ones in that category, instead of having individual entries. And, sure, there are hundreds of impactful and important apps not on this list. If you feel we didn't include one of your favorite apps, put it in the comments and I'll be sure to chime in as well.

Instagram What is it? Instagram allows you to share photos and videos.

Initial release: 2010 Why it's on the list: Instagram has changed the way we think about photos and, for many of us, altered

our eating habits (for a time I couldn't start eating my dinner until I captured its image perfectly). It's also become an incredibly effective marketing tool over the years and continues to grow, as it has now reached 1 billion users per month. I think the reason it's still popular is because it continues to evolve in meaningful ways. Adding things like Stories and Boomerang over the last few years has kept it feeling fresh and adopting these features is a great way to continue to expand its user base. While celebrity influencers continue to make us believe they're actual living impossibly extravagant lives in order to sell us products. and many people still behave completely irresponsibly in order to capture that "perfect pic," Instagram is still one of the most simple and entertaining social platforms out there.

Twitter What is it? A social media platform for posting text, pictures and videos.

Initial release: 2010 Why it's on the list: Thirteen years after its debut, no one would argue that Twitter has completely changed the way the world communicates.

From the Arab Spring where protesters used Twitter to not only coordinate, but also voice their

message to the world, to world leaders like President Donald Trump, who can now immediately send a message to every connected person on the planet, it's clear that communication will never be the same. Though Twitter hasn't proven successful at clamping down on hate speech, it's still one of the best and most informative social networks.

Facebook What is it? A social media and networking platform Initial release: 2010 Why it's on the list: Like Twitter, Facebook's debut predated the decade, but it's become the premiere social media platform in the world, with nearly 2.5 billion active users. It let you reconnect with old friends

and family members across the world, and you were inundated with memes, cat videos, requests for Farmville and news, both real and not so much. After the short boom of MySpace, Facebook popularized social media with the mainstream.

However, amid its user privacy scandals and influx of fake news, the platform has fallen under harsh scrutiny since the 2016 election.

Tinder/Bumble/Grindr What are they? Dating apps, popularized by their simple filtering mechanic.

Initial release: 2012 (Tinder), 2014 (Bumble), Grindr (2009) Why they're on the list: Never before has the act of finding someone, no matter your needs and wants, been as easy (in the case of Tinder and Bumble, swipe right on a potential mate's pic if you're interested. If not, swipe left.)

People use the apps for everything from quick hookups to casual dating to looking for long-term relationships. Grindr, a dating app geared towards the LGBTQ community, was the first to debut, but Tinder profoundly changed the dating scene. Suddenly you could filter your choices almost instantly

to get exactly what you were looking for. LOL! If only human beings were such simple creatures!

BWAHAHAHAA!!

Google Maps/ Apple Maps What are they? The two most popular map/directions apps in the world.

Initial release: 2007 (Google Maps), 2012 (Apple Maps) Why they're on the list: I honestly don't travel without using one of these. I have a horrible sense of direction, I didn't start driving until I was in my 30s, and I still don't know most streets by name. Seriously, I'm terrible and need these. But I digress. These apps took Mapquest to its logical evolutionary conclusion. Now you can travel anywhere in the world without ever needing to know exactly where a place is. Just follow the directions like you're playing GTA or something and even see what your destination looks like from the outside. Although I personally prefer Google Maps, Apple Maps has vastly improved since its disastrous launch a few years back.

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Spotify What is it? A music streaming service Initial release: 2011 Why it's on the list: I remember when Spotify debuted in 2011. It seemed to come out of nowhere and further changed (you'll see this word a lot on this list if you haven't already) the ever-evolving music industry. It felt a lot like the original version of Napster, only legal, but still

It's mostly its integration with other apps and the way it can start to feel like the nucleus for everything happening at your work. These days it's a toss-up over which I open first in the morning: Slack or email. Slack is like email, part 2.

But, it's not just useful for work. As family life gets busier, families are using Slack to communicate, which is weird but also weirdly appealing as my own family starts to grow. But

free. Too free for some, as some artists like Taylor Swift have in the past pulled all of their music from the service. Swift eventually returned to the streaming giant.

like every tool, it comes down to how you use it -- the debate over whether Slack improves or impairs productivity continues.

At its launch, Spotify enjoyed a huge 50 million-song library that dwarfed those of its competitors at the time.

Spotify eventually led Apple to create its own music service called Apple Music in 2015, which now also has access to over 50 million songs.

Uber/Lyft

Slack What is it? An instant messaging platform Initial release: 2013 Why it's on the list: What makes Slack any different from a billion other IM clients in the last 25 years?

What are they? Order a rideshare on your phone to your exact location and pay automatically through your credit card.

Initial release: 2011 (Uber), 2012 (Lyft) Why they're on the list: I remember four years ago when my 16-year old nice visited me in San Francisco from Minneapolis. She'd never heard of Uber, and the whole thing kind of creeped her out. Now, I don't think she can imagine traveling any other way. Of course, the convenience has not come without cost. Both Uber and Lyft great have faced lawsuits

over alleged sexual assaults by drivers, cities around the world have attempted to regulate them, and drivers have battled for better pay.

And while all those additional cars on the street can choke traffic in cities, there's no denying the effect these apps have had on the way we travel.

Venmo What is it? Allows you to make digital payments to other individuals.

Initial release: 2012 Why it's on the list: As a person that rarely carries cash, I could never easily pay my share when out to dinner with a group of friends. That why Venmo and other apps like it have been a godsend -- with them I don't constantly feel like a deadbeat.

You can pay for stuff for friends like movie tickets, and now they have zero excuse not to pay you right back, even before the movie starts!

We're deadbeats no more!

Angry Birds What is it? A game where you launch birds at structures in an attempt to kill pigs Initial release: 2009 Why it's on the list: In its early days,

Angry Birds was so popular, I convinced myself I had to like it.

Ultimately, when I played it I didn't, but its impact on the expectations of how popular mobile game could be is unprecedented. Two movies and plenty of versions of the game later, Angry Birds is still a very popular franchise and has continued to evolve with the times, most recently with Angry Birds AR. Again, not my cup of tea, but many still enjoy taking a sip.

PokĂŠmon Go

Candy Crush Saga

base, but is still incredibly popular, having crossed 1 billion downloads earlier this year. Its formula for success was simple: Combine an already successful franchise with a new technology with heavy social ties. It's worked quite well.

What is it? A match-three puzzle game.

Initial release: 2012 Why it's on the list: I knew this was something special when my wife, who isn't a gamer, not only couldn't put it down, but also spent money playing it. It took her six years to finally move on to Two Dots. I've never played Candy Crush Saga and probably won't -- the visuals are just a bit too saccharine for me -- but it's one of the most popular tilematching games of all time. You can pick it up quickly, it has a satisfying gameplay mechanic, and it's something you could do while listening to books (to paraphrase my wife). Despite her falling off, the game's overall popularity has shown no signs of waning.

What is it? The first big AR game based in the PokĂŠmon universe Initial release: 2016 Why it's on the list: It was a phenom when it was released in 2016. I tried playing from my house, but there was nothing to find in my little suburban neighborhood, so I quickly gave up as I was too self-conscious to play in the city. The game eventually lost most of its player

Vine What is it? Video platform that let you make videos up to six seconds long and share them.

Initial release: 2013 Why it's on the list: After an exciting start in 2012, Vine was discontinued by its owner, Twitter, in 2016 amid growing competition, especially from Instagram. But during its life, Vine quickly popularized the short-form video app. It gave you the ability to make six-second videos and

immediately post them, which (at the time) was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen in an app. I dove right in, experimenting with some weird techniques, picking up others and attempting to develop storytelling skills. Like with most things, I was done and ready to move on after a couple of months, but Vine continued to be a hit, leading to the birth of its evolutionary cousin, TikTok.

Facebook Messenger/ WhatsApp What are they? Two hugely popular chat platforms Initial release: 2011 (Facebook Messenger), WhatsApp (2009) Why they're on the list: They're both Facebook products and essentially do the same thing, however differently.

Facebook stripped Messenger from the Facebook app in 2011 and made it its own thing. It's incredibly popular and the preferred way to communicate for a lot of people, especially if you're on Facebook but don't have someone's number or you want to forgo texting.

WhatsApp is the lighter version that uses less data and encrypts its messages end-to-end (user to user),

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which is more secure than Messenger's solution of sending messages to a server before it gets sent to the recipient. It's also incredibly popular, especially in Asian countries.

Netflix What is it: A video-streaming app, focused on original content.

Initial release: 2010

Why it's on the list: Netflix is the premier video-streaming app. With it, you get access to Netflix's evergrowing number of original movies and series, like Stranger Things and Narcos.The iOS and Android apps allow you to download most shows or movies to your phone. Despite heavy and growing competition, Netflix is still the streaming app every other one is measured by. At least for now.

Snapchat What is it? A social media and messaging app where videos and messages disappear after a time.

Initial release: 2011 Why it's on this list: Snapchat launched in 2011, but its popularity hit the stratosphere between 2013

and 2015, after adding video sharing, Snapchat Stories, ephemeral text messaging and (most importantly) the rainbow vomit feature. It allowed people to post short videos that would expire and be "gone forever" after a set time. I have to admit, as a chronically old fuddy-duddy I never saw the appeal of making videos or writing texts that disappear after awhile, but that's just me. I guess I'm a hoarder at heart and I want

everything I make to be available for access forever.

Google Pay/Apple Pay What are they? Mobile payment apps that let you pay at retail or online using only your phone, tablet or smartwatch.

Initial release: 2015 (Google Pay), 2014 (Apple Pay) Why they're on this list: Being able to pay for things with your phone seemed like such a novel concept a few years back, but now it's my preferred way to pay and usually works seamlessly. It seems like such a small thing, but I'm always looking for that Apple Pay logo. It's just an extra level of convenience that I really appreciate.

Google Assistant/ Siri/Alexa What are they? The top voice assistants on the market.

Initial release: 2010 (Siri), 2016 (Google Assistant), 2014 (Alexa) Why they're on this list: Siri was the first big voice assistant when it debuted in 2011, but other options that followed have outpaced it.

(Google Assistant, in particular, is

smarter and more intuitive.) I use an Apple HomePod with Siri and am constantly disappointed by the fact that Siri isn't smarter. I'm hoping that changes soon. Having to say "Hey, Siri" for every command just gets old fast.

It's important to remember that, as exciting as this technology continues to be, the simple fact is that your voice assistants are recording you and as a result, Google, Apple and Amazon (with Alexa) have now either put a halt to having humans listen to you in the "privacy" of your own home or allow you to opt out of this recording.

It's still disconcerting though.

Amazon What is it? The app for the world's largest online retailer.

Why it's on this list: If you raised a young child without the help of the Amazon app, you're a god in my book. I've used Amazon since I bought my first DVD some time in 2000. The Matrix or maybe X-Men? Possibly Ninja Scroll? I'm not sure, but I've not stopped shopping since, and I likely won't anytime soon. Now, with an app it's even easier and faster -- so fast that I don't even need to add a task to my to-do list.

When I'm juggling an uncooperative

you see on The Jetsons, but the fact that I can see my sons when I'm away on business, or even a co-worker a thousand miles away, is amazing.

Fortnite What is it? The game that took over your kid's/nephew's/cousin's life Initial release: 2017 Why it's on this list: Fortnite has had the type of cultural impact few

toddler with a 1-year old who's doing his best to jump head-first off a couch, the ability to take 15 seconds from catching diving kids to order them new vitamins is huge -- it makes my life that much easier.

games, if any, ever achieve. From the whole Fortnite dance debacle to the fact that the winner of the 2019 Fortnite World Cup was awarded $3 million, Fortnite is a huge, unstoppable pop culture juggernaut that shows no sign of slowing down.

Skype/Facetime/Zoom

As long as the developers keep the game fresh by doing things like ending it, its popularity should continue for some time.

What are they? Real-time videobased phones calls Initial release: 2009 (Skype), 2010 (Facetime) Why they're on this list: This is that sci-fi video-phone future that's even better than what any sci-fi film could have predicted, obviously because none of them predicted the rise of the smartphone. I don't use it a lot, but the times when I do are special, like if I'm away from my kids and want to see their faces. It's not like

Uber Eats/Postmates/ Grubhub/DoorDash What are they? Order food for delivery, even if the restaurant in question does not itself deliver.

Initial release: 2015 (Uber Eats), 2011 (Postmates), 2009 (Grubhub), 2013 (DoorDash)

Why they're on this list: I remember the frustration of wanting food from one of my favorite restaurants and seeing its "No deliveries" sign. That now feels like a thing of the distant past. Sure, eating out all the time isn't cheap or always healthy, but I like to have the option. If I want a barbecue lunch, but I don't have 20 minutes to go get it, it's comforting to know there are people out there who don't mind doing it for me... for a price.

Google Photos What is it? A photo storage app for both Android and iOS. Initial release: 2015 Why it's on the list: I imagine your big question is, why did Google Photos make the list and not the Photos app and iCloud on iOS? Well, as good as the Photos app is on iOS - and it has definitely improved lately -- the app isn't compatible with Android. Google Photos, though, works on Android and iOS. It also has more cloud storage than iCloud, and its search feature is more robust and useful. You can search for a word that appears in a picture or even by pronouns -- just in case you want to find your friend's baby's pictures, but can't remember when you took them.

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Dancers used to dream about touring.

Now it’s all about social media At age 12, dancer Taylor Hatala was touring with Janet Jackson. At 16, she has reached an even higher perch. With 1.2 million Instagram followers, Hatala is one of the top dance influencers. She’s part of a new generation of performers who are redefining how the world sees dance.

“It used to be that your résumé was a sheet of paper that you would hand in at auditions,” says Hatala, who specializes in hip-hop and is known as @tayd_dance on Instagram. “Now it’s our social media.

My Instagram is my résumé, and my Twitter is my résumé. ... People say, ‘We saw your Instagram, and this is why we wanted you.’”

And it’s no longer in the background.

Touring as a backup dancer for an artist like Jackson or Justin Bieber used to be a commercial dancer’s dream. Now, that kind of work is a steppingstone to an even bigger prize: a robust social media account.

Dancers who break through on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, the relatively new app for short videos, can reap personal, artistic and financial rewards far beyond the paychecks for executing someone else’s moves and pounding the stage behind a pop star. Internet popularity can be a dancer’s entree to choreographing and starring in her own viral videos, traveling the world as a guest artist and teacher, and inking lucrative brand deals and endorsements.

Unlike many dance influencers, who live in this sunny mecca of production studios and agents, Hatala’s home is Edmonton, Alberta, in western Canada, with her parents and younger sister, Reese, a dancer who also has a growing social media following.

Of course, an Instagrammer needs little more than the camera on her phone and some clear floor space to record her videos, so location doesn’t matter much. Still, Hatala comes home from school a couple of times a month to hear her mom announce that they’re off to Los Angeles, right away, for a job.

She was here recently to shoot a promo for the Netflix movie “Tall Girl.” Hatala and her mother, Teresa, stopped in at a North Hollywood

dance studio early one morning for an interview and a hip-hopanimation demo before heading to the airport. Tall and willowy, Hatala is a powerful dancer with a refined quality, every move beautifully clear, whether it’s a sharp pop or the flutter of an arm like a breath of wind.

When she speaks, she’s disarmingly open. There isn’t much about her world that she hasn’t analyzed.

Her life is “chaotic,” she says, and she loves it. But like most dancers, Hatala is a perfectionist. This puts her in a bind with the ethos of her era.

“Sometimes I stress out about it because in our generation, if something doesn’t interest you in the first two seconds, you scroll past it,” she says. “I have a constant battle with it, because everything I put out I want to be perfect. I want to be proud of it.

“But at the same time, personally, I appreciate dancers who are raw over their social media. And it’s important to me to still show my fans that I am human. I’m not fake. I make mistakes and I mess up as a dancer.”

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There you have the key issues for these young performers to juggle: How to hook their fans. How to keep luring new ones. How to post topnotch, original work five or more days a week. How to balance awesomeness and relatability, the chief currency to a digital audience.

That’s especially true at the younger end of the millennial spectrum, those 18- to 25-year-olds that are so coveted by marketers and so difficult to reach. They want to see themselves in their heroes.

“Everyone in this industry is trying to figure out what goes viral,” Hatala says with a sigh. “Most of the time the videos that I put the hardest work into only get so many views.

And a lot of the videos that have gone viral have just been, literally, me dancing and having so much fun in the studio, not expecting anything out of it. Or just with my dad and his phone.”

“You have to stay on top of it,” she adds. “You have to be looking at your insights, and just see what your followers like.”

Staying on top in the digital landscape is more art than science, even though science can help.

Analytics show what demographic they’re reaching, where their fans are, what posts keep their attention.

“They’re the first generation of dancers that combine the pixie dust and the data,” says Larry Shapiro, chief executive of Ensemble Digital Studios, an artist management company.

Among his clients is Kaycee Rice, a 17-year-old hip-hop dancer with fierce energy and extraordinary flexibility. She has more than 2 million Instagram followers and two YouTube channels, where, she says, she gains 200-500 subscribers a day.

“The difference between Paula Abdul at her start and Kaycee Rice is that Kaycee analyzes the data behind

her videos, like engagement and retention rate,” Shapiro says.

This means that Rice can get the brands that sponsor her — Nike, Under Armour and others — before more eyeballs.

“You have an entire generation around the world who identifies with her,” Shapiro says. “Kaycee is reaching 13- to 18-year-old kids and shaping what kind of entertainment they like. So when she grows up and produces bigger projects, she’ll have fans whose values she’s shaped.”

That’s a lot of power in these dancers’ hands. Industry experts see them changing the music industry, too, as the public appetite for dance grows across social media. Once upon a time, record labels insisted that dancers take down videos they had created without getting permission to use the music. That impulse has evolved, says John Shahidi, who runs Shots Studios, an internet talent management company.

One of his clients is Delaney Glazer, 23, a dancer who toured with Bieber and now posts short dance videos for her 1.4 million followers on Instagram (who know her as @deeglazer) and makes longer, highquality ones for her YouTube channel, often with a narrative arc and shot on locations around Los Angeles.

“Every week we get one or two songs from a label saying, ‘What can Delaney do with this?’” Shahidi says.

“They’re looking at social media creators as a platform. Instead of asking us to take it down, they’re embracing us.”

Influencers in general tend to have a bad reputation — all flash and no substance. “The word ‘influencer’ confuses people,” says Glazer, who likes to think of herself as “using dance to bring life and happiness and energy, instead of just products.”

Indeed, social media’s dance stars defy the judgment of shallowness.

Their skills look superhuman. Their talent is obvious and easy to appreciate.

You don’t have to be a connoisseur to admire, for instance, KidatheGreat’s effortless popping moves in the videos he makes with his buddies. He shoots them in his kitchen. His Instagram posts are like little dance parties, where the cool kids are hanging out between the stove and the sink. Their relaxed vibe is irresistible. (Fair warning: The song lyrics aren’t always G-rated.)

“The kitchen, it’s perfect for dance,” says Kida, 17, whose full name is Leon Burns. “And my gut told me just do it. Just stay in the kitchen.”

He whips up the choreography in about 15 minutes.

“I ask my friends, ‘What song are you guys feeling right now?‘ “ he says. “I come up with the song literally minutes before they get to my house, and then we make the magic.”

In 2016, Kida was the Season 13 winner of the Fox show “So You Think You Can Dance.” He also has toured with Usher, performed in Chris Brown’s “Party” video and traveled the world teaching master classes. But strange as it may seem, dancing in his kitchen is how he supports his family.

Since his TV win, Kida has amassed nearly 4 million followers on Instagram. Experts say that number can translate into five and six figures per product deal.

It’s about time, says the dance community, which has been historically undervalued everywhere, even in the glamour world of Hollywood and television.

“I’ve seen the millions of dollars that many of these dance influencers can

earn,” says Aris Golemi, a balletdancer-turned-agent and founder of Xcel Talent Agency and Dance Influencers, a global platform. “I represented one dancer who made $9,000 just posting a selfie with a watch.”

Golemi had a breakthrough eight years ago when his client Marquese Scott — soon to be one of the biggest dancers on social media — created an iconic solo video where his body seemed to melt and reform with every measure, to the song “Pumped Up Kicks.”

“We ended up traveling the world, making all this money with Google and YouTube,” Golemi says. “I could have 10 dancers working with Taylor Swift for a week and we wouldn’t make that kind of money. I never thought that would be possible with just dancing. But social media changed everything.”

The independent, inspiring spirit of these dancers is a big part of their

appeal. What they offer their audience is individual creativity, sometimes loud and raw, or goofy and sweet, sexy and strong, with a heavy beat.

“I don’t want to wait for an artist to hire me. I want to be my own artist,” says James Derrick, known as @Bdash_2.

A former competitor on NBC’s “World of Dance,” he has a unique, exquisitely smooth style that blends krumping, popping and animation. At 30, he’s an outlier among the younger set of influencers and doesn’t have as many followers — his hover around 300,000 on Instagram, more on TikTok. Still, he’s making money on a few product deals. More important, Bdash is a prime example of the layered creativity that’s possible for dancers in the digital realm. He creates his own music and aspires to build his following as a musical artist/dancer.

“With these platforms, at the end of the day you don’t need a label, all

you need is fans,” Bdash says. “That’s why social media is golden for people like us, because you can become an artist without anyone holding us back and telling us what to do.”

“Dancers get done wrong,” he says, recalling the time he was called to shoot a TV commercial and ended up waiting around for six hours, only to be told he wasn’t needed after all.

“That’s how they look at us. I wanna change that, ’cause it’s not cool. So you’ve got to have people like me and the others say, ‘We’re stars, too.’

“That’s why it’s good to build your social media. It’s all your work and your creativity. It’s a new age.”

CREDIT: post-gazette.com | Sarah L.Kaufman

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‘Influencer’ and ‘YouTuber’ are now one of the most popular career aspirations for children Parents and teachers would always ask young people what they wanted to be when they grew up and they’d usually get an adorable response like ‘astronaut’ or ‘cowboy’. But it seems like times have definitely changed.

travel the world and generally appear to be having the best time of their lives is attractive.

Funnily enough, despite these two professions being highly sought after, Awin's survey found that parents largely didn't know what social media influencers did and even more weren't aware that they could make money from it.

Awin put out a survey to around 2,000 parents in the UK with at least one child aged between 11 and 16 and they were asked what they believed their kid wanted to be.

Interestingly, social media influencer and YouTuber were two of the most popular aspirations, coming in second and third after docto.

Clearly people who see content creators who review products,

Awin influencer marketing consultant Carina Toledo said: "The rise in influencer marketing has been seismic, with our data showing an increase in activity and sales across the board, so it is not all that surprising that social media influencer is a genuine aspiration of many young people.

"Whilst traditional jobs are still vital to our society, whether we like it or not there is a place in the modern world for more unconventional jobs such as influencers, YouTubers and bloggers."

A separate study found that 86 per cent of American kids want to become a social media influencer.

Morning Consult's data has shed light on just how sought after the profession is, with 12 per cent of kids surveyed believed they already were an influencer.

According to CBS, the industry is tipped to be worth around $6.5 billion by the end of the year and there is some big money to be made. Some of the biggest stars rake in millions a year thanks to advertising, paid partnerships and paid appearances.

Some have been able to spawn spinoff products like makeup and clothing lines because they have such a following on social media.

Brands love influencers, especially considering another report found that young people trust their product recommendations over big-name celebrities.

CREDIT : LadBible | Stewart Perrie MAIN IMAGE CREDIT: PewDiePie/YouTube

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YouTube tricks and tips 16 incredibly useful things you didn’t know YouTube could do

From time-saving shortcuts to interface-enhancing adjustments, YouTube’s got plenty of handy tricks hidden up its video-watching sleeve.

Let’s be honest: YouTube and productivity don’t exactly go hand in hand. But just because a site is a famously good way to procrastinate doesn’t mean you have to waste your time while using it.

YouTube is overflowing, in fact, with time-saving possibilities and other advanced options—out-ofthe-way features that have the potential to make the site both easier and more pleasant to use. Some of them are just faster methods of getting things accomplished, while others are valuable opportunities for claiming control over your video-viewing adventures.

Read on, and get ready to hit Play on a whole new way to experience YouTube.

Playback Power 1. Want to hop around in a video you’re watching? Press a number key on your keyboard while any video is playing on the YouTube website. That’ll take you to a corresponding percent in the video’s timeline—50% into the video if you hit “5,” 80% if you hit “8,” and so on. Hitting “0” will take you back to the video’s start.

2. If you’d rather move around in a video by a specific amount of seconds, remember these superhandy shortcuts: Pressing “J” while a video is playing will rewind by 10 seconds while pressing “L” will fast-forward by that same amount.

Tip 8: Theatre mode

3. For even finer control, pause a video on the YouTube website and then press the comma or period key on your computer’s keyboard.

That’ll move your video back or forward by a single frame, respectively.

4. Craving a similar sort of speedy skipping power in YouTube’s mobile app? You’ve got it: Doubletap the left or right side of a video while it’s playing to instantly skip back or ahead by 10 seconds. If you keep tapping, the increment will increase by 10 seconds with every extra touch.

5. Does 10 seconds seem like too much? Or maybe not enough? No

Tip 5: Double-tap options

menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen while a video is playing and then look for the “Playback speed” option.

Visual Enhancements

worries: You can customize the length of YouTube’s fast-skip shortcut to make it work with however much time your videoadoring heart desires. Just tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the screen, then select “Settings followed by “General” and look for the “Double-tap to seek” option.

8. The YouTube website is designed to dynamically adjust your video player’s size based on the size of your browser window, but you can take control and make a video extralarge or small anytime. Try pressing “T” to put your video into Theater Mode, which makes it take up the full width of your browser. You can also press “F” to make the video go fullscreen or press “I” to move the video into a mini-player that floats in the bottom corner of the site while you browse around.

You can customize the length of YouTube’s fast-skip shortcut to make it work with however much time your videoadoring heart desires.

6. At-work video-watchers, take note: The next time someone walks in while you’re watching something on your computer (and don’t worry, I won’t ask what it is), you can stop or silence your video in a split-second. Just hit “K” to pause or “M” to mute any playing content.

7. You can speed up or slow down a video by pressing Shift and the period key or Shift and the comma key on the YouTube website. On the mobile app, tap the three-dot

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By default, YouTube makes lists of videos you’ve liked and channels to which you’ve subscribed public and available for anyone to see. If you’d prefer to keep your tastes to yourself, you can make your YouTube activity private.

Tip 10: Dark theme option

9. You can shrink a video down into a floating box in the YouTube mobile app, too: Simply swipe down on the actual video while it’s playing. On Android devices running Android 8.0 Oreo or higher, you can also return to your home screen or switch to a different app, and the video will automatically move into a picturein-picture box that’ll remain present over whatever else you do.

10. Kick your ambience up a notch and make the entire interface around your video dark. The secret lies within YouTube’s recently added dark theme, which you can find by clicking your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the website and then clicking the “Dark theme” option—or by tapping your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the mobile app and then selecting “Settings” followed by “General” and then “Dark theme.”

Advanced Watching Options 11. Ever stumble onto an interesting video and wish you had a good way to hang onto it for later viewing? It’s easy to miss, but YouTube actually has a really simple system that lets you bookmark videos and then come back to them on any device, anytime. Just look for the “Save” option beneath a video and click or tap it to add the video into your built-in “Watch later” list. You can then find it by opening YouTube’s Library section (tucked away within the three-line menu icon on the website and the main bottom-of-screen menu in the app).

12. If you subscribe to one of Google’s paid streaming services— Google Play Music, YouTube Red, YouTube Premium, or YouTube Music Premium—you can treat

YouTube videos like audio streams on your phone and keep them playing even when your screen is off. On Android, start a video and then go back to your home screen.

Drag the picture-in-picture box to the very bottom of the screen to dismiss it, then look in your notification panel to find the audioonly playback controls.

On iOS, the picture-in-picture feature isn’t available. So just start a video and then go back to your home screen. The video will automatically move into an audioonly mode, and you’ll be able to find playback controls within your Control Panel.

13. Another interesting option if you subscribe to one of those aforementioned services: You can download YouTube videos for offline viewing on your mobile device. Just look for the

“Download” icon beneath the video player—then, when you’re ready to find your downloads, tap the Library tab in the main bottom-ofscreen menu and look for the “Downloads” section.

And a bonus tip: Since most current Chromebooks allow you to install Android apps, you can load the YouTube Android app onto your Chromebook and then have an easy way to download videos for offline viewing via your laptop.

Privacy Possibilities 14. We all run into the occasional video we want to watch but don’t want to have logged into our Tip 14: Incognito option

YouTube history, where it’ll trigger endless recommendations for (allegedly) related clips we might also enjoy. Well, here’s the answer: YouTube now has an Incognito Mode that lets you go off the record and keep anything you’re watching from being saved into your account history.

In the mobile app, it couldn’t be much easier: Just tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner and then select the “Turn on Incognito” option in the menu that appears. You can turn Incognito Mode back off by looking for the “Turn off Incognito” option in that same area.

On the desktop, it’s a little more tricky: You have to first click the three-line menu icon in the site’s upper-left corner (if the menu isn’t already expanded) and then select “History”—and then, you’ll see an option on the right side of the screen labeled “Turn Off Watch History.” Click it and then click “Pause” in the confirmation box that pops up, and you’ll be all set. Just remember that when you want to turn the mode back off, you’ll have to go to that same location and look for the “Turn On Watch History” option.

15. Little-known fact: By default, YouTube makes lists of videos you’ve liked and channels to which you’ve subscribed public and available for anyone to see. If you’d prefer to keep your tastes to yourself, you can make your YouTube activity private. Open the service’s Privacy settings page and check the boxes next to “Keep all my liked videos private” and “Keep all my subscriptions private.”

16. Speaking of your YouTube activity data, if you ever decide you want to remove something from your video-related history, head to YouTube’s History page. There, you can choose to look at your watching history, your searching history, or even your commenting history. Once you select the history type you want, hover over any item and then click the “x” in its upperright corner to delete it—or use the controls on the right side of the screen to clear out everything.

You can also now opt to have YouTube automatically delete your entire history on a rolling 3-month or 18-month cycle. Open up the YouTube section of Google’s My Activity site and look for the box that says “Keeping activity until you delete it manually.” Click the “Choose to delete automatically” link within that box and then select whichever option you want—then watch away with the knowledge that your personal video data is completely under control.

CREDIT : Fast Company | JR Raphael

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Germany

Nothing beats exploring the Christmas Markets in Europe.

Disney Cruise

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500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

World Travel Influencers

Silver Category 500k to 749k followers

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Alen Palander @alenpalander

Alen Palander is a Toronto-based Creative Director and Photographer. Throughout his education and work life in Urban Design and Architecture, Alen dabbled in photography and filmmaking as a hobby, with no formal training in the field.

Amassing a fan base in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, Alen's brand and social media platforms grew, new and exciting opportunities began to unfold, and he quickly realized that his hobby had become his livelihood. Alen now works with some of the world’s largest brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Air Canada, Canon and more.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Alen draws much of his inspiration for his visual pieces from architecture, design, and travel to distant locales. With the propensity to pick up the camera and capture the world at a moment's notice, his lust for creating propels his perspective and represents something much bigger as he continues to seek the extraordinary in the ordinary.

worldsocialmedia.directory/alen-palander/

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Andy Mann @andy_mann

For over a decade Andy has been a forerunner in the world of adventure film and conservation photography. He is an experienced climber, diver, arctic explorer and award-winning filmmaker whose imagery is helping tell the story of our rapidly changing planet, documenting expeditions on all 7 continents for National Geographic Magazine, Sea Legacy, National Geographic’s Pristine Seas, Wildlife Conservation Society and more.

Andy is the co-founder and director at 3 Strings Productions, the commercial and documentary film studio in Boulder, CO and works with clients such as Red Bull, Toyota, The North Face, National Geographic and more.

He also a founding member of the Sea Legacy Collective and senior fellow with Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier.

His imagery is remarkably memorable, reminding us how the emotion of an image can touch our spirit.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/andy-mann/

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Ashley Galvin @ashleygalvinyoga

Ashley Galvin is a yoga instructor based in Southern California. She is known around the world for her strength and flexibility, and she constantly inspires others with her yoga practice.

Ashley spent her childhood between the beaches and mountains of California. Inspired by the healthy lifestyle of her parents, she embarked on a journey to learn more about nutrition and the benefits of active living. That path led her to her first yoga class in 2009, where she fell in love with the practice.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Determined to help empower others through yoga, she began teaching in 2011 and has since taught workshops, retreats, and classes all over the world. Her strong, dynamic flows help cultivate body awareness, empower others to embrace their unique gifts, and give students a deep understanding of their yoga practice.

Ashley teaches workshops, retreats, and flow classes world wide, as well as on Alo Moves.

worldsocialmedia.directory/ashley-galvin/

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foodtv.tube

food videos from around the world

world travel influencers silver category

Benjamin Hardman @benjaminhardman

Benjamin is an Australian freelance landscape photographer based in Iceland.

Benjamin’s fine-art works encapsulate the North’s most obscure landscapes – the barren, cold and volatile environments that are inhabited by colossal ice structures, carved volcanic mountains and resilient wildlife.

Benjamin divides his time between a range of photographic assignments, guiding and solo exploration, whilst utilising social media as a platform to share his experiences and perspectives on life and nature in the North.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Benjamin's specific works on glaciers aim to convey the fragility and transitory intricacies of glacial ice amidst the current period of accelerated retraction and a changing global climate.

worldsocialmedia.directory/benjamin-hardman/

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Bertie Gregory @bertiegregory

I am a 25-year-old wildlife filmmaker, photographer and presenter. In July 2014, I graduated in Zoology with First Class Honours from the University of Bristol. The next day, I boarded a plane to begin assisting Steve Winter in South Africa on assignment for National Geographic Magazine. Following this baptism of fire, the project evolved into a television program.

My task was to film Steve as he attempted to photograph the urban leopards of Mumbai and the jungle leopards of Sri Lanka.

This one hour special premiered in the US on Nat Geo WILD in January 2016.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

In 2015, I was named the Scientific Exploration Society Zenith Explorer of the year and a National Geographic Young Explorer. With these grants, I aimed to track down and film the illusive coastal wolf on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. After some very sweaty pitches, this project then became my first solo assignment for National Geographic as they commissioned it to become their first online wildlife series. This 16part series premiered August 2016.

worldsocialmedia.directory/bertie-gregory/

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Christina Tan @sassychris1

Christina Tan is a luxury travel photographer with an extensive global passport. She previously worked in the fashion industry, and with that career path, was able to travel the world. It was in this business that she discovered her true passion: travel photography.

Her connections in the fashion industry allowed her to turn her passion into a full-time career, working with tourism boards, hotels and hot-spot destinations all over the globe. She keeps for her instagram feed and website chock full beautiful images, travel tips, and must-sees all across Asia, the Middle east, USA and Europe.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Based in Indonesia, Christina works closely with these tourism boards to ensure the content put forth is the most desirable, accessible and beautiful it can be.

In addition to working with the tourism boards, her work carries such prestige that she has also blessed to do a collaboration with many luxury hotel brands.

Whether you prefer luxury travel destination when planning your next trip, or simply admiring the jaw-dropping images she puts forth, Christina Tan is one to look out for.

socialmedia.directory/christina-tan/

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Daniel Ernst @daniel_ernst

Daniel is a 29 year old self taught freelance photographer from Frankfurt, Germany.

His work as a photo-creator and story-teller takes him to many remote places around the world, always reflecting his passions.

Inspired by nature, his work mainly focuses on the outdoors, adventure and lifestyle. To offer a documentation of his travels on a daily basis, he started using the social media platform Instagram.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

'With my photography and stories I want to inspire people, causing a desire, a motivation to leave the rush behind, escape routine, go outdoors, explore and experience nature. We are fortunate to be presented with many opportunities in this world, it's just about making them into reality.'

worldsocialmedia.directory/daniel-ernst/

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world travel influencers silver category

Emmet Sparling @emmett_sparling

Since graduating from high school, Emmett has seen more corners of the world and had more heart stopping adventures than most of us will see in our lifetimes. He might be found hanging from a helicopter over a Hawaiian volcano, sledding down a Swiss glacier at sunset, making friends with Alpacas in the mountains of Peru, capturing sunrise over a misty coconut plantation in Bali, exploring the pristine sand dunes of South Africa, being dropped deep into a cave in Java, exploring the ocean floor in a mini submarine or waist deep in the water on a starry night on Bowen Island.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

By sharing these amazing experiences with gorgeous photography and stunning videos, Emmett now makes his living as one of Instagram’s fastest growing adventure travel photographer/videographers.

worldsocialmedia.directory/emmet-sparling/

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world travel influencers silver category

Georgia Gibbs @georgiagibbs_

Georgia Gibbs, who hails from Perth, is one of of the modeling game's most in-demand faces, has mastered reality TV (as contestant on Australia's Next Top Model), the pageant circuit (a Miss Universe Australia 2014 finalist), and is currently one half of a beautiful people power couple (with Liverpool soccer player Danny Ings). Maybe that's why her Instagram feed oozes nothing but positive vibes, whether she's sharing beachfront snaps (in a bikini, of course), during a date night, or behindthe-scenes shots from her latest gig. She's got an arsenal of mantras at the ready to deploy and likes to keep things equally 100 in the comments section.

Season 8 contestant in Australia's 500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Next Top Model who was previously a finalist for Miss Universe Australia 2014. She was signed by Scoop Management Australia, Modelwerk EU, 2mgmt Los Angeles and Wilhelmina New York City. She has posed for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and walked the runway for Miami Swim Week. She was discovered in 2015 while in Sydney, Australia on business

worldsocialmedia.directory/georgia-gibbs/

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world travel influencers silver category

Jeremy Jauncey @jeremyjauncey

To the uninitiated, a cursory scroll through Jeremy Jauncey’s Instagram feed might give the impression that he’s just one of the many good-looking people who have made a career out of social media.

Behind the stunning travel pictures on @BeautifulDestinations and his personal feed (private islands in the Maldives, helicopter rides over Manhattan) a fully-fledged business is whirring away. The company now has about 40 employees spread across offices in New York (where Jauncey, a Scot, now spends most of his time), London and Hong Kong.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

He hopes to apply what the company has done with short videos on Instagram to longer episodes for these streaming platforms.

There are people who “think their life is validated by social media and that everything they do needs to be shared to build digital popularity.” But, he says, “It’s actually nonsense, really. It’s important to know that social media is what you choose to share about your life. It is not your life.”

socialmedia.directory/jeremy-jauncey/

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world travel influencers silver category

Jess Dales @jess.wandering

Some places always feel like coming home. But for me, home has never been a box with rooms, a yard, and white picket fence.

I tried to fit my life into that box. I really did. Not that long ago I spent my days behind a big desk, in a small office, with nothing on the white walls except for the law degree that I thought would define my future. Instead, I felt nostalgic for a life I wasn’t living, and probably never would.

Growing up I wanted to be a doctor. Then entomologist, photographer, journalist, veterinarian, conservation biologist - I could go on and on.

Point is, at no time do I remember wanting to be a lawyer. And all 500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

those paths I didn't take, they haunted me. So when fortune handed me a get out of jail free card in the form of a layoff, I happily embraced the opportunity.

I didn’t look for another job as an attorney. I didn’t look back.

Instead I focused on the big stuff.

The what’s, and especially the why? I definitely don't have it all figured out. But this time around I’m determined to be the author of my own story. There are no blueprints for this life. No instruction manual. And that’s oka

worldsocialmedia.directory/jess-dale/

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world travel influencers silver category

Juan Oliphant @juansharks

Juan Oliphant is more than just an underwater photographer, his conservation efforts and understanding of shark behavior have made him a leading presence in his field. Juan's primary goal with his work is to create an initiative for a global perception change for one of the most misunderstood species on the planet; sharks.

Juan finished his degree in fine art and photography at BYUH in Laie Hawaii, 20 minutes from where he grew up at Chuns reef of North Shore, Oahu. Juan is one of the founders of One Ocean Research and Diving, Water Inspired Conservation Group, and Save The Sea Turtles International Non Profit. He grew 500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

up surfing the north shore and got into diving as a way to heal his back after an accident left him paralyzed. After learning to walk again and slowly regaining his strength after multiple surgeries his doctor advised him to take a break from surfing but Juan grew up in the ocean and couldn't stay away. He took up diving regularly and quickly became a divemaster and traveled the world with SeaShepard to help combat illegal fishing and whaling in 1999. From then on he began purposely diving with sharks on a regular basis and has worked with them year round ever since.

worldsocialmedia.directory/juan-oliphant/

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world travel influencers silver category

Kristina Makeeva @hobopeeba

Kristina Makeeva is a photographer from Moscow, Russia. If you don’t love Russian style yet, after looking at her work you definitely will. Kristina has created Winter Serie where a flurry of white powder swirls around colorful architecture and light-filled trees – Moscow, during the winter, resembles a snow globe. On her website you can also find a hilarious photographs of the cat. Cutlet because that is cats name, is very majestic and quite phlegmatic at the same time, what definitely helped Kristina during the photoshoots.

But this is not all, this extremely talented young Woman is an author of many others stunning artworks.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Makeeva started working with Photoshop when she was 14, and she began taking pictures 2 years later. The fact that she started first work with photoshop and after started photographing, definitely predetermined my style.

As you can see blow all of her photo are edited in graphics editor.

worldsocialmedia.directory/kristina-makeeva/

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world travel influencers silver category

Marie Fe & Jake Snow @mariefeandjakesnow

If you have made it here via Instagram you’ve probably got a fair idea of what we are about. If you haven’t then let us introduce ourselves. We are Marie and Jake, we come from opposite sides of the world (Germany and Australia). We met while on holiday in Thailand and fell in love.

In a world where we are spoilt for choice we chose happiness and we chose each other. Together we decided that love and happiness was more important than any security a job or money could offer! Combining our love for travel and photography we set out on a journey across the world in pursuit of our dreams.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

We travel the world creating content that inspires wanderlust and encourages people to chase their dreams. Behind the photos, behind the instagram is a story that is real. We started out from nothing, we fought through uncertainty and stayed true to our dreams. We want this blog to be the balance between what is real and the highlight reel we have on instagram.

worldsocialmedia.directory/mariefe-and-jakesnow/

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Michael Schulz @berlinstagram

Because I was convinced of it as a great platform for companies to connect directly with their customers, offering an added value like authentic content, inspiring stories and tailored campaigns that enable creativity and lead to a win-win-situation – both for the brand and the Instagram community!

I started freelancing to prove this – and since then I never found the time to set up a proper website, but travelled to 35 countries and had the chance to work with fantastic clients.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Before I decided to focus entirely on Instagram I worked many years as a digital creative in in the fields of online marketing, user experience and information architecture.

In my last position I set my priorities on User Experience, trying to achieve the best experience for users while maintaining the needs of the brand's stakeholders. I like to compare this to what I try to do now: acting as an intermediate between the community and brands.

Being on Instagram since the launch of the app, I built an expertise about the platform and its community within more than eight years.

worldsocialmedia.directory/michael-schulz/

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expotv.tube

expo videos from around the world

world travel influencers silver category

Nico Norena @succulentbite

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/nico-norena/

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world travel influencers silver category

Putri Anindya @puanindya

Putri Anindya is a freelance photographer based in Indonesia photography and travel are her passion so she mixed them into her works.

Putri has worked for several companies and brands including New Zealand Tourism Board, Visit Gold Coast, Visit Brussels, Visit Dubai, ComeSeeTurkey, Wonderful Indonesia, Catalunya Experience, Langly Ambassador, Matoa Watch Ambassador, Qualcomm, Fiat, Mazda, Four Seasons Paris, Ritz Carlton, St Regis, Toms, Converse, Beringer Wine, Jagermeister, Redbull, HP, and Galaxy Samsung.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Putri has been featured on Huffington Post, Vsco.co, Hypebeast, Food and Wine, Streetdreamsmag, Majalah Tempo, Koran Tempo, Rollingstones, Dewi Magazine, Marie Claire Magazine, , Malesbanget.com, passionpassport, Freemagz.

worldsocialmedia.directory/putri-anindya/

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world travel influencers silver category

Raquel & Miguel @explorerssaurus_

We’re a young Portuguese couple with a passion for travelling, photography and film making.

While Raquel was studying biomedical engineering in Spain and Miguel was working as a business manager at a construction company in Portugal, we decided to meet each other in different countries.

And that’s how our adventure started! We were conquering and discovering the world one short trip at a time.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

By this time, we were even more in love with each other and more eager to travel together. So we took the next step: we decided to move in together. We were working as many hours as we could and invested in our photography and videography skills.

We truly believe that couples who travel together stay together, so come and explore with us!

We explored Marrakech, Barcelona, Venice, Milan, Frankfurt and Paris. Where we collected amazing memories and epic experiences and we captured and shared them as we went along.

worldsocialmedia.directory/raquel-and-miguel/

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world travel influencers silver category

Rebecca Louise @rebeccalouisefitness

My mission is to help you feel like the best version of yourself every single day by bringing you exciting workouts and tasty recipes, as well as giving you the motivation to do it. Like a lot of people, it has taken me awhile to be comfortable in my own skin. At the age of 17, I suffered with anorexia and terrible complexion which led to depression.

Discovering the proper balance of exercise and great nutrition set me on track to take control of my health, wellness, and life! After building knowledge about the importance of cellular nutrition from the number one nutrition company in the world, practicing as a certified personal trainer, and

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

being a qualified 200 hour yoga teacher, I am excited to share my experiences and help others reach their goals.

Born in a small town in England called Eastbourne, I came to California in 2011 to get my commercial pilot’s license. I have always participated in sports since a young age and was a South of England Field Hockey player; I was also the sports captain at my high school for the netball, soccer, and track teams. Even after earning my pilot’s license, I discovered my true passion was in fitness and helping others to improve their lives through living a healthy, active lifestyle.

worldsocialmedia.directory/rebecca-louise/

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world travel influencers silver category

Sebas & Espe @twotrends

TwoTrends is a Lifestyle, travel and fashion blog targeted for both men and women. Having met in Miami FL, Sebastian and Espe always shared a love for fashion, experiencing the world and living life to the fullest. They began documenting their everyday lives on social media with emphasis to couple related content, which then led them to establish a fanbase of over 500,000 across all social media platforms.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Coming from Architectural and Journalist backgrounds, Sebastian & Espe add a unique perspective in the influencer space in undoubtedly more than one way. Not only do they both hold professional careers, but they come from a diverse Latin background, making their content relevant to a broader audience.

Currently, Sebastian and Espe continue to share their passion as lifestyle influencers in the industry for gentlemen, ladies and loving couples around the globe.

worldsocialmedia.directory/sebas-and-espe/

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Thomas Kakareko @thomas_k

Thomas Kakareko is a Berlin based photographer and content creator with a strong passion for urban and street photography. He started to photograph in October 2010 shortly after joining Instagram. Ever since he has become one of Germany's most followed and recognized Instagram Photographer’s. Today Thomas creates content for some of the world’s most renowned brands. His pictures were shown in various exhibitions around the world and featured in various newspapers, magazines and blogs.

500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

In July 2012 Thomas co-founded visumate, a social media agency that specializes in Influencer and Content marketing. In 2018 visumate was acquired by Dutch agency network Dept.

worldsocialmedia.directory/thomas-kakareko/

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world travel influencers silver category

Steve Winter @stevewinterphoto

Steve Winter has been attacked by rhinos in India, stalked by jaguars in Brazil, charged by a 11foot grizzly in Siberia, and trapped in quicksand in the world's largest tiger reserve in Myanmar. He has slept in a tent for six months at 40 below zero tracking snow leopard, flown over erupting volcanoes, and visited isolated villages where residents have never before seen a blond foreigner—or a camera.

Steve specializes in wildlife, and particularly, big cats. He’s been named BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year. He was a two-time winner of Picture of the Year International’s Global Vision 500K TO 749K FOLLOWERS

Award and won 1st prize in the nature story category from World Press Photo in 2008 and 2014.

He lectures globally on photography and conservation issues and has been interviewed on CBS Nightly News, 60 Minutes, NPR, BBC, and CNN. Steve feels we have a great responsibility not only to show and excite the readers about the natural world, but about its fascinating people and cultures as well. He wants to give people a reason to care. Above all, he wants to give the readers of National Geographic what he always wanted—a front row seat next to the photographer and writer, part of the team along for the adventure.

worldsocialmedia.directory/steve-winter/

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lovetv.tube

love videos from around the world

LOWA TI

world luxury

IBET GTX A WORKHORSE OF A BOOT AND A CULT FAVOURITE AMONG HARDCORE BACKPACKERS AND HUNTERS. SUPER STABLE, IT’S DEAL FOR CARRYING HEAVY LOADS OVER LONG DISTANCES AND RUGGED STANFIRSTTERRAIN. ANKLE FLEX IS A TOUCH SOFTER THAN OFF-TRAIL PREVIOUS VERSIONS. DURABLY WATERPROOF/BREATHABLE. This stable and robust backpacking boot has proved itself many times over on the toughest treks all over the world and on countless multi-day alpine expeditions. It’s even quite at home on via ferrate.

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The detailed midsole construction offers the utmost in comfort with its last that is somewhat wider overall in the forefoot and somewhat higher overall in the toebox for perfect fit. This boot, which uses the highest quality materials, is strap-on crampon compatible.

www.lowa.co.uk/shop/product-61-tibet-gtx

The waterproof GORE-TEX® lining provides optimal comfort. The self-cleaning Vibram® "Masai" outsole with its deep lugs shaped for uphill and downhill traction provides guaranteed outstanding footing on all surfaces.

LUXURY REDEFINED www.luxnews.co

NIKE JOYRIDE CC3 SETTER LOUNGE WHEREVER YOU GO AND LET THE NIKE JOYRIDE CC3 SETTER TAKE YOU INTO A NEW WORLD OF COMFORT. IT PLACES YOUR FEET DIRECTLY ON SOFT FOAM AND INNOVATIVE BEAD-PODS FOR EXTRA COMFORT, WHILE EXAGGERATED TEXTURES ADD UNRIVALED DEPTH TO YOUR EDGY ATTITUDE. Benefits Nike Joyride technology places bead-filled pods underfoot for personalized comfort.

Lightweight Nike React foam delivers a smooth, responsive ride.

Stretchy upper and inner sleeve create a snug fit that forms to your foot.

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Product Details Traditional lacing system Pull tabs on heel and tongue Shown: Hyper Pink/Black/Racer Blue/Kumquat Style: AT6395-600

www.nike.com/t/joyride-cc3-setter-mens-shoeWW6qfW/AT6395-600

world luxury

LUXURY REDEFINED www.luxnews.co

RIVIAN ELECTR ADVENTURE V RIVIAN, AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANUFACTURER, UNVEILED ITS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ELECTRIC ADVENTURE VEHICLES — THE R1T, AN ALL-ELECTRIC PICKUP AND THE R1S, AN ALL-ELECTRIC SUV.

With up to 400+ miles in electric range, a wading depth of 1 meter, lockable storage bins that can fit the bulkiest of gear, and the performance and precise control of quad-motor AWD, Rivian vehicles have been developed to help customers get out and explore the world. www.rivian.com

world luxury

RIC EHICLES text

LUXURY REDEFINED www.luxnews.co

ROLEX SKY-DWELLER THE ULTIMATE WATCH MODEL CASE Oyster, 42 mm, Oystersteel and white gold

PRECISION -2/+2 sec/day, after casing

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OSCILLATOR Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring. Highperformance Paraflex shock absorbers WINDING Bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor POWER RESERVE Approximately 72 hours BRACELET Oyster, flat three-piece links BRACELET MATERIAL Oystersteel CLASP Folding Oysterclasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link rolex.com

CALIBRE 9001, Manufacture Rolex

world luxury

LUXURY REDEFINED www.luxnews.co

UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

World Travel Influencers

Bronze Category Up to 499k followers

influencers MAGAZINE

world travel influencers bronze category

Benjamin Prescott @itsbigben

My name's Ben and I'm an outdoor lifestyle photographer based near Vancouver BC Canada.

When I was kid, I used to have these embarrassing moments with my Dad. Every time we went out on some new adventure (camping, skiing, biking, hiking, etc), he would always bring along this hilarious variety of sub-$200 digital cameras - and, of course, wanted me to pose for photos.

I've always been pretty awkward in front of the camera, but I didn't really care because I was a kid.

Although, fast forward to about age 13, I was solely focused on being as cool as possible, and posing for my Dad's photos was no longer an option. My Dad has UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

always been a resourceful individual and he figured a $5 payment would be well worth the memories. Somehow I agreed. I'm not sure exactly how much money I made, but we think my reluctant modelling was worth about $30 a year.

I'm not who I thought I would turn out to be - who my Dad was back then, that's me now. Well, mostly; I don't have kids of my own yet, but the summary is perfectly relevant. My camera is worth a bit more than $200, but it's always in the car with me, in my hands, or buried in my pack - camping, hiking, mountains, beaches, etc.

worldsocialmedia.directory/benjamin-prescott/

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world travel influencers bronze category

Beverly Joubert @beverlyjoubert

Beverly is an intuitive photographer rather than a technical one, a person who lives and breathes Africa and its wild open places filled with big cats and elephants, racing zebras or bubbling lava flows. National Geographic Explorer-inResidence, just one of 14 people selected to represent this level of professionalism in the Society, she has specialized in African photography for nearly 30 years, with images in a dozen or more National Geographic Magazines, in 10 books, and thousands of articles around the world.

She is a child of Africa and that seems to make all the difference because deeply embedded in her work is a knowledge of her UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

subjects; she seems to understand the leopard through the highlights on the eyes and what it will do next, because she has seen it thousands of times before. She feels the mist swirl around a male lion‌ and we as observers of the image she gives us, can also feel the roar that is about to come from its mouth, because she has heard those roars daily for decades.

Her passion for wildlife is endless.

Perhaps for Beverly, the most prestigious and valued accolade is the Presidential Order of Merit given to her by the president of Botswana His Excellency Ian Khama, for work done for the enhancement of the reputation of Botswana via her images.

worldsocialmedia.directory/beverly-joubert/

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world travel influencers bronze category

Camille & Jean @backpackdiariez

We are Camille and Jean, a couple of Belgians with a HUGE passion for travel! We thrive on exploring faraway places and discovering new cultures, and we just can’t get enough of it…

We started this blog a couple of years ago when we interrupted our corporate careers in London for a 5 month backpacking trip across Latin America. Our blog started off as something small with the purpose of keeping our friends and family updated, and sharing a couple of travel tips to fellow travelers. This 5 month trip was arguably one of the most life changing things we ever did and we instantly got hooked.

UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

Now, one year into it, we manage to make it work by finding the

right balance between traveling, freelance work and social media collaborations. Our blog and Instagram account are booming and enable us to travel to places we could never have imagined before.

Through our Instagram account and our blog, we hope to inspire many other people to get out of their daily grind and start exploring. We have an incredibly engaged audience of travel fanatics who are constantly looking for new travel destinations and great places to stay. The feedback has been fantastic so far, and we are only just getting started… We have many more crazy ideas that we hope to realize soon, so stay tuned!

worldsocialmedia.directory/camille-and-jean/

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world travel influencers bronze category

Candy & Cocoa @candyandcocoa

UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/candy-and-cocoa/

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Carina Pinheiro & Ivo Filipe @onewayticketrip

We’re Carina and Ivo, creators of OneWayTickeTrip. We were born and raised in Portugal. We’re from near small villages, but during 20 years we didn’t know about each other’s existence. We met and fell in love in Porto while we were taking our degrees.

At this time, Ivo was being haunted by depression. Thank god Carina came and everything seems to make sense again.

Carina worked in the fashion industry and at the same time start sharing her passion for making trends in simple looks to wear daily, her travels and lifestyle on her Instagram account. Ivo was always passionate about entrepreneurship and travel-instyle, documenting the day-toUP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

day episodes of his journey in his personal channels.

As our passion for travel grew, so did the amount of opportunities to bring our passions for Travel, Fashion, and Photography together into a collaborative Lifestyle project, in 2017 we said goodbye to our corporate jobs and set out to travel full time.

Currently based in Porto, Portugal, we travel the world and create content for Brands, Hotels & Resorts, and Experiences. We plan and perform our pieces of content during our trips to different destinations, photographing and filming us individually or as a couple

worldsocialmedia.directory/carina-pinheiro-and-ivo-filipe/

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world travel influencers bronze category

Daisy Gilardini @daisygilardini

Daisy Gilardini is originally from Switzerland but now lives in British Columbia – Canada. She started taking photography seriously during her first trip to India in 1989 and since then has visited more than 70 countries with camera in hand. After falling in love with Antarctica during her first trip there in 1997, she has spent most of her time photographing the Polar Regions.

In two decades of polar explorations she joined over sixty expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic, most of them on research vessels and icebreakers, one on a sailing boat, some overland and in 2006 she joined a Russian expedition to the North Pole on skies.

UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

Daisy’s images have been published internationally by leading magazines and organizations, such as National Geographic, Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, Nature’s Best, Audubon, The Telegraph, Outdoor Photography, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, among many others. Her work has received awards at the most prestigious international photo contests such as the “BBC Wildlife photographer of the year”, “Travel Photography of the Year”, “Nature’s Best” and many more. In April 2010 Daisy had the great honor to be part of the jury of the “BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year” considered as the “Oscars” of nature photography photo contests.

worldsocialmedia.directory/daisy-gilardini/

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spatv.tube

spa videos from around the world

world travel influencers bronze category

Gunnar Freyr @icelandic_explorer

Born and raised by Icelandic parents in Denmark, Gunnar Freyr has always had a love for Iceland and a desire to live in his home country. In 2014, he decided to quit his corporate job in consulting and accounting. He sold all his belongings and purchased a one-way ticket to Iceland – where his heart finally felt at home. Suit and tie were quickly replaced by Icelandic sweaters knitted by his mom, and much of his time spent out in the incredible landscapes which have come to define his reality in so many ways.

UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

Self-taught photographer, Gunnar Freyr added the photographers school in Reykjavik to his list of projects in 2016 – but his successful projects and overwhelming desire to explore his home country brought him back into the wild in 2017.

He is currently working with several local and international brands, doing projects ranging from landscape, wildlife, lifestyle and product photography.

Gunnar Freyr is an official Canon Nordic Photographer

worldsocialmedia.directory/gunnar-freyr/

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world travel influencers bronze category

Indulgent Eats @indulgenteats

UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

My name is Jen Balisi, a 5 foot tall gal with a big appetite and a serious travel bug. I grew up in a Filipino household where food was the center of everything and family vacations were tradition.

When I moved to New York City to go to college at NYU, my passion for food grew as I explored the restaurant capital that was now my home. A semester abroad in Prague enhanced my inherent strength in planning weekend trips and weeklong getaways. Graduation led to a career in marketing at American Express and a growing bank account, which opened my palate to 3 star Michelin restaurants and tasting menus, and opened my mind to new cultures and destinations as I traveled more and more.

I started Indulgent Eats in 2013 as a way to share all of these experiences. As my Instagram audience grew to my surprise, I kept working on my photography and witty captions to the point where I’ve now made this my fulltime job.

I don’t expect every piece of content to be relevant to you and that’s where things get a bit selfish on my part, but I do hope that you, the reader, still find enough tidbits of usefulness, happiness, curiosities, what have you, that you stay along for the ride.

worldsocialmedia.directory/indulgent-eats/

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world travel influencers bronze category

Jamie Milne @everything_delish

Jamie Milne is a Toronto-based food, travel, and lifestyle blogger with an appetite to see the world!

With over 150,000 followers on Instagram, Jamie splits her time between Toronto and traveling different cities; curating the most delish content to share with you!

Jamie has been covered in press such as Life&Style, Elite Daily, Cosmopolitan, Honest Cooking Magazine, 9gag, BlogLovin; featured in national ad campaigns such as, Heinz, Booking.com, Nestea, Starbucks, in addition to collaborating with major travel and hospitality groups.

UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/jamie-milne/

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world travel influencers bronze category

Jessica CheatDay Eats @cheatdayeats

My name is Jessica and I am a New York based food and travel photographer. I am the founder of @CheatDayEats and @YourRoomService which highlight food and travel all over the world that I have eaten and photographed. I also mix in lifestyle shots to give a personal touch. @YourRoomService focuses on highlighting the dining experience at hotels and resorts worldwide. It is a unique concept that focuses on the beautiful inroom dining experience that no one else has touched upon. In just a little over 5 years, I’ve built an audience that reaches over 3 million people on a weekly basis through my organic feeds that are a showcase of my own personal experiences. Not only am I UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

passionate about my brand, but I’m inspired and dedicated in helping other brands, businesses, and destinations grow. I am a content creator, social media/brand development strategist and digital storyteller. In addition to photography, a big focus of mine is on video content creation. I enjoy being in front of the camera as well as capturing my experiences. My audience gets a behind the scenes look and feel as if they are along with me for the ride!

worldsocialmedia.directory/jessica-cheatdayeats/

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world travel influencers bronze category

Jovi Travel @jovi_travel

We are a couple from Germany who always loved to travel and to discover new places together.

Tired of our 9-to-5 jobs and curious about what great adventures the world has to offer we finally decided to leave everything behind an start exploring the world together.

I’m pretty sure that’s more or less what you read in every travel blog... why having a travel blog otherwise?!

UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/jovi-travel/

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world travel influencers bronze category

June Quan @stirandstyle

It started off as unintentional.

Then one day, I finally became aware of where food intersected with fashion in my mind. It happened when I was working at a law firm and taking my usual lunch/shopping break. I walked into Zara, saw a dark green flowy jumpsuit, and the first thought that came to mind was a citrusy kale salad I ate while having lunch in San Francisco with a friend from high school years ago. It hit me that I associate memories of food with items of clothing, which in turn has developed my style and taste in food.

The nostalgia and positivity I experience spawned by a single bite of food inspires not only a desire to hold onto those UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

moments, but also opens my eyes to a unique perspective of my own mind’s way of linking together two genuine passions in my life- food and fashion.

Essentially, as I style outfits, I get the chance to wear my memories.

It becomes a way for me to express myself through my wardrobe and allows me to preserve those moments longer.

As I said, it started off as unintentional. Now that I’m aware that my love for food and the significant impact it has on my life inspires my fashion, I am able to cherish those memories even more.

worldsocialmedia.directory/june-quan/

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Katerina & Yinon @katerinandyinon

Hi, we’re Katerina and Yinon! We come from the middle of nowhere and are headed pretty much everywhere.

We were born and grew up in small countries (Bulgaria and Israel) but life brought us together in the big city of New York. We met by chance, waiting in line for a salad and our lives have completely changed since.

We both had the travel bug for as long as we could remember but it was only after we found the love of our lives and built a strong relationship that we were able to take it to the next level and turn it into our own business.

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With our backgrounds, we were only able to get where we are through hard work and making the impossible possible, and we think anyone else can do it too.

So we started this blog to help others not only “believe” in their dreams, but work hard to make them possible like we did.

Traveling around the world to open your mind, discover different cultures and add new perspectives is one of the best things you could do, but sharing it with your other half is even better!

worldsocialmedia.directory/katerina-and-yinon/

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Kelly & Kody @positravelty

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Sun-drenched locations, lustworthy travel experiences, a positive outlook on life and an infectious love for one another, full-time wanderers Kody and Kelly from Positravelty give us some serious good vibes and inspire our lust for travel to farflung destinations.

Our inspiration comes from many different avenues. Exploring new destinations, meeting new people, learning about new cultures, photography and collaborations with other creative minds all inspire us. Our curiosity for the world seems to grow as we continue to explore.

Whether it’s bathing in waterfalls in Bali, laying poolside in South Africa or trekking in Norway, their beautiful Instagram images never fail to delight us. We take five with them this week to find out more.

Our perfect day would be an early morning hike followed by a relaxing afternoon at a secluded beach with fresh, cold coconuts.

Calorie-less ice cream would have just been invented, foot massages and a glass of wine in a jacuzzi to end a mosquito free evening.

worldsocialmedia.directory/kelly-and-kody/

influencers MAGAZINE

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Kirsten Alana @kirstenalana

Bonjour! My name is Kirsten. I’ve worn a lot of hats in my career, but I am first and foremost always a photographer. I’d love to work with you to create imagery that inspires and motivates your desired audience to action – particularly if it’s socially conscious and environmentally responsible. I’ve worked with brands such as Four Seasons, Ted Baker and Travel + Leisure on every continent but Antarctica. I also blog occasionally about my travels, my favorite things and what it’s like to call Los Angeles home. I’m a lover of culture and adventure, I’m always seeking to know more. I’m a romantic and an optimist at heart..who feels drawn to consistently revisit old favorites like France and Scotland. Like I UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

said above, almost all the work I do has some element of photography inherent but I have also consulted and advised brands; I’ve spoken at conferences on six continents; I have been in front of the camera hosting for CNN, Travel+Leisure, and Expedia; and I was the first photographer to travel around the world aboard Four Seasons new private jet in the Spring of 2015.

Travel, to me, has always symbolized the magic and freedom of not only finding oneself, but also learning about the world outside your door and being actively invested in your own life’s journey.

www.instagram.com/Kirstenalana/?hl=en

influencers MAGAZINE

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Laura Nadine & Nicolas Herbert @passportinonehand

We are Laura and Nicolas, a 90s couple from Ghent, Belgium. In October 2018, we made a decision that would change our lives forever. We left our comfy life behind us and took a leap into the unknown. With our ‘passport in one hand’ and our camera in the other, we hopped on the plane to our dream life.

Our goal with our Instagram page (@passportinonehand) is to inspire others to live their dream life, to show that anything is possible. But most of all, we want to spread love and positivity. We want to make you dream, even if it’s just for that one minute that you see our photo and read our caption.

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This blog was created not only to inspire, but to help you plan your next trip. You will find travel guides of the places that we have explored, tips and tricks to make your travels easier, our favourite travel gear, must-haves, discount codes to make your travels cheaper, and so much more.

This is just the beginning… where to next?

worldsocialmedia.directory/laura-nadine-and-nicolas-herbert/

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Leo Thomas @theolator

Founded in January 2015, the collective of outdoor photographers quickly emerged to become nothing less but Europe’s biggest outdoor community in social media. With a reach of more than 4M followers by today, the German Roamers are an influential community platform.

The collective consists of 14 photographers, aged between 18 and 35, ranging from students to full-time professionals. Along with the expertise and experience in social media campaigns, this setup allows to create the perfect crew for any purpose needed.

They are known and respected for their unique style of interpreting outdoor and travel photography. Bringing Germany into focus, they put photography into the center of attention. They are willing and able to always put 100% of effort into their projects because they strive for nothing but the best quality when it comes to visual content.

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worldsocialmedia.directory/leo-thomas/

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Lindsay Greene @the_hunger_diaries

American food blogger.

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worldsocialmedia.directory/lindsay-greene/

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Manuel Dietrich @manueldietrichphotography

Manuel Dietrich is a photographer, filmmaker and travel addict based in a small village in western Germany.

Since I was looking for the typical 3-month time out in Australia after finishing school in 2014, my life has changed more than I would have ever imagined. What once was only a temporary hobby quickly turned into a photography and travel obsession. Today it constantly draws me to new destinations exploring the world we're living in.

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No matter if it's only a weekend trip to the Italian Dolomites or an adventure tour to the Lofoten Islands, every second that I got left besides my architectural studies and every opportunity I see to escape the daily monotony of the student life is being used.

I couldn't imagine a life without a camera in my hand and a passport in my backpack anymore.

'Routine is the enemy of time.

Live your life to the fullest!'

worldsocialmedia.directory/manuel-dietrich/

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Marcel Evolumina @evolumina

All aspects regarding landscape and travel photography, film making and social media campaigns combined in one brand. Marcel Lesch is the person behind "My favorite part about photography is the fact that you always connect with new people.

It doesn't matter which skin color, no matter of the religious purposes, the gender or any social situations. You come together everywhere around to world to follow the same interests and passion: Photography"

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His work as a landscape and travel photographer opens the opportunity to explore unique countries on different continents around the world.

"I´m always prepared! Spending several hours of planning before starting a new journey into an environment I haven't visited before is a normal routine. The great fact about landscape photography is: You don't work in a studio and the weather can either destroy all your plans or offer great conditions for notable footage!"

worldsocialmedia.directory/marcel-evolumina/

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Melissa Hie @girleatworld

My name is Melissa Hie and I am the “Girl� in Girl Eat World. As the name of this blog might have suggested, I love eating and traveling the world.

I started this blog in 2015, for probably the most traditional reason ever – to keep a diary for myself and for friends whom I know will be asking me for travel tips. Before that though, blogging and I go way back – I have been blogging for close to two decades since 2001.

try and this time I created a dedicated travel blog and named in Girl Eat World in 2015. đ&#x;˜?

So long story short, that’s how my blog, Girl Eat World started. Since then, I’ve explored places I never thought I would visit (such as Ukraine, Jordan, middle of Australia, and Tasmania), done the diving trip of a lifetime in Raja Ampat, spent loads of time in Bali and Japan, crossed New Zealand off my bucket list‌ and the list goes on.

In 2014, I accidentally found success with Instagram and discovered they I still love telling stories of my travels. With this new-found love of storytelling, I decided to give blogging another UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

worldsocialmedia.directory/melissa-hie/

influencers MAGAZINE

influencers M A G A Z I N E

Influencer marketing is quickly becoming a major part of the social marketing strategies for many marketers and agencies a like. With digital marketing spend increasing every year, more and more dollars are being devoted to influencer marketing programs due to their potential for significant ROI yields with often less resources.

The value of influencer marketing is undeniable and no matter the size, resources, or sophistication, of a marketer or agency, all should be considering integrating an influencer marketing strategy into their social plans, even if their just beginning. The prospect of being able to reach consumers, inside and outside your traditional audience, in engaging ways, and through trusted voices is value that can’t be found through many if any other forms of social media marketing.

www.theinfluencersmagazine.com

introducing the top mid dle east

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media world shaping the social

world travel influencers bronze category

Michael Sidofsky @mindz.eye

Michael Sidofsky is a professional photographer from Toronto, specializing in elevated travel photography. Being an avid traveler and photographer, my goal is to capture the essence of a destination through the use of advanced techniques in photography and post-processing.

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I believe this is what sets my images apart from other photographers. My images aim to portray a unique perspective of places or things that may seem commonplace to the everyday eye, but which trigger some sort of emotional reaction. Whether I'm shooting landscapes, cityscapes, streets or architecture, my goal is to always create a connection between the subject and the viewer.

worldsocialmedia.directory/michael-sidofsky/

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Mike Coots @mikecoots

What if I told you there’s a guy who lost his leg to a shark attack and says it’s the best thing that ever happened to him? I guess it would just prove that life is simply a matter of perspective. Meet Mike Coots, a 35-year-old Kauai born surfer, photographer, and all around Good Samaritan. In 1997, at the tender age of 17, Mike lost his leg in a shark attack on the North Shore of Kauai while surfing with his buddy at his favorite surf spot. However, recounting the incident with him and his life ever since, tragic is not a word that comes to mind.

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When asked about a picture I found of him in the hospital the day after the incident with a huge smile on his face, Mike simply says, “I was just so happy and grateful to be alive.” He is the kind of guy who was back out in the lineup six weeks later at the same surf break. “My friends love surfing with me now because they know that it’s near impossible they’ll get bit by a shark.”

worldsocialmedia.directory/mike-coots/

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Miss Hattan @misshattan

Misshattan blends her love for aerial perspectives and exciting destinations with an inspiring sensory experience. After leaving her corporate job in finance to pursue her passion for photography, Misshattan consistently creates inspiring imagery. When it comes to her work, one can expect an intense desire for travel and experiences fused with an essence of serenity amongst adrenaline-inducing perspectives.

She took Instagram by storm, providing the world with a captivating glimpse into the bustling life of a daring native New Yorker. She continues to share her life journey, travels, and photography through various social media outlets. At any given moment you can catch her soaring through the skyline on a helicopter, eating at delicious restaurants, or flying to her next destination to snap mesmerizing photos.

The Misshattan brand not only provides magnetizing photography; it serves as a mantra for those who have the audacity to pursue their dreams.

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Pixelville @pixelville

Travel, landscape, and cityscape photographer well known for introducing new angles, in particular a lot of aerial shots, while capturing skylines of cities.

She often takes photos from the rooftops of skyscrapers.

Her artistic photographs on her pixelville Instagram account have earned her 120,000 followers.

She is originally from Lebanon, but was raised in Dubai. Her real name is Jumana Jolie

The first photo on her account was a picture published in January of 2015 of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper.

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worldsocialmedia.directory/pixelville/

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Riva G @riva_g_

Riva fell in love with yoga over 15 years ago and hasn't looked back since. Her desire to share this passion led her to working as a yoga model and a contributing writer to Yoga Magazine, Huffington Post, & other publications.

In addition to her creative work, Riva is a certified Yoga & Pilates instructor and enjoys teaching customized classes to her private clients.

She lives near NYC with her husband, three kids, and their rescue-dog, Winnie.

The natural progression to Creative Director ensued after filling the role for many of her modeling shoots. By combining her passion and creativity, Riva is dedicated to capturing unique and memorable images through the beauty of yoga.

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worldsocialmedia.directory/riva-g/

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Ronan Donovan @ronan_donovan

In 2011, Ronan Donovan was researching chimpanzees in Uganda’s Kibale National Park for Harvard professor Richard Wrangham when he made the images that helped him establish a career as a conservation photographer. Part of his work involved climbing fig trees to observe the chimps, and he brought his camera with him, creating a series of photographs of the primates from above.

Wrangham sent the images to wildlife photojournalist Tim Laman, who put Donovan in touch with Kathy Moran, National Geographic’s senior editor for natural history. That put Donovan on Moran’s radar, but it wasn’t until 2014 that Moran asked if he’d like to try assisting UP TO 499K FOLLOWERS

photographer Michael “Nick” Nichols on a project about Yellowstone National Park. Moran initially gave Donovan a two-week contract to see if he and Nichols clicked. He ended up assisting Nichols for several months until a need arose to cover Yellowstone’s gray wolves as part of the same project, Nichols pushed for Donovan to get the assignment.

Donovan spent the next year on that work, which was published in the May 2016 issue alongside stories by Nichols, Erika Larsen, David Guttenfelder and others.

worldsocialmedia.directory/ronan-donovan/

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Shawn Heinrichs @shawnheinrichs

Art is my passion, conservation is my purpose, and for me the two are inseparable. I have found art is the most powerful tool I can contribute to help protect the ocean’s most threatened species and habitats. Art is a universal language that opens people’s hearts and my aim is use art in in all its forms to connect people on an emotional level with majestic yet endangered marine wildlife and inspire them to act before it is too late.

reconnecting people with the beauty and vulnerability of marine species, we intend to ignite a new level of curiosity and passion for marine conservation.

Shawn Heinrichs is an artist and Emmy-award winning cinematographer, photographer and marine conservationist. His stunning and often stark artwork is fueled by his passion to protect the oceans, and the profound recognition that people only protect what they love.

We believe art is an essential communication tool in halting the destruction of threatened species and we intend to do our part. By

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worldsocialmedia.directory/shawn-heinrichs/

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Xavier & Katie Ritzi @xkflyaway

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Meet one of the most humble and successful travel Instagrammer couple Xavier & Katie, more commonly known as @xkflyaway on Instagram. Coming from the USA, we speak with them on how their beautiful pictures get featured by big accounts all the time and their inspirations behind their photos.

Their Instagram feed is addictive to look at!

When we go to major cities, Xavier will take a ton of street shots and convert them into black & white. He posts a lot of urban pics on his page @mi5ter_x

We haven’t been to many urban places in a while, so the photos we take are usually landscape shots.

We saved up all our money, sold our stuff, and set out for a 1 year trip. We just try and stick to our budget, but of course it’s not always easy!

We usually shoot early in the morning then at night night we spend time engaging with other accounts. If we are traveling, we will usually find wifi at the airport or a cafe somewhere.

worldsocialmedia.directory/xavier-and-katie-ritzi/

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THE NEW 2020 LAND ROVER DEFENDER THE LAND ROVER DEFENDER HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND THE NEW MODEL IS THE TOUGHEST AND MOST CAPABLE LAND ROVER VEHICLE YET, COMBINING A NEW BODY STRUCTURE WITH ALL-NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PROVEN HARDWARE TO CREATE A DEFENDER THAT IS FIT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. THE NEW DEFENDER IS BUILT FOR ADVENTUROUS HEARTS AND CURIOUS MINDS, FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY AND STRIVE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

• The new Defender is reimagined for the 21st century • The world’s most iconic 4x4 and the choice of adventurers and expedition leaders for more than 70 years has been reinvented with an instantly recognizable silhouette that features signature Defender elements including short front and rear overhangs • Durable new D7x architecture engineered to withstand the Extreme Event Test procedure, above and beyond the normal standard for SUV testing in the industry • New Configurable Terrain Response, Twin-Speed Transfer Box, Locking Center Differential, Active Rear and Locking Differential allow drivers to optimize the Defender for use on various terrains(7)

• The new Defender debuts the new ‘PIVI Pro’(12) infotainment system featuring an intuitive interface, while Software-Over-The-Air updates allows customers to access to the latest software updates remotely • Intuitive 10-inch touchscreen with standard Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ compatibility delivers enhanced user experience and broader range of functions(1) • At launch, the Defender 110 will be available with optional 5+2 seating and four distinct Accessory Packs (Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban), as well as 170 individual accessories; A shorter wheelbase Defender 90 derivate will join the line-up soon after www.landroverusa.com/Defender

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LEICA QTHE DESIGN OF THE NEW MODEL OF THE LEICA Q SERIES CONCENTRATES ON UNDERSTATEMENT

With the Leica Q-P, Leica Camera AG presents a further model of its highperformance compact camera with a full-frame sensor and a fast prime lens.

Lacking the Leica red dot logo, but instead featuring a restrained, classic Leica script engraved on the top plate, the discreet design of the Leica Q-P sets it apart from the existing Leica Q models in silver and black. The matt black paint finish of the camera body is especially resilient and underlines its refined and elegant looks. A new feature of the Leica Q-P is a shutter release button that replicates those of the Leica M and CL cameras.

The camera comes complete with a carrying strap in finest brown leather and an additional battery.

The technical specifications of the Leica Q-P are identical to those of the serial production models of the Leica Q camera. The outstanding feature of all models is a particularly fast Leica Summilux 1:1.7/28 mm ASPH. lens that makes the camera perfect for photography in available light and for street photography, architecture and landscapes. For reliable control of subject composition, the Leica Q-P features an integrated viewfinder with a resolution of 3.68 MP. Even the finest details of every exposure are displayed without any perceptible lag as soon as the camera is brought up to the user’s eye.

All functions of the camera are clearly laid out and logically placed to guarantee perfect ergonomics and particularly intuitive handling. Its clear and logical menu concept provides rapid access to all essential functions and enables users to programme personalised settings.

The Leica Q-P also delivers video recordings in full-HD quality. Depending on the scene and subject, users can choose between 30 and 60 full frames per second for video recording in MP4 format. The camera also features an integrated Wi-Fi module for remote control and digital transfer of still pictures and video to a smartphone with the Leica FOTOS App. uk.leica-camera.com/Photography/Leica-Q/Leica-Q-P

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THOM BROWN TB808 SUNGLA BASED IN NEW YORK, AMERICAN FASHION-POWERHOUSE THOM BROWNE ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR UNIQUE COLLECTIONS OF SOPHISTICATED MEN’S AND WOMEN’S HIGH-FASHION GARMENTS – THE THOM BROWNE SUNGLASSES COLLECTION HAS THE SAME HIGH STANDARDS AS THE THOM BROWNE CLOTHING LINE, ADDING AN ELEMENT OF SOPHISTICATION THAT IS FRESH AND ON TREND.

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NE ASSES The Thom Browne TB808 sunglasses are a perfect example of this; these sunglasses - created for the modern man and woman – carry the perfect balance of luxury and trendiness. The TB808 design features a full rim, square shaped Titanium frame with a trendy bridge and brow bar as well as custom Japanese acetate lens rims. This model has been fitted with hinged metal mesh shields on the inner sides of the frame. Custom-made titanium nose pads contain the

Thom Browne signature three-stripe detail and the slim titanium temples contain the iconic tri-coloured five piece temple tips. These exceedingly trendy sunglasses are available in three multi-tonal colours with striking UV protected (UVA, UVB and CR39) mirrored lenses – these lenses come with a special back surface anti-reflective coating. www.thombrowne.com

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VOLLEBAK MADE FROM PULPED EUCALYPTUS AND BEECH FROM SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FORESTS, AND ALGAE GROWN IN BIOREACTORS, THE VOLLEBAK PLANT AND ALGAE T SHIRT DOESN’T START LIFE LIKE ANY OTHER PIECE OF CLOTHING.

And it doesn’t end its life like any other piece of clothing either. When you’ve finished with the t-shirt it turns into worm food. You can either put it in the compost or bury it in your garden to biodegrade in the soil and it will be gone within 12 weeks.

The design of the t-shirt is made entirely from algae. To turn it into a printable ink we used the same technique used in Kenya to create algae cake. Instead of passing lake water through a cotton net, we pass water from the bioreactor through a filter. This process separates the algae, leaving a soupy algae paste.

This paste is then dried in the sun to create a fine powder, and this powder is mixed with a water-based binder to make algae ink.

It’s then printed onto a shirt that is made of wood pulp from sustainably managed forests. Eucalyptus, beech, and spruce are chipped and pulped, before being turned into fibre, then yarn and finally fabric. All the wood is harvested from sustainable forestry plantations and certified by both the Forestry Sustainability Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Representing over 700 million acres of certified forests, the PEFC is the largest forest certification system in the world.

“The only thing different about this t shirt is that it grew in soil and water, and that’s where it’s designed to end up too. All you need to do is remember to compost it at the end of its life. Here it will biodegrade with them, turn into soil, and help new plants to grow,” explains Vollebak co-founder, Steve Tidball.

“Algae can’t survive once it’s removed from water, so the algae on the t-shirt is no longer alive. And because it started life as a plant rather than a chemical dye, the natural pigment in algae is more sensitive and won’t behave like colour normally does on clothing. As soon as it comes into contact with air it starts to oxidise, which means the green will begin to change colour and your t shirt may look different from one week to the next as it fades, making every t-shirt unique,” Available to buy next week, you can find out more about the Vollebak Plant & Algae T Shirt and join the waiting list at: www.vollebak.com/product/plantalgae-waiting-list/

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social media glossary

The A-Z of Social Media Social Media is full of terms and phrases that can leave the unititiated scratching their heads.

To help you along, we have put together this descriptive selection.

Above the line Above the line (ATL) Marketing means that the advertising is going to be directed towards the mass market, not focusing on a specific target group. ATL strategies help companies reach a larger audience and create brand visibility.

Accounts Reached The number of unique accounts who viewed a content.

Activation A marketing initiative where the brand generates consumer interest through brand interaction and experiences.

Actual Impressions Rate Impressions divided by total number of followers.

AddThis A web-tracking technology company that collects personal

information in the form of an email address when the service to share via email is requested. It also provides publishers with increased traffic and in-depth analytics.

AďŹƒliate Marketing A type of performance-based marketing in which a brand pays compensation to third-party publishers to generate traffic or leads to the company's website.

Algorithm A detailed series of rules, instructions and computer codes for carrying out an operation and delivering a result. Algorithms are used in social media to deliver content to the users. These algorithms are managed by dedicated teams of software engineers, data scientists, content strategists, and more, so nothing you see is an accident.

Always On (Program) An ongoing, non-campaign approach that aims to create remarkable brand experiences at scale through systematic optimization, i.e. websites running 24/7, content available on-demand.

AMA An acronym for “Ask Me Anything� which originated in a popular subreddit where people use the term to prompt questions from other users.

Ambassador An advocate of a particular company's products and services who represents the brand in a positive light and by doing so helps increase brand awareness and sales.

Amplify To drive additional distribution through optimized content.

API

Audience Insights

An acronym for “Application Programming Interface”. API is a documented interface that allows an application to extract information from a piece of software and use that information in their own application, or sometimes for data analysis.

The different characteristics that define the audience of an influencer. These might be age, gender, location, occupation, nationality, etc. This information is interesting for brands or advertisers who are interested in partnering with influencers whose audience matches their target customers.

Audience People or market segment at whom an advertising message or campaign is aimed. An audience can also refer to a group of social media users who follow and engage with an influencer. An influencer’s audience is their most valuable asset.

Audience-First The practice of reverse-engineering the selection of talent based on who their audience is, to insure that the right audience is reached in a campaign.

Avatar An icon that represents a person online. Avatars are commonly used in multiplayer gaming, online communities, and Web forums.

metric for the ranking of a website.

A site with a lot of backlinks tended to rank higher on search engines.

Benchmarking The process of measuring a business's performance against a point of reference considered to be the best in the industry, aka “best in class”, to determine success or failure.

Bio Audience’s first impression of a user or a brand.

Bitly Backlinks “Incoming” or “inbound” links to a webpage or the entire website.

When a webpage links to any other website, it’s called a backlink. In the past, backlinks were a significant

A free URL shortening service that provides statistics for the links users share online. Bitly is popularly used to condense long URLs to make them easier to share on social networks such as Twitter.

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social media glossary

Blog

Bounce Rate

A word that was created from two words: “web log.” It is a platform maintained by a writer or a group of writers where they share regular entries of content on a specific topic. "Blog" can also be used as a verb.

A metric used in web traffic analysis that measures the percentage of visitors who land on a website but leave quickly without clicking or interacting with any section of the webpage. For instance, if 100 people visit a site, and 50 of them quickly leave, the website has a bounce rate of 50%. Websites intend to have as low of a bounce rate as possible.

Blog Talk Radio The world's largest online talk radio hosting platform. It is a free web application that allows users to create live and on-demand talk content.

BoardReader A free search engine that aggregates data from social media networks.

Bookmarking A Web browser feature used to save a web page’s URL address for future reference.

meets the brand’s standards and is able to generate optimum engagement.

Call to action (CTA) A button, or simply a text link message that leads the visitor to pursue a certain action. It refers to the next step a marketer wants its audience to take.

Brand Awareness

Campaign

The level of consumer recognition of a brand. Ideally, awareness of the brand may include the qualities that distinguish the product from its competition.

Tactical execution of a particular marketing strategy to promote a product or service.

Brief A written document that clearly outlines the campaign goals, guidelines, CTA, dedicated landing page and deliverables. Briefs guide influencers to ensure their content

Canva A simplified graphic-design tool with easy-to-use features and userfriendly templates that adhere to the required dimensions for sharable social images on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Caption

Content Approval

A piece of text introducing a post.

Each social platform has different types of caption parameters: Twitter for example allows up to 280 characters, while Instagram’s limit is at 2,200.

The content produced by the influencers must first be approved by the brand or their partner.

Clickbait A hyperlink or a thumbnail link used to attract attention on a web page to lure visitors into clicking on deceptive and misleading content.

Clickthrough Rate (CTR) The ratio of users who click on a certain link to the number of total users who visit a page, post or advertisement. The higher the CTR percentage, the more people went through.

Collaboration The relationship between a brand and an influencer where the influencer produces content for the brand in exchange for compensation.

Collective Intelligence A kind of wisdom and knowledge that grows out of a group when working together, in order to achieve goals that an individual, even the most gifted, would not be able to accomplish alone. It appears in consensus decision-making on social media.

Community Manager A person who builds and grows a brand’s online presence and seizes opportunities to interact with the audience in order to increase brand awareness and loyalty.

Connections A term used on LinkedIn to describe professional contacts. It is the equivalent of “Friends” on Facebook.

Content Marketing The strategy of consistently producing high-quality content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

Consideration The extent to which consumers consider a brand for a given purchase occasion.

Conversion The proportion of people visiting a website or viewing an ad and completing a desired action.

Conversion is measured by influencers using tracking links or promo codes. The percentage of total visitors that convert is called your conversion rate.

Cost-per-Acquisition (CPA) The metric that measures the cost to acquire one paying customer on a campaign or channel level. It is calculated by dividing the total media investment by number of acquisitions. E.g. $100,000 media budget / 1,000 sales = $100 CostPer-Acquisition.

Cost-per-Click (CPC) The metric that measures the cost of one customer clicking on an advertisement or link and landing on the company’s website. E.g. $100,000 media budget / 100,000 clicks = $1.00 Cost-Per-Click.

Cost-per-Engagement (CPE) The cost that is associated with each engagement or interaction. An engagement can be anything from pausing or muting a video to submitting contact details. The cost per engagement is calculated by dividing the cost of the specific

content by the total engagements it generates. E.g. $100,000 media budget / 200,000 engagements = $0.50 Cost-Per-Engagement.

Cost-per-Mille (CPM) or Costper-Thousand (CPT) Refers to the cost per one thousand units. The unit is typically clicks, views, followers, or impressions.

Craigslist A classified advertisements website used to sell a variety of products and services.

Creative Commons A non-profit organization that provides free copyright licenses for digital work.

Crowdsourcing Similar to outsourcing, crowdsourcing refers to the act of soliciting a large group of people for their skills, ideas and participation to generate content, typically in an online setting. It is powered by new technologies, social media and web 2.0.

Deliverables The expected results to be produced by the influencers. It can be raising brand awareness, increasing sales, reaching new market segments, etc.

Digg A social networking website that aggregates news allowing users to vote for web content.

Disclosure A document clearly stating the purpose of a collaboration between the influencer and the brand.

Disqus A blog comment hosting service and moderation tool.

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social media glossary

Distribution Channel

Engagement Rate

Follower

A platform used to share content on.

A metric that determines the level of engagement and interactions the content generates. The formula is generally total engagement divided by total Gross Reach or Follower Count.

A user who subscribes to an account to stay up-to-date with its content.

Earned Media Forrester defines earned media as “when customers become the channel.” Your brand earns media when people start talking about you (usually in a good way). According to Nilsen, earned media is the most trusted form of advertising out there.

Earned Media Value The value of social media exposure gained through word-of-mouth, recommendations, or conversations about the brand.

Ebook A book made available in a digital form

eCommerce Refers to the commercial transactions conducted online and the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions.

Employee Advocacy When employees use their own social presence to promote the company they work for.

Endorsement Celebrity endorsements use the fame of a celebrity to get people excited about a brand or a product.

An endorsement on LinkedIn refers to an instance in which another LinkedIn user recognizes you for one of the skills you have listed on your profile.

Engagement A term used in social media and influencer marketing to describe the long term commitment of users towards a brand or an influencer.

Forum

Eventbrite

An online discussion site where people exchange ideas and discuss issues.

An event management platform that allows anyone to create, share, find and attend events.

Connections one has on Facebook.

Exclusivity Clause A specific right or restriction a brand or an agency might enact during the collaboration with an influencer.

Facebook A social networking platform, created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, to connect people with friends, family, and businesses from all over the world.

Fans Users who like your Facebook page.

Featured Snippet An instant summary of an answer to a user’s query that Google draws from a website and places right into search results.

Feed The platform interface where users view the content that is published by the people and influencers they’re following.

Friends Full Commercial Content Usage The negotiated and secured terms to the right to use influencergenerated content. This means that brands have the right to use the content produced by influencers across their channels, but do not own the content.

GaggleAMP A cloud-based employee advocacy tool that allows marketers to send requests to employees to digitally carry out promotional actions in a variety of ways.

Generation Z The demographic cohort following generation Y. It is the first generation of true digital natives born from the mid-1990s through the second decade of this century, within the technological age.

Generation Z will be setting the pace for social innovation from here on out.

Flat Lay

Geotagging

An image or a style of photograph, usually taken from a bird’s-eye view to showcase a group of items laid out on a flat.

The process of adding geographical metadata to media such as websites, images, videos, and various other data types and sources. The data usually consists of coordinates like latitude, longitude and street addresses.

Flickr An image and video hosting service that allows users to store then share photos with others.

Geo-targeting

Hashtag

IGTV

Also known as local PPC, Geotargeting is the method of determining a website visitor’s geolocation, and delivering different content to that visitor based on their location. Geo-targeting is used to customize an advertisement for a product or service to a specific market based on the geographic location of potential buyers. This includes country, region/state, city, metro code/zip code, organization, IP address, ISP or other criteria.

A word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), used on social media and websites to identify content on a specific topic. They are searchable keywords, for example #relatable.

A standalone vertical video application launched by Instagram.

Whereas Instagram allows the publication of videos of up to 60 seconds, the new app has space for videos of up to one hour. Each user’s page is named "channel".

Haul When an influencer unboxes recently purchased items and shares them with his or her community.

Impressions The number of times a specific content has been displayed on a screen.

GIF Stands for “Graphics Interchange Format.” It is an often animated raster graphics file containing a number of images or frames in a single file.

Google Chrome A free Internet browser for accessing the World Wide Web and running Web-based applications.

Google Documents A free Web-based application for creating and editing private and public, word processing and spreadsheet documents.

Guest Post When a website invites another writer to publish content on their website.

Handle @username

Hard Bounce An e-mail message which has been returned to the sender because the recipient’s address is wrong or invalid. A hard bounce may occur because the domain name does not exist or because the recipient is unknown, misspelled, or blocked.

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social media glossary

Inbound Marketing

Influencer Representation

A strategy that focuses on attracting potential customers, convert them into leads, customers, and advocates, and analyze the process along the way, via content marketing, SEO, social media marketing, branding, surveys, personalization, and CRM.

Influencers who have agents and management teams who manage them with collaborations, deals and contracts with brands and agencies.

Influencer A creative content creator that has the ability to influence the behavior or perception of others thanks to the position or relationship they have with their audience.

Influencer Marketing

Instagram A social networking service owned

by Facebook, Inc, allowing users to share photo and video content with their communities.

Instagram Bots A computer software programmed to perform actions such as likes, comments and follows of other accounts, through automation.

Instagram Business Account

The practice of targeting key industry leaders to drive brand message and awareness to a specific market segment in order to help the brand achieve marketing objectives.

The type of Instagram account that provides businesses with essential data and deeper insights of audience behavior and and how their posts perform.

Influencer Rate Card

Instagram Stories

An outline of an influencer's service costs, which generally reflects the cost of content integrations and sponsored posts.

An Instagram feature that allows users to capture and post related images and video content in a

slideshow format on their profile.

The content expires within 24 hours, unless highlighted on the account profile page.

Instagram Takeover The process of taking responsibility for a brand's Instagram account for a short period of time, to share content with the brand’s audience, from an influencer’s perspective. Instagram takeovers are an interesting way for brands, individuals and influencers to collaborate and cross-promote content.

Integrated Marketing A strategic approach to creating a unified, seamless, and multidimensional brand experience, targeting defined audiences and individuals, by coordinating all aspects of marketing of a brand including paid media, earned media and owned media.

Interaction Rate Likes and comments divided by impressions.

See ‘Engagement Rate’.

Interruption Marketing

Landing Page

Macro Influencer

When an advertiser pays money to interrupt a viewer’s attention to generate interest about a certain product of service.

A standalone web page a user lands on in response to clicking on a search engine optimized result, online ad or through email marketing, created for the purpose of lead generation.

An influencer with a large following on major social networks.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI) The trackable and quantifiable metric that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.

Organizations use KPIs to evaluate their success at reaching targets.

Keyword Advertising An online advertising form in which a brand pays to have an ad appear in the results listing when a user types a particular word or phrase to search for information on a Web search engine.

Advertisers typically bid on highly relevant keywords for a costeffective online marketing campaign. I.e. “Buy boots” is a short keyword, whereas “Looking to purchase shoes from a boutique” is a long tail keyword.

Keyword Stuffing The practice of inserting a large number of keywords into Web content in the attempt to manipulate a page's ranking in search results and drive more traffic to the site. Search engines can tell when keywords are abnormally distributed throughout the text or in a website’s meta tags. Websites are then penalized and appear lower down in search results.

Klout Klout was a website and mobile application that indicated how influential an account is, based on its social media analytics.

Lead A prospective customer in the sales funnels who shows interest in a product or service.

Mapping Networks A process used to visualize physical and virtual connectivity of networks.

A Network Map is one tool to provide network users, managers, administrators, and IT teams with a better understanding of network performance.

Licensing Acquiring

Mashup

The right to use the influencergenerated content based on permissions or usage rights.

A content mash-up refers to the act of creating a new content by combining various content sources.

Lifestreaming

Media Kit (for influencers)

The practice of documenting an online user’s disjointed social presence in one central location or site.

A digital document containing information about the influencer’s channels, rates, followers, audience profiles, previous collaborations, etc.

Influencers use the media kit as a promotional tool when reaching out to brands for collaborations.

Link Building Exchanging links with other websites in order to increase the number and quality of inbound links to another website in hopes of improving its search engine ranking.

Link in Bio A CTA influencers use on Instagram to invite their audience to check out their biography, which contains a URL that leads to an external website.

LinkedIn A social network geared towards professionals. It allows users to grow their networks and advance their careers.

Live Streaming Broadcasting to an audience over the internet in real-time.

Lurker A social media lurker is a user who passively observes content and does not participate.

Media Spend The budget invested by a marketing department in a campaign.

Optimizing spend entails bringing more leads into the marketing funnel for the lowest cost.

Meerkat Meerkat was a mobile app that allowed users to live stream through their mobile device.

Meme A funny or interesting thought, idea, joke, or concept that is virallytransmitted. It is typically a captioned photo, video or verbal expression.

Mention When a user references or “mentions” another user or brand by including their @username.

influencers MAGAZINE

social media glossary

Metadata

Newsjacking

Owned Media

Basic information about a certain item's content, including titles, descriptions, tags and captions.

The practice of capitalizing on the popularity of a current event in an attempt to generate media attention and boost the brand's exposure or generate sales.

Communication channels that a company exercises full control over and complete ownership of.

According to McKinsey, owned media includes brand’s website, email newsletter, social media profiles, and catalogs.

Micro Inuencer An influencer with a small number of followers and expert in a particular niche. These smaller, more focused niche experts connect on a deeper level with their audiences and generate greater engagement.

Niche A small but profitable segment of a market with unique and very specific characteristics or needs.

Millennials

O Brand

Also known as Generation Y or the Net Generation, are the demographic cohort that directly follows Generation X, with birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 1990s.

When content lacks alignment with established brand guidelines: look, feel, messaging, tone of voice, etc.

Moblogging Posting content to a blog using a mobile phone.

Monetize The process of converting nonrevenue-generating assets into a stream of revenue. Monetization happens for influencers when they are able to earn money from created content on their social media accounts or blogs.

Multi Channel Network (MCN) Third-party service providers that offer assistance to multiple channels and content creators in areas such as product, programming, funding, cross-promotion, partner management, monetization/sales or audience development, in exchange for a slice of their income.

On Brand When content is consistent with established brand guidelines.

Organic vs. Paid Content Organic content is permissionbased marketing, using interesting and creative posts to drive engagement. Paid content is bought rather than earned and often closer to interruption marketing. Brands voluntarily boost the reach by using one-time or ongoing payments. These posts can be targeted towards specific demographics and reach a much larger audience than organic content. Paid content is a great way to quickly build brand recognition but it has a high upfront cost.

Optimize To make the best or most effective use. In influencer marketing, optimization refers to maximizing the desired campaign outcomes.

Native Advertising

Outreach

A form of paid advertising that blends into the natural form and function of the platform upon which it appears.

Influencer outreach is the practice of reaching out to influencers who share interest in what your company has to offer.

Page Views The metric used to track the number of views a page on a website got during a specific period of time. On average, a visitor will look at about 2.5 pages per website.

Each individual page a visitor views is tracked as a page view.

Paid Reach The number of impressions, earned through a paid model, a post got.

Pandora A free peer-to-peer social online radio station that allows users to create stations based on their favorite artists and types of music.

Permalink A permanent URL referring to a particular blog post or article.

Periscope Live streaming video mobile app purchased by Twitter in February 2015, that allows users to share and experience live video streams direct from their smartphones or tablets.

Permission Marketing A form of advertising where the intended audience receives marketing and other promotional offers upon their consent, rather than being pushed to them.

Pinterest A photo sharing social network, allowing users to share visual content and finding creative ideas

PPC PPC stands for “Pay Per Click.” It is an online advertising model in which an advertiser pays every time a visitor clicks on an ad. PPC campaigns drive traffic to websites.

Product Placement Placing a brand’s specific product within an influencer’s content, through explicitly introducing and mentioning it. The influencer is compensated accordingly for placing the product.

Public Domain A content that is not protected by any copyright law or other restriction. A work in the public domain can be freely used in any way, including commercial uses.

Qualification When assessing influencers for a specific campaign, some brands may have some prerequisites, so a qualification process has to be done.

Quantcast Delivers detailed statistical information about website traffic statistics, audience insights and measurement.

like recipes, home and style inspiration, and more.

publication, page or app, and even organize them for research.

Plandid

Podcast

A portmanteau of “planned” and “candid.” A photo that is supposed to look candid and casual, but is actually strategically planned out.

An episodic series of digital audio or video files delivered via an RSS feed and stored in a digital form, that users can download and playback using a computer or a mobile device.

Pocket Previously known as “Read It Later,” Pocket is a free app that allows users to save or download articles, videos and stories from any

Poll Interaction Rate The share of an audience interacting with the vote feature on Instagram Stories. Votes divided by views.

Reach The total number of users who view a content.

Real-time Marketing A strategy that requires marketers to publish content focused on current, relevant trends and immediate feedback from customers. Oreo’s real-time marketing during the 35-minute power outage at the Super Bowl created a whirlwind of social media activity, casting a spotlight on the brand.

influencers MAGAZINE

social media glossary

Real-time Search Indexing live results from social networks into search engine results.

Reddit A social news aggregation website where content is socially curated and promoted by site members through voting and discussions.

Retargeting Also known as Remarketing. It is a display advertising technique that allows marketers to display ads to bounced traffic after they leave a website.

Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) A profitability measure that evaluates the overall effectiveness of a marketing campaign to help marketers make better decisions about allocating future investments.

RSS An acronym for “Really Simple Syndication” or “Rich Site Summary.” It a form of web coding that delivers the most recent content to subscribers.

Selfie A self-portrait photograph taken by oneself using the reverse camera screen on a smartphone or a selfie stick.

SEM An acronym for "Search Engine Marketing." It is a type of internetbased marketing that involves buying PPC ads that display on a search engine results page, to promote websites by increasing their visibility.

SEO An acronym for "Search Engine Optimization." It is the practice of optimizing a website, enabling it to rank higher on a search engine results page, through organic search engine results. The higher the ranking, the more traffic it generates.

SERP An acronym for "Search Engine Results Page." SERP are web pages served to users when a search query is executed.

Sentiment Analysis Also known as “Opinion Mining” or “Emotion AI,” is a computational process that identifies opinions and analyzes a subject’s attitude or emotional reaction towards a specific topic or brand. By using sentiment analysis companies can not only monitor what people say about their brand, but they can deliver what consumers want.

Skype VoIP service, allowing people to make and receive free voice and video calls online.

Slug A portion of a URL which identifies a particular page on a website in an easy to read form.

Snapchat A mobile application which allows users to share chronological content that will only be available for 24 hours.

Social Media Monitoring The process of using social media to track and identify what is being said about a brand online.

discover unique and interesting content across the Web. Moved to Mix.

Swipe up The feature on Instagram Stories and Snapchat that allows users to swipe up on the screen to land on a website.

Social Proof A psychological phenomenon in which people assume a behavior is more correct in a given situation to the degree that they see others performing it. The idea is that since so many people behave in a certain way, it must be the correct behavior.

In social media, social proof can be identified by users recommending products and services based on their experiences with a brand.

Social Selling A sales concept in which representatives leverage the power of social communication to interact directly with their prospects and provide them with value.

Spam: a broad term that covers inappropriate commercial messages of extremely low value.

Tag A mention in a post or comment to link another user’s profile on the platform.

Tag Cloud A logical arrangement of keywords within a textual content that describe online content.

Target Audience The intended group of people within the target market to which a message or marketing campaign is aimed.

Terms of Service (TOS)

Spider

Also known as terms of use and terms and conditions, are the rules a person or organization must agree to abide in order to use a product or a service.

Sometimes also referred to as a “bot” or a “crawler,” is an automated program that visits websites and reads their pages and other information in order to create entries for a search engine index, often showing in Google Analytics as junk traffic.

360-degree advertising where both ATL and BTL strategies are combined. TTL advertising refers to campaigns that build brands visibility and drive conversions at the same time.

Streaming Media Unlike downloadable podcasts, streaming media refers to video or audio that can be watched or listened to online but not stored permanently.

StumbleUpon StumbleUpon was a free webbrowser extension that helped users

Through the Line (TTL)

Title Tag An HTML element that describes the topic of a web page. This title can be found in the browser title bar, as well as in the search engine results pages (SERP).

Trendjacking Capitalizing on a viral or buzzworthy topic to boost a brand's exposure.

Total Accounts Reached The total unique accounts that viewed a content.

Total Content Engagement The total number of shares, likes, and comments.

Total Digital Audience The total number of an influencer's potential reach across active social media platforms.

Tracking Links URLs Tracking links are used to direct traffic to a landing page from somewhere other than a call-toaction on a website. Tracking links help measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Trending Topic The most discussed topics on a social media network. These commonly appear on networks like Twitter accompanied by hashtags that allow users to join the conversation or simply browse the related content.

Troll A person who is known for creating conflicts and starting quarrels by reposting inflammatory or off-topic messages in an online community.

Tumblr A micro-blogging platform allowing users to post content to a shortform blog.

Tweepi A social media management tool that allows users to analyze and manage Twitter followers effectively.

Twitter A social media platform launched in 2006 where people communicate in short messages called tweets.

influencers MAGAZINE

social media glossary

Tweetdeck

View-Through Rate

A social media dashboard application that allows users to view multiple timelines in one easy interface.

The number of users who completed a skippable ad divided by the number of impressions served.

Weibo

Twitterverse

Vine

A Chinese social media platform; the equivalent of Twitter or Facebook.

Vine was a social media platform where users shared six-second-long, looping video clips.

Also referred to as the Twittersphere. It is a social media term used to describe Twitter users and their habits.

Unboxing The act of opening packaged products from a box and reviewing them while filming the process. In a haul video, the influencers have purchased the products themselves and share the reviews of the items they bought.

User Experience (UX) The quality of a customer’s perceptions and responses resulting from using a product or a service.

User-Generated Content (UGC) Digital content created and published organically by end users.

User-Interface (UI) The human-machine interaction point to complete tasks.

When a content spreads widely through its frequent sharing on the internet.

Virtual World

White Hat

Viral

An online computer-simulated environment populated by an online community who can interact with one another.

Visual Content Image, video content and infographics that help a brand’s messages stand out and reach a wider audience. According to Business2community, “40% of online users will provide a more favorable response to visual content than plain textual content.”

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP)

Unique Visitor (UI) The number of distinct individuals who have visited a website at least once during a specific period of time.

Webinar

A blog that contains a set of videos

Whatsapp The world's biggest messaging app, owned by Facebook. It allows users to send text and voice messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other media.

The transmission of voice communications over the Internet without having to pay international phone charges.

Videoblog (Vlog)

read the news, and even book a doctor.

Is an online conference, seminar, presentation or workshop hosted by an individual, allowing participants in different locations to listen and participate.

Views

WeChat

The number of users who have watched a content.

China’s most popular messaging app released in January 2011.

Users can play games, make mobile payments, video calls, order food,

A term of ethical digital marketers who completely follow search engine rules and policies and don’t participate in spammy behavior, buying backlinks or any other form of “gaming” search engines.

Widget An element of a Graphical User Interface that displays information or provides a specific way for a user to interact with the operating system or an application.

Word-of-Mouth (WoM) Marketing The marketing strategy that relies on generating natural recommendations and discussions about a product or company, from satisfied customers with their personal communities.

Xenial In influencer marketing, it describes a healthy, working relationship between an influencer and a brand.

Yammer A social networking tool that allows employees to connect and communicate across their organization.

Zapier A web-based service that allows end users to connect the applications and software to automate tasks.

301 Redirect A method of redirecting a user from one URL to another. Used for permanent redirects.

302 Redirect A method of redirecting a user from one URL to another web page, utilized for temporary situations only. For permanent redirects, 301 is used to redirect.

404 Error An error message that means a web page a user is trying to load does not exist in the server.

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