My Co-Workers’ Favorite Tech Sites

Working for a tech company has it’s perks. For starters, we often times get early access to the latest info on new apps and gadgets. So there’s no doubt that many of my colleagues at RingCentral are into technology outside of work as well. And since RingCentral is all about enabling mobility – our free mobile apps for iOS and Android bring the power of the RingCentral phone system to the most popular smartphones and tablets, there’s few things that make us happier than being able to browse our favorite tech-website while on-the-go.

So, I interviewed some of my co-workers to find out what their favorite tech websites are at this moment, for news, reviews, and everything in between!

Feel free to share your own picks in the comments section below.

Tommy, Associate Marketing Manager

News: Quora. Tommy says: “Not exactly a news site, but great for in-depth quality content. You can follow topics or questions that interest you and get notified when a new response is posted.”

Reviews: CNET

Evie, PR Specialist

News: Techeblog. This site is good for a very general perspective on what is going on in the technology and gadget world. The site likes to group things together, and usually does it with a pretty good sense of humor; example: 10 Strange Things You Won’t Believe Kids Purchased Online. You are also bound to learn something new after a few minutes of browsing.

Reviews: Brit.co. Who says that all gadget and technology sites have to be geared towards men? Evie says: “While this site is decorated with DIY posts, they are sandwiched in-between what hot apps you should download for productivity, as well as what fun new gadgets are on the market.”

Another favorite for reviews is BGR.com; this is a great site if you want to learn what your smartphone can do. This website is one of the fastest to come out with reviews that are reliable.

Grace, Marketing Specialist

News:  TechCrunch. Grace says: “Don’t miss TechCrunch’s sister site for government and politics, CrunchGov.”

Reviews: Gizmodo. Want to learn about something new and interesting in the technology and gadget world? Then this is a great site for finding details that you wouldn’t think of trying to search for. You can find articles from what app will make your car sound like a Ferrari, to the new clock incorporated on a Fitbit. If for nothing else then the site is nothing short of a fun pastime.

Ben, Social Community Manager

News: The New York Times’ Bits blog

Reviews: The Wirecutter. Ben says: “Exhaustive reviews on gadgets, entertainment devices, etc. There’s a section for non-tech reviews, The Sweethome, that’s just as good.”

And a bonus pick… Amazon.com, which offers both low prices on tech products and thousands of user-generated reviews. The site collected some of its funniest ones – check them out here.

Have a favorite site we missed? Mention it in the comments below, and it just might become one of our new go-to favorites!

Top 7 Apps For Social Media Community Management

As a social media community manager who is always on-the-go, I rely on some key apps to keep me connected and engaged with the RingCentral community. Below are the seven apps that I use and highly recommend.

Which apps do you recommend for community management?

1) Eventbrite for iPhone and Android (free):

Like most community managers, I attend my fair share of conferences and meet-ups. If it weren’t for the Eventbrite app, I would be completely disorganized. The app allows you to find events in your area or in a specific city. You can filter search results by relevance, distance, date, and ticket price. But what makes the Eventbrite app extra special is the ability to keep track of past and upcoming events, as well as store relevant event information such as tickets and directions. In other words, you don’t need to schlep around printed material with the Eventbrite app — just pull up the event ticket barcode or registration info on your phone to gain admission. Hooray for going paperless!

2) Facebook Pages Manager for iPhone (free):

If you’re active on both your personal and brand Facebook pages, this app is great for separating your efforts and staying organized. The Facebook Pages Manager app is similar to the standard Facebook app but packs additional features that make it more convenient to manage brand pages while you’re mobile. Notable features include: status updates, photo uploads, notifications on post comments/likes, notifications on page likes/private messages, and basic Insights data. Admittedly, the Facebook Pages Manager app lacks some functionality — you can’t upload videos, edit Page admins (although you can view the folks who are admins), or interact with brands your brand follows via a home feed. The other bummer is this app is only available on the iPhone and not on other iOS devices or Androids. I’m guessing Facebook will continue optimizing this app. But as it stands, the Facebook admin app suits my top needs for managing brand pages without mixing with my personal profiles page.

 3) HootSuite for iPhone, iPad, and Android (free):

The Hootsuite app allows you to monitor various social networks including Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, and LinkedIn. In our estimation, the app is most effective for monitoring Twitter — in fact, it’s the best Twitter app out there. In the “Streams” view, you can access/add/remove your Twitter feeds, e.g., the home feed, mentions, and key word searches. When you’re viewing a specific feed page, simply swipe left or right to see your other streams. All the standard Twitter features apply, from posting a new tweet to retweeting/replying to a tweet. And for those of you who need an easy way to translate tweets, Hootsuite’s in-app translation is awesome.

4) Instagram for iPhone and Android (free):

We love taking pictures here at RingCentral, and our photo app of choice is Instagram. It’s simple, easy-to-use, and has a great interface. We love the various filters, as well as the ability to share photos to other social channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr.

5) LinkedIn for iPhone and Android (free):

The full-featured LinkedIn app is great for staying in touch with your professional network. View status updates from your connections, top news, messages in your inbox, group conversations, and job opportunities. You can also post your own status updates, send private messages to your connections, and invite individuals to connect. My favorite use of the app is for exchanging contact information with new contacts. Rather than exchange business cards when I meet new business contacts, I just quickly search for their names in the LinkedIn app and send them a request to connect. Talk about efficiency!

 6) Pinterest for iPhone and Android (free):

I won’t deny it: I’m one of many Pinterest addicts. Good thing it’s part of my community management job. The Pinterest app is great for staying updated on the latest pins no matter where you are. The best part about the app is the ability to snap a photo and upload it to any of your boards.

 

7) WordPress for all iOS iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones, and Android tablets (free):

Avid bloggers using WordPress, if you don’t already have this app, get it now. Edit and write posts on your smartphone or tablet. Upload images. And best of all, view statistics.