It was a big year for social media. Twitter made its successful debut on the stock market whileFacebook recovered from its troubled IPO a year earlier. We also saw the launch of Vine, the rise of Snapchat and the acceptance of social media by the SEC, which said public companies could use these sites to disclose information.
there's a growing global business in accumulating friends and followers.

Social Media Can Move Markets

Social Media Is Increasingly Visual

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Social Media Could Be TV’s Best Ally

The Beginner's Guide to Vine

Vine's meteoric rise through the social media world comes as little surprise to anyone who's browsed through the looping six-second video clips that define the app.
When Twitter acquired Vine in October 2012 — before the app had even launched — the social network explained the move as part of their search for the next big thing. Living up to expectations, the video sharing app saw 403% growth between Q1 and Q3 of 2013.
Learning how to utilize all of Vine's features effectively probably seems daunting to a beginner, so we've created this guide to help get you started.

Setting Up

Vine is available as a free download on all three major smartphone platforms, including Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
After installation, you'll be prompted to sign up with either your Twitter account or email address. Once you're set up with a profile, press the "+" symbol in the top-right corner to add friends through your address book, Twitter "following" list, or by inviting them via text and email links.

Finding Users to Follow

Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani Outside of your contacts, you can discover creative and popular Vine users through the app's Explore tab. Here, you can view videos included in Vine's channel pages, such as Comedy, Music and News & Politics. The Explore page also includes trending hashtags and both "Popular Now" and "On the Rise" tabs.
Once you've added Twitter friends and popular channel users, pay attention to their revines. Like a retweet, a revine makes it possible to share a video created by another user to all of your followers. Many popular users make cameos in each other's Vine videos and revine each other frequently. You can also scroll through talented users' "following" list, to see who they're watching.

Vine Culture: What to Expect

Vine is truly a creative melting pot. Animators, comedians, cinematographers and daredevils all utilize the app's short, looping and shareable video tools in their own ways. After spending some time exploring, you'll begin to notice some common formulas on the app.

Creating a Video

To start recording your video, just press the camera icon in the top-right corner of the app. Holding your finger to the screen begins recording, and releasing your finger pauses it. Unlike Instagram, you still cannot upload prerecorded video into the app. Vine videos can be as long as six seconds and as short as three.
Image: Vine While filming, the buttons along the bottom of your screen offer several options that will help you create better Vine videos. From left to right, you have the front-facing camera, a grid for stable shooting, a focus button, a tool for "ghosting and a "Save Draft" button. With drafts, you can save and work on up to 10 videos at a time.
Image: Vine Vine's ghosting tool is best used in stop-motion animations, as it allows you to view the last frame you captured. Use it to help line up your object and create fluid transitions between cuts.
Image: Vine Once you've recorded your video, press the arrow in the top-right corner of your screen and preview your finished product. If you'd like to rearrange your sequence of clips, press the Edit button and simply drag and drop your individual clips to their new places in your timeline. You can delete clips by dragging them to the top of the screen into the trashcan icon, as seen above.
When you're finished editing, press Save, and then press the green checkmark at the bottom of your screen. You'll be brought to the "Share" screen where you can add a caption, location and channel tag to your video. If you want more exposure for your creation, include descriptive hashtags in your caption at this stage. If you've connected your Facebook and Twitter accounts, you can choose to share your Vine to those sites as well. Your finished Vine videos can also be shared on your desktop via the URL and embed codes.

When Swag Goes Wrong: Nick Young's Hilarious Layup Fail

Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers isn't a huge star, but he is a talented young NBA player. He's flashy both on and off the court, going by the nickname "Swaggy P."
But swag is a volatile compound, which Young demonstrated on Sunday night with one of the more preposterous NBA layup fails in recent memory. Driving the right baseline, Young forsook a simple shot attempt to spin 360 degrees under the rim and try something more remarkable. Something more exciting — more swaggy.

 

Wait, did we say it didn't go well? On second thought, we couldn't have asked for anything more. God bless you, Swaggy P. God bless you indeed, young man.

The Simplest Way to Secure Your Webcam Without Any Software

Let’s start with the bad news: Your webcam is vulnerable. It can be remotely activated and you won’t even know it’s on. A report this month in the Washington Post revealed that the FBI figured out how to do this years ago.
Now for the good news: You can protect your webcam privacy with a bit of MacGyver-esque ingenuity. All you need is a Post-it note.
Start with your standard 2x2-inch Post-it Note in the color of your choice (we don't recommend the super-sticky variety). A piece of notepaper will work just as well. A piece of black tape would be a more permanent solution, but you will probably want to use that webcam someday. Tape, black or otherwise, could leave glue residue on the webcam lens or tiny illumination light, rendering it useless.
No writing on the Post-it is required. Simply fold the paper into approximate thirds; the placement of the folds will depend on where the webcam rests on your laptop. The goal is to fold the note so the sticky portion adheres to the back of your laptop screen (the computer’s cover), a third sits on top of the upper edge and the remaining third covers your webcam. The last third shouldn't be so large that it reaches and obscures a portion of your screen.
You can press the Post-it Note’s sticky portion onto the back of your screen, but we recommend leaving it free so you can slide away the DIY cover when you want to use your webcam.
Our Vine video takes you through each step
Now, even if someone can access your webcam, he will only see your Post-it Note, not your unknowing face.
It’s also worth noting that before any hacker can gain access to your computer, he still needs your help. Most of the software used to activate webcams is malware, born on the back of phishing emails. If you never open or act on these messages, your likelihood of protection from hackers is much higher.
Of course, this is just one solution. You can add privacy to your webcam in other crafty ways — even with some 3D-printed options for less than $15. Share your preferred method in the comments below.