As many of you were likely following along in the news yesterday, the new BlackBerry 10 has been revealed by BlackBerry (formerly known as RIM but with unveiling of the new BlackBerry 10 also came the company name change from RIM to BlackBerry). Personally, this excites me. I have always been impressed by this Canadian company and their product's success. However, being an iPhone user myself I have also been waiting for BlackBerry to come out with something that will convince me to convert to a BlackBerry user. And I think this new BlackBerry 10 almost has me convinced...

Here are some pro's and con's to the new BlackBerry 10 as I see it:

Pro's
- Canadian made (Go Canada!)
- sleek new design is pretty attractive
- BlackBerry's have always been very practical and secure in the business world. As a new small business owner this intrigues me quite a bit, working alongside BlackBerry to convince me to swtich to their product
- BBM, or is this becoming a thing of the past? Either way, I have only every heard positive things about BBM and how great BlackBerry functions Internationally

Con's 
- Apps, I know the new BlackBerry 10 is boasting much more accessibliity to Apps, but I'm sorry...it just doesn't company to Apple quite yet
- functionality, I'll admit I was quite intrigued by the new functionality of the BlackBerry 10, definitely appealing to the multitasker in me. However, it just does not compare to the ease-of-use found in an Apple product quite yet

I guess we are just going to have to wait until more people can get their hands on this new BlackBerry 10 before we really know how great it is. But I would say it is definitely a step in the right direction convincing me to become a BlackBerry user. 

You've heard of social media marketing before. You have likely even heard it would be good for your business to get involved. But what exactly is this social media and why is it so important? Here are some reasons why your business should be involved in social media.

1) Print is losing it's appeal.
People are now looking for different ways to promote their business and improve their business prospects. While print media can be successful at promoting a business, it is not as effective as it used to be. People are interested in social media because the potential for people to recieve the message is much higher. Millions of people are on social media sites, making them the perfect place to reach clients. 

2) Social Media is even more effective then e-mail marketing.
The reason for this is because people are constantly targetted with emails on a daily basis, making it difficult to read every promotional mail. Social Media sites filter out this aspect of online marketing and makes you more visible to your clients and relates to them on a personal level.

3) You can create meaningful and personal relationships with clients.
You can connect with clients (and potential clients) in ways other channels don't let you. If you are active on social media you can make yourself be seen as part of a community, encouraging people to take interest in your business, and hopefully converting this interest into sales.