In a surprise ceremony, Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg married his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Chan, in a private wedding at his home in Palo Alto California on Saturday.

Zuckerberg, who just became a billionaire and as a result of the Facebook IPO on Friday, reportedly placed a ring on his wife’s finger during the ceremony — a ring had what was described as a “simple ruby.”

Take a look at Zuckerberg’s personal page on Facebook, and you’ll see the above picture.

More on the way….

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Mark Zuckerberg

Zuck, who owns 503.6 million shares, is now worth $19.14 billion, though his personal fortune surpassed the $20 billion mark several times.

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OK, so Facebook’s IPO may have seemed like a lot of sound and fury for 23 cents, but there will still doubtlessly be some celebrating in Menlo Park Friday night.

That’s because a lot of Facebookers got fabulously rich on Friday. True, it probably would have been an even more festive occasion if the stock had hit the $54 that Twitter had predicted, but Facebook’s measly gain on its first day of trading was still worth $115.7 million to Mark Zuckerberg.

Here’s why Zuck and some other big Facebook investors still have cause to pop the Champagne.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, AUDINDesign

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Dan Wilkerson is a social media project manager at LunaMetrics, a Google Analytics certified partner that also specializes in social media, search engine optimization, and PPC. You can follow him on Twitter @notdanwilkerson or at @LunaMetrics.

For years now, marketers, businesses and, well, everybody have touted QR codes as the next big thing. That’s largely because QR codes offered a glimmer of the future, a way to bring physical interactions into the much more malleable (and trackable) digital space. But despite the overwhelming push by marketers to stick a QR code on anything they are publishing, marketing, and eating (yes, eating), there’s been increasing skepticism about its real-world use.

The skeptics have some pretty good facts on their side. In 2011, a Forrester Research study pegged adoption of QR codes by U.S. adults at 5%, up from a meager 1% the year before. Then, in April, a Temkin Group study found that only 24% of U.S. adults are using these codes, a statistic that is a little encouraging but still tepid. These figures coupled with some serious dismal marketing anecdotes might make you think QR codes are ineffective, and you’d be right. Here’s why.

1. Worthless Content

From a marketing perspective, QR codes offer obvious value and they’re easy to create, cheap, trackable, and open up a world of possibilities for consumer-product interactions. From the consumer side, however, the value is not as clear. Scanning a code is cumbersome and costs the consumer time and effort. Plus, its value is unknown. Worse still, 90% of the time it’s a link to a website not optimized for mobile. Now you’ve frustrated the consumer and wasted their time, which creates negative sentiment.

This is why you must provide the consumer with a valuable reason to scan the code. Consider a significant discount, the first chapters of a book, a free drink at the bar, even a space-specific YouTube video. What you don’t do is use it as a link to your website or Facebook page. That will only annoy your customer.

2. Consumer Awareness

The biggest problem that QR codes have is that consumers consistently have demonstrated that they don’t have a clue what they are. An ArchRival study of college students found that out of 534 of our nation’s best and brightest, 78.5% didn’t know how to scan a QR code.

Marketers are so excited by the potential and intrigued by the concept that they’ve totally forgotten that consumers are not marketers. Marketers watch ads, click sponsored tweets, and yes, scan QR codes because they have a natural curiosity and passion for brand marketing. But the average consumer needs a marketer to outline to them what action it is they are supposed to take. When it comes to a QR code that means tell them what it is.

Consider including a simple list of instructions with a recommended app spelling out how to use the code itself. If you coupled that with compelling content, you’ll introduce consumers to the concept of QR codes as well as how to take advantage of them.

3. Value as a Medium

The other consideration that is often ignored is the intrinsic value of the code as a piece of media itself. More often than not, QR codes are used as a simple link to a company website or specific landing page. The thought process being that it saves users the trouble of entering a complicated URL. This would be true if all a user had to do was wave their device over the code.

However, let’s consider the user’s side of things. In order to scan a barcode, a user has to: 1. Get out their phone; 2. Unlock their phone; 3. Boot the app; 4. Get the code in focus and scan it. This is assuming they already have an app that scans barcodes. For most users, it’s faster to just search Google for whatever the code is giving them a shortcut to.

To address this issue, use a six-to-ten-second guide as a rule of thumb for determining usefulness. If you’re not saving your target at least that much time, scrap the code.

4. Location, Location, Location

Location is another important consideration. QR codes are showing up everywhere, on everything, with seemingly zero thought about context. (For some interesting use-cases, check out WTFQRCODES.) For instance, besides being impossible to scan, QR codes on highway billboards are dangerous and waste valuable visual real estate. A shortened URL, especially one created with a vanity URL shortener, would be easier and more effective.

Likewise, QR codes on company vehicles don’t really make much of an impact either, and those are mostly going to be parked directly outside of your business anyways. And QR codes on subway ads are useless too since there’s no data connection for users to load your page. The examples only get stranger from there.

The best solution is to walk through your implementation in a real-world scenario to make sure it will actually be useable.

5. Aesthetics

QR codes are ugly. Worse still, they’re indistinguishable from codes used for industrial purposes. So a code on a product can be misinterpreted as a tracking barcode instead of a marketing outlet. The good news is they don’t have to be ugly.

With a little Photoshop, you can round off the corners of the ugly blocks, giving a sleek feel to the code, and it will still scan. You can also generate codes with up to 30% redundancy, meaning you can remove 30% of the code and instead put your company logo or information about what it unlocks directly into the code. Use a URL shortener to make the code even more manageable and trackable in tools like Google Analytics.

There are some limitations to this, since certain parts of codes are integral and can’t be deleted, but it really opens up the creative opportunities for some awesome design work. Better still, you can delete portions of the code to shape it into something else entirely, like a letter in your brand name, or even your logo. The gist is you can make it pretty.

So now you know why your QR codes are a failure and how to fix them. Of course, many are quick to point out that NFC devices are on the horizon and will probably displace these ugly little blocks. Given the encouraging uptick in adoption and the low cost of implementation of QR, however, there’s reason to believe that they will become much more relevant before NFC is fully implemented. The guidelines above will help you make the most out of that opportunity.

1. Flying QR Codes

"Look! In the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life!"

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Do you think QR codes have a place in a marketing plan? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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How many articles have been written about Facebook in its eight-year history? Impossible to tell — by the time you came up with an estimate, no doubt, another dozen would have been added to the list.

It is, at least, easy to pinpoint the very first story written about the social network. It appeared in the Harvard Crimson on February 9, 2004, five days after Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com from his dorm room. The headline says it all: “Hundreds Register for New Facebook Website.”

Nowadays, of course, hundreds of new users sign up for Facebook every minute. But in those first few days, 650 signups across the university was a huge deal — and Zuck wasn’t shy when it came to crowing to the Crimson:

“Everyone’s been talking a lot about a universal face book within Harvard,” Zuckerberg said. “I think it’s kind of silly that it would take the University a couple of years to get around to it. I can do it better than they can, and I can do it in a week.”

This is classic young Zuckerberg; the same cocky punk who handed out business cards that read “I’m CEO, bitch.” Still, there’s one very humbling detail further down the article:

Just as with the popular website Friendster, which Zuckerberg said was a model for his new website, members can search for people according to their interests and can create an online network of friends.

That’s it — no mention of the Winklevoss twins, whom as we all know had been hoping to build a similar Harvard-based site with Zuckerberg’s help just weeks previously. But a very clear pointer to the primacy of Friendster, the only widely-known social network at the time (save, perhaps, for the up-and-coming MySpace).

In 2004, Friendster was at the height of its powers, but also frustrating its users with slow load times, and on the edge of imploding. Some months after this article, it would begin a dizzying succession of CEOs that would hasten its decline (and eventual transformation into a Malaysia-based social gaming service).

If only someone had alerted Friendster’s founder (and then CEO) Jonathan Abrams to this genius coder at Harvard who had created an homage to his site, the future of social media might have turned out very differently.

Even then, however, it might have been too late. One week later, a second Harvard Crimson article on Zuckerberg revealed that the site had shot up to 4,300 users — or 55% of the student population. Facebook was well on its way.

Does the Facebook founder owe a debt of gratitude to Friendster? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Flipboard wants to be the first magazine with a soundtrack.

The company is releasing an update on Tuesday that integrates music-sharing service SoundCloud as well as radio programs from NPR and Public Radio International (PRI).

Flipboard’s app for iPhone and iPad (and soon Android) collects articles, images, photo albums and videos that your friends share on social networks and re-formats them in a personalized magazine.

Its pages will now contain tracks that friends share through SoundCloud, including original recordings and podcasts from publications such as The Economist.

Users will also be able to play NPR and Public Radio International programs directly from the app. If they’re reading an article from either organization, the accompanying audio will also be included.

Flipboard will nudge users toward radio programs through a new “Audio” category in the app’s Content Guide. Once a track or a program is selected, it will continue playing as users flip through the app. A new menu located on the bottom left-hand corner of each page will control volume and play.

Though users can now access songs and podcasts through Flipboard, they cannot purchase them. The startup monetizes content by selling ads within publications on the platform. Flipboard Head of Marketing Marci McCue tells Mashable the company is exploring other options for audio.

“It’s interesting to us,” she says. “Not only integrating with popular music sources like iTunes, but also allowing new artists that are out there to have some social exposure and commerce related to their music. It’s not currently on the road map, but it’s stuff we’re looking at.”

Image courtesy of Istockphoto, domin_domin

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“It’s obvious that people love Instagram,” begins a recent video. “But how are you supposed to share your photos with the 6.95 billion people that aren’t on Instagram?”

The video is a spoof that advertises a real-life Instagram camera. Indeed, Instagram hardware is an easy topic to satirize. The popular photo-sharing app has recently rocketed to 50 million users at the pace of five-million new users per week — leaving in its wake a trail of piggyback services that turn Instagram photos into physical photos, canvas prints and iPhone covers.

But where some of us see a joke, Italian designer Antonio De Rosa sees a viable product.

Earlier this week, De Rosa launched an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for a real-life Instagram camera, which he calls Socialmatic.

“I believe people will buy this because there is no camera on the market right now that allows us to bring social network power into real life,” De Rosa tells Mashable in an email.

Socialmatic, which for now only exists as a design concept with 3D renderings, would bring both the social aspects of Instagram and its trendy photo filters offline.

The camera would allow users to take photos, apply Instagram filters and print them instantly. Each photo would include the photographer’s Instagram username and a QR code that other Instagram users could scan in order to comment on it or follow the photographer.

In addition to printing Instagram photos, it would allow users to share them as usual, via a Wi-Fi connection.

Socialmatic’s camera body, which would come with two lenses, even looks exactly like Instagram’s app logo. Might Instagram have a problem with that? “They probably will,” De Rosa says, though he has yet to hear from the company.

There is something spoofable about building a specialty piece of hardware for an app that works just fine on a smartphone, but De Rosa thinks a real-world Instagram integration makes sense for three reasons.

“Your phone can’t print the photo,” De Rosa says. “Your phone does not have a double lens system. Your phone is not a ‘social camera.’”

Would you buy a camera to bring Instagram into the physical world? Let us know in the comments.

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Need something to put things into perspective on a Monday morning? Our suggestion: The largest single-shot photo of Earth ever taken.

Eclipsing NASA’s updated “Blue Marble” shot, which is a composite of many satellite images, this image is a single-shot taken from 22,369 miles away by Russian weather satellite Elektro-L No.1.

The colors on the 121-megapixel photo are quite different from the ones on NASA’s photos of Earth. To capture the image, the satellite combines visible and infrared wavelengths of light. Infrared light is used to see plants, which is why the parts of the Earth that would normally be green are seen as rusty brown.

Check out a time-lapse video of Earth’s norther hemisphere taken by Elektro-L below.

You can explore the zoomable version of the image here.

[via Planet Earth]

More About: astronomy, Earth, high resolution, photography

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This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

These days, more Kickstarter campaigns are achieving success than we can keep track of. The iPhone-friendly Pebble watch earned $7.6 million more than its $100,000 goal. And the Galileo iPhone platform closed its Kickstarter campaign at $702,000, far surpassing its $100,000 goal.

Not to mention, Kickstarter recently reported it has raised $200 million from over 2 million backers.

How does one cash in (literally) on the Kickstarter craze? For starters, it helps to have a unique concept, wicked ambition and one unforgettable pitch. The great news is that Kickstarter provides great tools to showcase all of the above.

We’ve read all of Kickstarter’s guidelines, FAQs and tips, and have researched testimonials from successful campaign alums to compile a set of tips that will help launch you into the Kickstarter hall of fame.

1. The Scope

Kickstarter projects are just that: projects. And Kickstarter has strict parameters to define a project. It’s “something finite with a clear beginning and end. Someone can be held accountable to the framework of a project — a project was either completed or it wasn’t — and there are definable expectations that everyone can agree to.”

In other words, Kickstarter is not meant to help you earn money to launch a business. Rather, it’s about earning money to complete a finite goal, whether that’s releasing your band’s latest album, completing a book, etc. There is leeway if you’re looking to develop a more abstract project — such as, for example, prototyping a suite of online services or completing an entire line of products — but that’s as big of a scale as the rules of the platform can handle.

Now, if that project just so happens to coincide with the launching of your business, so be it. However, don’t expect to use Kickstarter funds toward anything related to general business — you can use the money towards the development of your project and in paying the necessary people to get your work off the ground. So, set very specific and measurable project goals. Not only will Kickstarter approve your project, but potential backers will have a firmer understanding of what they’re funding.

2. The Timeline

One of the biggest factors to take into account is your project’s timeline. This is important not only for overall organization, but also because it will dictate how long your Kickstarter campaign should run and how long it will take to deliver the finished product.

You can set a Kickstarter campaign to run anywhere between one and 60 days. Keep in mind, however, that projects lasting 30 days or less have Kickstarter’s highest success rates. Some sellers favor shorter time periods because there’s less of a chance of a funding “dead zone” — a project’s momentum climbs in the beginning and the end, but can lag during a too-long middle time period. Find a happy medium between your timeframe and your audience’s attention span.

A timeline is also important so that you can set mailing dates for your backers’ rewards, another essential piece of the Kickstarter experience. Be sure to give yourself enough time to complete your project once the Kickstarter campaign has been funded; that way, you won’t disappoint your backers with late or rushed rewards.

3. The Money

Once you have a clearly defined project, it should be relatively straightforward to define a funding goal. It’s as simple as putting together a budget.

Take into account the following: production, manufacturing, labor, packaging and shipping costs. Factor in your “salary,” too; if you’re using Kickstarter to help you complete a book, backers are paying for your time. (Just be sure to make that clear in your project description.)

The most important thing to remember is that Kickstarter uses an all-or-nothing funding model — if your project doesn’t reach its financial goal within the specified time period, you’ll receive no money. Therefore, don’t set the bar unreasonably high. On the other hand, if you’ve accurately budgeted the project and are fully transparent to potential backers, you should see healthy returns.

4. The Tiers

Hand-in-hand with your budget, you’ll need to determine the proper rewards to return to backers once the project is completed. Rewards are tangible returns for a backer’s money, and can vary widely from project to project.

Kickstarter provides an example: “Every project’s primary rewards should be things made by the project itself. If the project is to record a new album, then rewards should include a copy of the CD when it’s finished.”

Rewards are determined by different funding tiers. Let’s take the CD example: You might estimate that a backer who pledges $20 deserves a copy of the CD. However, if a backer pledges $50, maybe he or she receives a signed copy of the CD. And if he pledges $100, it’s two signed copies plus a concert ticket.

Kickstarter data shows that the most popular pledge is $25, but the average pledge is around $70. Kickstarter also shares that projects with no reward succeed 35% of the time, while projects with a reward less than $20 succeed 54% of the time. Therefore, don’t be afraid to vary your pledge tiers widely to accommodate all budgets.

5. The Video

Kickstarter projects with a video component succeed at a higher rate than those without (50% vs. 30%). So yes, a video is important. Rather than speculate what makes an awesome video, let’s hear from Kickstarter itself what makes a killer vid:

• Tell us who you are.
• Tell us the story behind your project. Where’d you get the idea? What stage is it at now? How are you feeling about it?
• Come out and ask for people’s support, explaining why you need it and what you’ll do with their money.
• Talk about how awesome your rewards are, using any images you can.
• Explain that if you don’t reach your goal, you’ll get nothing, and everyone will be sad.
• Thank everyone!

Finally, be sure that your video thumbnail is strategic, inviting and piques the visitor’s curiosity. Consider featuring a prototype or a design element. After all, it’s the first image people will see when they visit your project page.

6. The Project Page

Now that you’ve defined your project’s parameters, it’s time to communicate them to potential backers and supporters. Kickstarter emphasizes the most important thing to remember is to be transparent at all times.

That means clearly defining your project’s scope and how you will achieve your goal. It’s also imperative that you explain precisely how you plan to use backers’ money. These are the things people want to know first, and they can make or break some backers’ decisions to fund your project.

Then, explain why you are the best person, company or group to complete this project. Why is your team qualified? What are your past experiences and accolades? Also, create a sense of urgency and timeliness — why do people need this project right now?

Remember to be concise but thorough. Ask yourself, “What questions would people have about my project before pledging money and support?”

7. The Community

Now that you’re ready to launch your project, it’s time to call on your community. Kickstarter recommends tapping your Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and other social media followers, but advises a gentle approach. Don’t spam your friends and goad your followers with self-promotion. Consider several different kinds of outreach (e.g. email newsletters) so as not to overload one network.

And remember: Your community isn’t enough. Consider drafting a pitch document for media coverage, no matter how small the outlet. And ask for help from your local community so they can share in the success — pass out fliers in local businesses and make nice with your town’s radio DJs.

An often overlooked tactic is to tap your backers’ networks, too. Once a person supports your project, he or she is obviously invested in its completion. So, ask backers to share the project among their communities — they scratch your back, so you scratch theirs, right?

8. The Updates

Your backers are the lifeblood of your project; therefore, they deserve to be updated frequently and thoroughly, as if they were on the team alongside you.

You may choose to either make updates public, or share them privately to backers. Either way, an email will be sent to backers with the update. Consider including video and photos of your progress, important milestones and team events — that way, backers will feel more invested in your project.

In each update, ask backers to spread the word about the project to their networks. Remind them that the more exposure the project gains, the more likely the project is to succeed, and thus, the more likely backers are to receive their rewards.

9. The Rewards

It goes without saying that you need to do everything in your power to complete the project after it has been funded on Kickstarter. Even if it gets delayed (things happen), continue sharing updates with backers. Be open and honest to maintain backers’ trust.

A project’s completion means you need to start mailing backers their rewards. You’ll be able to send backers a survey upon completion of your Kickstarter campaign, in which you can ask them to provide their contact information and other requests (T-shirt size, color preference, mailing address, etc.) Kickstarter offers a spreadsheet tool to help you keep all of this information organized.

That’s just it — stay organized. Many Kickstarter alums share that the most challenging part of the process was meeting the mailing dates for rewards. But the process should be pretty straightforward, as long as you account for every step of the process: collecting surveys, calculating shipping costs based on package weight and backer location, purchasing supplies, printing shipping labels, packaging, transporting and finally mailing your rewards.

Have you launched a Kickstarter campaign or backed a project you believe in? Do you have any Kickstarter advice to add? Please share in the comments below.

1. Portals

Funded: $1,934

This project uses a box and an old monitor to simulate virtual reality. It is an incredibly cool project, but its Kickstarter backers shouldn't expect anything in return other than a "big happy thank you."

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More Small Business Resources From OPEN Forum:

– Should Small Businesses Follow Everyone Back on Twitter?
– Are You Falling into the Pricing Trap?
– How to Take Your PR Pitches to the Next Level

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, sjlocke, Flickr, boxchain

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When we think about ways the iPad has changed the world, our minds usually shoot to publishing, entertainment, or mobile communication.

For the community of people living with disabilities, the iPad may have broken even more ground. The iOS device is not only cool, but provides education, therapy and, of course, entertainment.

Last summer, Mashable explored ways iPads are making these changes. Now we’re following up with Sami Rahman, the father of 4-year-old Noah and co-founder of BridgingApps, the Internet’s largest database of special needs app and reviews.

Noah began using his iPad when he was two and was assessed to be 12 months behind with language and cognition. Within four months, he was on par for his age. Now, two years since he began using the iPad, he is 15 months ahead developmentally, can read English and Arabic, and is learning Mandarin.

Rahman recently released his book Getting Started: iPads for Special Needs. Rahman shared some of his insights for preparing an iPad for people with disabilities. Most of the tricks are tailored for parents or educators working with children.

1. Pick the Right Specs

One of the biggest differences between the iPad 2 and the new iPad is retina display, which can create an incredible visual experience. Most special needs iPad users will not appreciate it at all, Rahman says, unlike artists or photographers. The reason to choose the new iPad would be if you want or need 4G connectivity.

The iPad 2, however, offers a major advantage over the original iPad — cameras. A major problem for many people living with learning disabilities is learning to associate an abstract concept with the physical object. In other words, recognizing that an illustration of a tree is related to the tree outside of the window. Taking photos on the iPad can be helpful for learning to associate food as an icon with food as an item, for instance.

This can be useful in the classroom environment, where a teacher can create content on the go without going back and forth to the computer.

When it comes to choosing the right size, Rahman says most social needs apps are not too large. If your iPad is just going to have one primary user, you won’t need any larger than 32GB. However, if the device is going to be shared in a classroom, 64GB could be worthwhile.

2. Volume Control

Rahman says his wife’s favorite tip is to cover the speaker with masking tape. His son Noah, who has cerebral palsy, loves to jack up the volume on his iPad to be “blood curdling loud.”

“Because the iPad is a platform I can’t install software on to regulate the overall volume, we literally put cellophane tape over the speaker,” Rahman says.

Another option is to get a big case, which can muffle some of the sound, if you don’t want to restrict control over the tablet.

3. Explore Accessibility Features

The iPad comes with a lot of accessibility features already included, which you should explore.

Voice over is one great feature for the visually impaired, which reads what you swipe out loud when it’s switched on. You can also try “white on black” view, zoom (for the visually impaired) and assisted touch (press a button instead of shaking your iPad).

Rahman recommends setting the triple click on the home button to turn on the accessibility feature you use most regularly.

4. Try an External Keyboard

While some special needs users are great with the touchscreen keyboard, there can be two advantages to attaching an external keyboard to the iPad. First, it’s easier for people with fine motor issues to get an accurate touch.

Second, if you’re trying to work with multiple languages with different alphabets, you can attach character stickers on to keys rather than flipping between the iPad’s language options.

5. Make Time for FaceTime

For people on the autism spectrum, learning to make eye contact can be incredibly challenging — it’s also one of the first warning signs that a child may not be inputting social interactions correctly.

Using FaceTime to chat with friends and relatives outside of your home can be a great way to build those skills. The facial close-up forces kids to look into the eyes of the person with whom they’re chatting.

“For any child that has a hard time with social interactions, FaceTiming with relatives can be fun and incredibly therapeutic,” Rahman says.

6. DIY Keyguard

Keyguards are a very inexpensive way to give a voice to people who are uncommunicative and can be purchased cheaply for $20 or made by hand from foam board and an X-Acto knife.

Rahman recalls visiting with a non-verbal student in one school who used a two-button keyguard to communicate yes and no. After answering a sequence of yes or no questions, expressing his preferences for different needs and likes, the boy told a joke. Humor is, of course, a huge indicator of intelligence, Rahman notes.

“Do you have fun in school?” Rahman asked, expecting a yes, following a series of correctly answered questions.

The boy smiled, placed his hand near the yes, and then slid his finger over to the no button.

The boy again hit down the no.

“Really?” Rahman asked a final time.

The boy moved his hand over and pressed yes, indicating he in fact enjoyed school.

7. Set Boundaries

It should come as no surprise that iPads can be lots of fun for the special needs population, so parents need to set boundaries from the start.

“The iPad is totally useless without a plan,” Rahman says. “Everyone owns a hammer but few people can use it to build a building.”

Comparing an iPad to a pacifier, Rahman says parents must draw lines to prevent the iPad from becoming just an entertainer, and to ensure it is used for education and therapy.

8. Make Photo Albums

Learning to associate pictures of objects with concepts can take years for some people with special needs, but the iPad can be an important learning tool if you take pictures and organize photo albums. The tablet can become a great communicator when you view 16 icons at once, and allow the user to choose what they want.

You can give people who are non-verbal and partially non-verbal the ability to express preference by showing them, for instance, pictures of foods that they can eat for a given meal. You can also show options of activities, clothes or people.

9. Keep Cleaning

While iPads can be great babysitters, if you want to use the tablet for therapy or education you’ll need to frequently mix up the types of apps your child is using.

“If you’re not removing apps on a regular basis, you’re focusing on entertainment, not education and therapy,” Rahman says.

Parents almost always tell Rahman that they’re not removing apps from their children’s iPads, meaning they’re not letting their children flex their muscles or learn new skills.

10. Lock Screen

The constant rotation of the screen can be incredibly frustrating for some individuals with special needs. You can choose to lock the screen to prevent the display from reorienting as the device moves. This will give the user a greater feeling of control over their experience.

Rahman notes that for his own son, after two years with his iPad, it was a big moment when he learned to navigate with an unlocked screen.

“I don’t want him to just settle, I want a kid that forces the world he wants,” Rahman says.

More About: apple, features, ipad, parenting, Social Good, special needs

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Want to make tagging friends in Facebook photos a bit easier? New facial recognition app Klik launched out of beta on Thursday.

Simply download the iPhone app and get ready to snap of picture of your friends or family. Before you even click the button to take a pic, the app immediately recognizes your friends’ faces. After you take the pic, Klik will identify the face (if they’re on Facebook) and identify who that person is. If the app gets it wrong, you can find the right name from your Facebook contacts. Plus, Klik’s creators say the app gets smarter over time and should become increasingly better at identifying people in photos the more you use it.

To familiarize the app’s facial recognition technology with the faces you know, simply connect the app to Facebook. The facial recognition software will analyze each face in your photos and remember the name associated with each tag — although this could take up to one full day.

Once you’ve taken and tagged a photo, you can apply a variety of filter options. From there, you can post the photo to Facebook or Twitter. Klik also has a social component — users can view your friends’ photos and see the locations where those pics where taken.

Klik was developed by Face.com, a facial recognition software company. Currently,
Klik is available for free in the app store for iOS 4.3 or above.

What do you think about this app? Would you use Klik? Tell us in the comments.

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