1) Eleven customer service stories that’ll make you smile

The communication gap between consumers and corporations is quickly becoming non-existent. After all, it only takes a minute for someone to jump on Twitter and make or break an organization’s reputation. For this reason, there are now countless stories stories where famous brands, celebrities and artists reach out to fans as an act of customer service. Here are 11 examples of brands showing up and making a big effort with incredible customer service. And Zappos, the king of customer service recently bought this guy a pizza. In this era of consumer empowerment, how can we all apply this kind of attitude?

2) Facebook cracking down on “like-baiting”

Two weeks ago Facebook announced they were going to clean up Facebook Pages that were trying to increase reach by directly asking fans to like, comment and share their posts. Socialnicole has 7 tips on how to increase likes, comments and shares organically.

3) Pinterest unveils improved discovery tools

At an event on Thursday, Pinterest announced new features including Guided Search, Custom Categories, and improved Related Pins. These search improvements are largely designed for mobile usage, which has quickly grown over the past two years. The features are intended to help users find particular items, and subsets of items, more quickly. To learn more about the changes, click here.

 4) Stretchable health monitor sticks to your skin

In a joint effort  by researchers at Northwestern and the University of Illinois, this “wearable patch” monitors heart rate, muscular and brain activity, and other vital signs. Information is transmitted in real time to a computer, eliminating the need for patients to remain at a clinic. Click here to read the full article.

5) How to deal with the constant struggle of content marketing

Running a blog, emailing your subscribers, launching your podcast, posting to Facebook and tweeting your fans takes a lot of time. These methods are effective ways to market your brand, but there are many misconceptions on exactly how to do it and how much time it takes for you to start seeing results. Rand clears up some of these myths in this week’s Whiteboard Friday.

6) This fish can text: Teaching tech to talk back

Smart technology is popping up everywhere. Some of the smartest technologies are solving problems that you didn’t know were happening. Wearable heart rate monitors, smart security alarms and temperature control for the home. Even devices that let you know if your pet fish is overheating. But, receiving the right message isn’t enough anymore. You need to receive the right message, at the right time, in the right way. Read the full article here on how this Twilio hack gave a pet fish texting privileges.