The Science Center of Iowa (SCI) has received a $15,000 Community Action Grant from Facebook’s Altoona Data Center for Senior STEM, a new project educating older adults on current technology, SCI announced this morning. Pew Institute research shows that more seniors are engaging  with technology and becoming largely active users. Senior STEM will help older […]

Scratch Cupcakery in West Des Moines is one of 50 bakeries across the U.S. partnering with Facebook on May 10 to launch a new feature called Birthday Stories on the social media platform. From 9:30 a.m. until supplies last, visitors at the West Des Moines shop will receive a free cupcake to celebrate the launch. The […]

Google announces $1M Impact Challenge for Iowa nonprofits Nonprofits in Iowa will collectively receive $1 million through Google’s new Impact Challenge Iowa, Google announced Monday as part of the company’s Grow with Google initiative at Central Library. Google.org first launched its Impact Challenge in Illinois, but Iowa will be the second state nationwide granted $1 […]

The Facebook Altoona Data Center has awarded more than $210,000 in grants to Central Iowa area nonprofits and schools as part of Facebook’s Community Action Grant program. Sixteen organizations promoting STEM education and community investment received grants ranging from $3,000 to more than $60,000 — the Southeast Polk Community School District was award $60,928.33 for […]

Pinterest’s imminent IPO raises new questions about how big of a role the platform will play in the future of social commerce, reports Digiday. Pinterest positions itself as the ultimate discovery tool, but in order to get people to go from pinning to purchasing, Pinterest will need better commerce tools — and to convince more […]

NEW YORK TIMES: Iowan Ben Silbermann’s Pinterest may be a unicorn, but investors are frustrated over the platform’s cautious trajectory. The native Des Moines-ian is known for his low profile and “measures twice, cuts once” sensibilities, as the profile reports. Pinterest doesn’t intend to be an argument for the slow-growth mindset, but it might be the best model […]

Des Moines Area Community College has opened enrollment for its new Facebook and Digital Marketing Certificate. The certificate program is part of Facebook’s initiative to train 1 million people across the U.S. by 2020; the company has partnered with DMACC to arm individuals and small businesses with social media and digital marketing skills. Facebook has […]

When Brad Dwyer founded Hatchlings Inc. in an Iowa State University dorm room in 2008, he couldn’t have predicted what the social media landscape would become. Dwyer’s mobile games company requires a few basic permissions for users to play using Facebook’s API (application programming interface): Hatchlings needs a user’s name, email address and Facebook social […]

Facebook is pledging to train 1 million workers and small business owners across the U.S. in digital marketing and labor skills by 2020. The announcement comes just after Facebook publicized a new partnership with the Des Moines Area Community College, which will expand DMACC’s current digital marketing course into a 30-credit-hour certificate that includes Facebook’s […]