I got flack from some of you guys for being excited about Twitter blocking animated GIFs in profile pictures, but sorry; I hate them. That was clearly one of the bigger stories of the last 24 hours, but Napkin Labs and my post on Facebook's Shared Activity plugin made waves too.
Via its Developers blog, Facebook today announced the launch of its Shared Activity plugin, which gives users the ability to control the activities they share to Facebook directly from any web app.
The plugin offers developers a simple way to implement user controls needed to work with Facebook's Open Graphbuilt-in actions.
More from the Developers blog:
"The Shared Activity plugin lists a person's activities published from your app to Facebook including Open Graph activities, Like button stories, and comment plugin activities. For example, when an individual uses a music app, she could modify the privacy settings, through the plugin, for specific song listening activities, without needing to go back to Facebook to control what's shown. Similarly, if a person, through a travel app, likes a restaurant or reviews a hotel, and decides that these activities should only be viewable to a select group on friends on Facebook, he can control this within the plugin as well."
This is one of many recent steps Facebook has taken to encourage the general public to share more, while at the same time assure consumers that their sharing activity can be modified at any time. It will be interesting to see how quickly the Shared Activity plugin gains mass adoption.
Your clicks, shares, retweets, as always, help shape the Social 6 news & views roundup. Salesforce and its sterling recent acquisition, Buddy Media, were big winners yesterday, though naturally news about the iPad Mini's looming announcement were popular as well. As a matter of fact, the rise of the smaller tablet as its own category so soon after the emergence of the larger form-factor tablet is interesting to take note of, as the Ecommerce Times points out.
Rumor: 6 Inch iPad Mini Coming Soon (Photo credit: methodshop.com)
Trying to streamline the Social 6 by only providing you guys with the links and publications of the articles that attracted the most clicks, shares, retweets, and so on over the last day or so. Today we've got an interesting mix, from social highlights to Twitter's new profiles to -- shocker -- more Apple news (this time it's the iPad Mini). Here's your Social 6 news roundup for 9/19/12:
Of course there's still some Apple news that was widely clicked on and shared yesterday, but we're past "the worst" of it. Today we also have some news about tools that can help optimize your social media posts, the need to stay within Facebook's promotional guidelines, and also new upgrades to a popular storefront called iTunes. Oh. wait, that's Apple. Darn it. Anyhow, here's your Social 6 news roundup:
"It doesn't take long for the excitement over a new iPhone launch to disperse, leaving a vague sense of unfulfilled expectations in its place. In the case of the iPhone 5, one of the larger disappointments is the lack of NFC technology. Never mind that few retailers are equipped to accommodate it, and the vast majority of consumers don't even know what it is."
"Running around the Internet looking for pertinent news and topics to your business and your customers is like running through a sprinkler as a kid – you might occasionally get lucky with a cool spot, but most of the time you’ll probably be miserable, aching for that next cool spot. Since it is the Internet, there are certainly enough tools out there to help a small business along, but deciding on one might be difficult. I’ve found a few that you might want to take a look at, including a convenient one called ChatterJet."
"On this episode of Revolution, Fernandez talks about the rise of his company, its challenges in measuring digital and real world influence. He also gives tips on what consumers and businesses need to do to make their online influence matter most."
"Social Experiment Time! If you see this status & don't think you'll ever talk to me again, feel free to unfriend me! No harm, no foul. I'm just taking a stand that social media isn't about numbers, and is about making valuable connections with people (and brands). The world's becoming increasingly cluttered, and I'd hate to be part of that clutter in your own digital life."
"Along with the announcement of the new iPhone 5, Apple announced some big changes to its iconic music and media store iTunes.The new iTunes’ iOS store app redesign optimizes the screen to focus more on products (such as music, apps, and games)."
"Sunshine Coast social media expert Donna Hamer has warned businesses breaching Facebook rules that they risk having their pages wiped by administrators. Her comments follow those of social media law expert Jamie White who said 50% of Facebook business pages were in breach of Facebook's Promotional Guidelines."
While we had a few major Apple articles that were shared, commented on, and retweeted yesterday, let's look at some Apple news - but let's open our minds to all the other articles you might have missed yesterday, shall we? Here's what you missed yesterday:
"Social media is a whole lot more about hustle, and a whole lot less about slick tools or automation...[there] isn’t an app for earning someone’s respect. There are, however, some basic guidelines that those who 'get' social media have unilaterally used in their rise to becoming forces to be reckoned with. We’ve outlined four of them for you below."
"iTunes is getting more social, but not with Ping. Today Apple announced that Ping will be shut down on September 30th. iTunes 11 will instead display your Facebook friends who Liked each entry, offer Facebook and Twitter sharing for purchases, plus let musicians share photos on their artist pages. The changes come amongst a larger overhaul to the iTunes store and player design."
"MicroGREEN came to Magnet Media for help spreading the word about the cup before its introductory launch in test markets. MicroGREEN especially wanted to reach “millennials” and “millennial moms”—young groups that value sustainability and are highly connected with digital media—with a trans-media campaign."
"...the new app, unlike the old one, can run ads. The inability to run ads on the old one was a reason many content providers didn’t let them be viewed on the app.More to the point for Google, this means it can now earn some serious coin from mobile visitors. That’s crucial as mobile devices become the default way people are reaching content on the Web. Google says a quarter of YouTube views, more than a billion a day, are from mobile devices."
"Apple's big product launch in San Francisco this week, expected to mark the debut of the iPhone 5, could spell good news for a host of companies way beyond the boundaries of the tech giant's campus in Cupertino, Calif.From Apple itself to the company's telecom partners and component makers, there's a whole host of firms set for an iPhone 5 boost."
"Plenty of devices can claim to have an Intel microprocessor inside. But, seriously, a Coke machine? This one does, and it can take your picture, too...at the Intel Developer Forum on Tuesday, Intel showed off an interactive Coke machinemanufactured by SIA Interactive, a South American technology and design firm. The machine towered over Dadi Perlmutter, the head of Intel's chip group."
"As a longtime squinter at Delicious clones, I was surprised this week to see a couple of social bookmarking-type tools that actually seemed quite well-built and distinctive. Will making a product snazzier make it mainstream? Not necessarily. But Clipboard and Mural.ly both caught my jaded eye."
"It’s become clear that social media sites like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram have ushered in visual marketing as a new breakout trend for 2012...if you want real results, you have to show it...it really looks like that today 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'"
"Gadget lovers are eagerly awaiting news from Apple's media event in San Francisco on Wednesday, when the company is widely expected to introduce the iPhone 5 after months of rumors. Wall Street analysts — and economists too — will be paying close attention. That's because a new iPhone could provide a huge revenue windfall for the world's most valuable company. It could also lift business for related firms such as wireless carriers, suppliers and accessories sellers."
"Today is Amazon's turn. The Seattle-based company is holding an event today in Santa Monica, California, where it is expected to launch its new Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablet. An ad, which aired last night, showed the new Kindle e-reader and new Fire."
"Social media is here to stay but Connolly sees Facebook and Twitter as less relevant for the next generation in terms of restaurants. People will adapt those sites for the long-term, 'like keeping in touch with family, grandkids,' they won’t be searching on them, he predicts.Young people will create their own next-generation social media technology. Whatever form it takes, it will remain a digital form of word-of-mouth, which essentially is what social media really is."
"...when perhaps the most secretive company in tech holds an event, everyone thinks they know what's going to happen -- but no one knows exactly what's going to happen...'It's like the Super Bowl and the Oscars of technology all rolled into one,' Ritchie [editor-in-chief of iMore, an Apple-centric blog] said.
Well, yesterday was a relatively busy day out there! GoDaddy's outage was big news, but Medium (brought to you by the founders of Twitter) and Oscar Mayer's new campaign made waves as well - and there's plenty more to keep you busy reading. Without further ago, here are the top news & views you missed yesterday:
"Measuring whether [social media] efforts are successful is difficult because there's no immediate return. But this anecdote about shoppers at Target shows why investing in social media is worthwhile for retailers...research determined that fans of Target on Facebook were 97 percent more likely to spend at Target, and friends of fans were 51 percent more likely than the average population to spend at the retailer."
"With more than two-thirds of buying decisions now informed by online reviews, merchants are being forced to take a closer look at how they should handle customer feedback when it’s posted online...to find out how merchants should be dealing with these issues, we spoke to five experts in the field and asked what businesses should consider when managing their online reviews."
"Have you ever wished you could tweet from somewhere else in the world, without having to actually go there? The arctic circle? The great pyramids of Egypt? Or how about the Bermuda triangle? Well, now it seems like you can. A little website entitled “Please Don’t Stalk Me” allows any Twitter user to alter the location data attached to their tweets."
"News broke recently that Twitter founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone had launched a new social media network centered around something we really love: sharing quality content...posting access to curate collections on Medium is currently limited to 'friends and family' of the founders. As a Beta Member, I am able to view and vote on content, which currently includes the boards “Been There, Loved That,” a collection of gorgeous images from around the world. Did I mention they were gorgeous?"
"Many people... [have] heard the lottery slogan, 'All it takes is a dollar and a dream.' Now comes an actor, comedian and writer, seeking to make his way across the country in the next two weeks with only a dream and, oh, yes, instead of a dollar, a trailer filled with 3,000 pounds of a new bacon.
The actor, Josh Sankey, will embark this week on a promotion for the Oscar Mayer division of Kraft Foods that is being called the Great American Bacon Barter. The promotion includes a Web site, baconbarter.com; social media like Twitter; and a public relations campaign."
"GoDaddy, the domain registrar and Web hosting company, experienced outages Monday, perhaps taking millions of websites down as a result...a quick call to the company's customer service line resulted in a voice message stating that the company is aware of issues involving several services, including web hosting and emails. The company suggest following its Twitter page for updates...Twitter accounts thought to be associated with the hacking group Anonymous claimed responsibility for the attack."
Is it much of a surprise that Apple news and analysis surrounds their big September 15th unveil of their new products? Not for this fella. That being said, the Planned Parenthood case study and Flipboard news were heavily clicked by my social audience, and I thought Flipboard's foray into commerce could potentially be a move that resonates for a long time to come. Here's what you missed this weekend:
"Is there really a reason for Google and Apple to be scared of the on-going success of Amazon? Apple has been in the mobile business for a while. Google, on the other hand, is a well known software company. And what of Amazon?"
"Crutch words are those expressions we pepper throughout our language as verbal pauses, and sometimes as written ones, to give us time to think...quite often, they do little to add meaning, though. Sometimes we even use them incorrectly. Almost always, we don't need them at all, which doesn't mean we won't persist in using them. Here's our list of frequently used crutches, and what your crutch of choice has to reveal about you."
"When Planned Parenthood first learned that Susan G. Komen was going to cut its funds, there were many pleas made to regain the commitment of nearly $700,000 in funding for 19 affiliates. What exploded when the news went public is a valuable lesson for any nonprofit harnessing social media and traditional media."
"Pandora shares took a pounding on Friday as Apple is reportedly in negotiations with record labels to license content for a Pandora-esque music-streaming service. That's more bad news for a company that already had a lot of it. Its advertising-supported model isn't yet profitable, and its prospects aren't great given the competition...Apple's latest move is just another reminder to Fool analyst Anand Chokkavelu that he recommends Pandora's service but not its stock."
"Flipboard, known for its beautiful “social magazine” on tablets and phones, has just announced the launch of its first in-magazine store on both iOS and Android, in partnership with Levis. This is Flipboard’s first step into ecommerce, and given the popularity of the service, adding a shopping layer could leave a massive impact on the company’s future. Flipboard calls this move a “social catalog,” and it’s especially telling given how monotonous online shopping has become, where long pages of visually-uninteresting grids are standard."
English: The "Made for iPhone" emblem appearing on Apple-approved iPhone accesories. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
"Wed., Sept. 12 -- the long-awaited day Apple fans are expecting to finally see the debut of the sixth-generation iPhone, unofficially dubbed the "iPhone 5" -- is now less than five days away. The highly-anticipated event, scheduled to take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, is also expected to introduce a new "iPad Mini" to Apple's tablet lineup...here are 15 features and tech specs we're expecting to see in the new iPhone at its unveiling this week."
"Mixer is a new social mobile application for iPhone that lets you converse with people on a location...users can post text and photos to the local feed and others can comment. Via a nice visual interface you can zoom out from your locality to join conversations far away or zoom back in to your neighbourhood. But when you leave a location where a conversation happened you can continue to converse with those people."
"Search #NYFW and the word “diet” right now on the social media site and you’ll find lots of tweets linking back to the CNN article mentioned above. But if you go back a bit further, you’ll find women tweeting about their actual diets. Just yesterday, fashion stylist Elizabeth Tran tweeted “So my one-cube-of-cheese-every-hour diet starts tomorrow. Well, I think it will…#lesigh #NYFW“ Let’s not forget this shockingly sad picture tweeted out almost a month ago by PR rep Keisha McCotry. Yep, you read that right: a bowl of broccoli and a glass of water is her dinner. She told CNN she began her fashion week diet in July, and that, 'Perception is reality in this industry, and unfortunately, you have to look the look to get the clients.'"
"New York Fashion Week is one of the fashion industry's biggest events of the year, the culmination of months of planning, organizing, schmoozing ... and dieting? When it comes to the biannual fashion shows, which kick off Thursday, models aren't the only ones looking to drop a few pounds before hitting the tents. Some publicists, bloggers and fashion editors have been counting calories for weeks in anticipation of the week-long event, where to some, networking and being seen are just as important as the collections debuting on the runways."
"These are a few of the many benefits offered to you for taking your precious time and creating a great piece of content, such as a case study. One of the benefits I’d like to discuss in much more depth is the social link bait benefit. But before I get into it, I want to just make sure everyone understands what social link bait is."
"...today, the company officially unveiled the newest version of its API, v1.1, and updated its “Developer Rules of the Road” and display requirements.One of the more notable changes we’ve seen so far, brought to our attention by Steve Streza’s tweet, is that developers will have until March 5, 2013 to switch over to the new version of the API. After that, v1.0 will be “kaput” — to use the technical term."
While it was easy to see the loss of XML coming — Twitter has slowly dropped support for XML in favor of JSON over the last year and a half — dropping support for RSS and Atom is a major shift. RSS and Atom are the two major formats for serving up web feeds. These feeds can include text, audio, video and other types of media. While most users use RSS as a way to subscribe to web content from a blog or podcast — the format can also be used as a way to subscribe to tweets. Since its inception, Twitter has allowed developers to access Twitter timelines and search queries using RSS. As a result, lots of social aggregators have used RSS as an easy way to pull in tweets alongside messages for other services.
