The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 hours, 7/23/12
As you may know, I’m a voracious reader and tend to share a good deal of news via my social platforms. Here’s a countdown of the top six most important articles I’ve shared in the last day. I curate this top six based on number of retweets, clicks, favorites, and mentions, so you guys are a large part of what ends up listed here :).
#6 5 Unmissable Benefits of Social Media for Business (Including Infographic)
To really get the benefits of social media for business there are some ideas a practitioner must understand; in this Business 2 Community piece, Rosalind Henshell outlines her top 5.
#5 Sponsored search results on Facebook: I'm not sold
Facebook is beginning to slowly roll out sponsored search results. However, will it wind up becoming a key part of the Facebook monetization puzzle? Drew Olanoff of TheNextWeb isn't a big believer yet.
#4 Chile Startup Awards: Meet the nominees
The TNW Chile Startup Awards will take place in Santiago on July 25th. Here's an outline of the nominees across a number of categories, including startup of the year, best web app, best mobile app, and more.
#3 The Future of sound? You'll play it with your mind, says electronic music pioneer Vince De Franco
Vince De Franco, master of music and technology, has now stepped it up a new level. Not only has he helped bands such as U2 or Alice in Chains by creating sounds for them, he has now expanded and wants to help YOU! Great article by JamillahKnowles of TNW.
#2 Viral Marketing For The Robocop Reboot Begins
Omnicorp, the fictional corporation behind the making of Robocop, already has an Internet presence up and running! Impressive, considering the movie is still a year away. Unleash The Fanboy has more details.
#1 Twitter-owned blog service Posterous loses multiple databases, suffers 17-hour outage
Going offline is pretty much the worst-imaginable scenario for a blogging platform like Posterous, but that's exactly what happened over the weekend. The leading Tumblr rival – acquired this past March by Twitter – saw a number of databases go down. Its service went offline for over 17.5 hours. Jon Russell of TNW has more.
The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 hours, 7/21/12
As you may know, I’m a voracious reader and tend to share a good deal of news via my social platforms. Here’s a countdown of the top six most important articles I’ve shared in the last day. I curate this top six based on number of retweets, clicks, favorites, and mentions, so you guys are a large part of what ends up listed here :).
#6 YC-Backed PhotoSharing Service PicPlum Gets A Revamp; Mobile App & API Are Next
PicPlum, which debuted last summer, is going through a major upgrade! The photo-sharing and printing start up is overhauling its user experience in a big way. Good reporting by Sarah Perez of TC.
#5 Securing Federal Employees' Mobile Devices: Big Opportunities, Big Challenges
Hacking into phones - remotely or virtually - is something that most of us have to worry about these days, and federal workers are no exception. However, their data can often be more sensitive than those of everyday citizens. This Ecommerce Times piece delves into the issue in greater detail.
#4 33Across Picks Up $13.1M To Grow Its Big Data Social Graph, No Facebook Strings Attached
33across is a social targeting company which operated a social graph that covers users globally. The company claims to have a most robust than Facebook. How big of a reason is that for their getting funded? Great article by Ingrid Lunden of TC.
#3 US companies raised $8.1 billion through 863 VC deals in Q2 2012: Report
U.S.-based companies raised $8.1 billion through 863 venture capital deals. Sounds like a lot, maybe, but it's a 3 percent drop from last year. Through the first half of the year, VC investment added up to $15 billion, a 7 percent decrease in capital. 5 percent less deals were done from the same time period a year ago.
#2 Without Social Media, 18% Of Teens Would 'Stop Communicating'
It's no secret that going social using social digital platforms has taken over the lives of most people around the world. But a recent AWeber survey indicates teens feel they would stop communicating altogether if Facebook would go down! Overly dramatic, perhaps, but very interesting to see how important social platforms have become for today's teens. Emily Price of Mashable goes into better detail.
#1 Facebook User Satisfaction Falls, While Google Plus Takes Off
Is Facebook starting to become a thing of the past? Well....no. Hardly. But, research is indicating that users are no longer as satisfied as they used to be. Are other social sites taking advantage of this downfall? Well, if you read the title of the article....maybe! It will be interesting to see if Google+ can gain any traction, based on the findings of this report. Cadie Thompson of CNBC goes into better detail.
The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 hours, 7/20/12
As you may know, I’m a voracious reader and tend to share a good deal of news via my social platforms. Here’s a countdown of the top six most important articles I’ve shared in the last day. I curate this top six based on number of retweets, clicks, favorites, and mentions, so you guys are a large part of what ends up listed here :).
#6 'Jeremy Lin That Iused to Know' Parody Laments Star's Departure [VIDEO]
You may find it heart breaking if you're a Jeremy Lin follower and love the Knicks. However, the NOC, a sports and entertainment YouTube channel, found a way to get creative in its despair! This parody shared by Sam Laird of Mashable brings out a good laugh.
This new creative way GE is using Instagram to market their brand by showing off pictures of GE products looking cooler than usual is a good example of a brand creating a conversation by posting engaging content. DP Blog shows one of their finest!
#4 Up close with Hometalk: The growing community of home and DIY projects
Hometalk is a new upcoming NY-based startup that gives you tips and ideas about what you might want to decorate in your house. Comparing it to Pinterest is an understatement because it does so much more. Nice article by Harrison Weber of TNW.
#3 Twitter Loses Another Comms Director, As Former iMeem Exec Matt Graves Steps Down
Believe it or not, Twitter's Director of Communication needs a break from Twitter too! It's not clear who will be replacing Graves as of now. Anyone looking for a good communications job?
#2 'Klout For Grownups?' Synthesio Launches Business-Oriented Influencer Tool
Synthesio created its own influence ranking system which it's claiming to be more business-savvy than Klout or Kred. The service already counts Microsoft, Nissan and BlackBerry as clients. It will be interesting to see how much traction Synthesio can gain in the marketplace, but so far I'm liking their approach.
#1 Social Retail: Finding, Engaging & Cultivating Today's Connected Consumer
Do you want to know how to take advantage of a new trend to catch the consumers eye? As technology changed, the consumer has changed their ways of purchasing. By doing what? Mobile shopping! Ron Schott covers social recommendations, friend and influencer interactions, social entertainment, and more. If you're a stats fanatic like I am, you'll really love this piece.
See you all tomorrow! Or, sooner....
The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 Hours, 7/19/12
As you may know, I’m a voracious reader and tend to share a good deal of news via my social platforms. Here’s a countdown of the top six most important articles I’ve shared in the last day. I curate this top six based on number of retweets, clicks, favorites, and mentions, so you guys are a large part of what ends up listed here :).
#6 Are Companies a Good Fit on Social Media?
While the title of this article is a bit rhetorial, Brent Pohlman follows up with a strong Business 2 Community piece offering some key advice on how to make your company successful on whichever social platforms you're operating on.
#5 What a Successful Facebook Mobile Strategy May Look Like
Mark Zuckerberg himself admits that Facebook has had challenges developing a wubbubg mobile strategy. In this article, you will read about different ways to why this is an issue and what Facebook execs are trying to do to improve their odds. Nice points proven by Dave Copeland of ReadWriteWeb.
#4 How To Use Social Media To Invent Or Reinvent Yourself
Self promotion or 'Branding yourself' has expanded rapidly within the past few years. There are important things to remember when branding yourself just like any other big name such as Coca-Cola or Facebook. Kyle Lacy of Business 2 Community proves many key points.
#3 How to Create Social Media Marketing Success: DON'T DO THIS
Social marketing is all about creating community, and not purely creating one-directional advertisements, right? However, many companies are blurring the lines and committing many faux-pas with their social strategies. Good points by Angela Hausman, PhD in this Business 2 Community post.
#2 5 Things You Didn't Think You Could Do on LinkedIn
LinkedIn, as you know, is a platform that I love. Love, love, love. You just can't use it enough. This quick piece by Amy-Mae Elliot of Mashable gives a few less-known features of everyone's favorite A+ professional platform.
And finally, the #1 share of the last 24 hours:
#1 Here's what we learned from the Socialcam acquisition: Innovation wins, not numbers
Socialcam has gained an incredible amount of traction in a short period of time, becoming the most popular Facebook app by a large margin. Drew Olanoff of TNW delves into why innovation is the key reason for the app's acquisition, as opposed to its number of active monthly users.
5 Reasons Why Microsoft Acquiring Yammer is Kind of a Big Deal
Business software firm Yammer Inc. (often described as “Facebook for Business”) has agreed to sell itself to Microsoft for a reported $1.2 billion. This is a pretty big deal, and I’m predicting will turn out to be a major coup for Microsoft. Here are some reasons why you should be paying attention to this deal, and Yammer in general:
#1: Yammer really does solve many collaboration issues for enterprises.
At a number of companies I’ve worked at, departments set up rogue Facebook groups and Twitter accounts for collaboration, not sanctioned by the company at large. Yammer lets any company set up official social collaboration channels.
#2: Yammer actually makes it more fun to work.
At iluminage, the beauty startup concept I am currently developing, we use Yammer for sharing industry news, but also to share everything from personal news to awarding praise badges for team members who are making significant contributions. Participating on Yammer feels like fun as opposed to a chore.
#3: Using Yammer can lead to increased team growth.
As I just mentioned, the fun associated with using Yammer makes people more likely to use it, and have it become a modern-age version of the watercooler. “It enables those special connections we had created by bringing people together in the classroom to happen all the time,” says Mike Petersell, Director of Learning and Performance at Pitney Bowes. Bringing productive people together tends to begat greater productivity.
#4: The next generation of enterprise tech is emerging, and Yammer’s a big part of it.
The acquisition gives Microsoft the ability to compete with nimble new cloud-based enterprise software. Some of these include Dropbox, with a private valuation of $4 Billion, and Jive, which has seen its stock jump 50% since its IPO in late 2011. While Yammer can compete quite well with these companies, what’s almost as impressive is Yammer’s ability to act at the platform that other enterprise software can snugly fit into, much like how a Zynga game fits snugly into Facebook.
#5: Yammer hasn’t even scratched the surface of where it can go & what is can be.
Remember before Google went public? It may be hard for some of you to remember, but at one point, Google’s core competency was pure search for web results, and not much else. As time went on and Google’s resources increased, so did its ability to build upon its core competency and create new products. With Microsoft’s resources, Yammer has the opportunity to follow suit, creating more products and increasing the platform’s utility. Two easy examples:
a) Yammer could create private social networks for Microsoft’s (and other large companies) enterprise customers to collaborate and share best practices in a secure environment.
b) Yammer could go after the educational market, rolling out a version of its platform optimized for teacher-student and student-student collaboration. While there are examples of educational institutions using Yammer, including Pepperdine Business School, a push towards dominating the education would seem to be a very viable move for Yammer.
If this was helpful/interesting to you, I’d love if you could share with your networks. And as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Related articles
The Facebook Sponsored Stories Lawsuit & Why It's a Big Deal
Quoting here from InsideFacebook:
Facebook today settled a proposed class action lawsuit that contested how the site uses names and images of users in its Sponsored Stories ad product.
The plaintiffs of Fraley et al v. Facebook, Inc. asserted that the social network’s new ad type turns users into spokespeople, and thus entitles them to compensation under California law. The company did not share terms of the settlement in court documents and representatives did not offer comment on the case. Had Facebook not settled, it might have risked what it sees as a major component of its future advertising business.
What's this lawsuit about, anyways? Well, California has a Right of Publicity statute that explicitly forbids a company from using any other person's name or likeness for advertising purposes without clear consent from the person being used. Facebook thought it was immune to this statute as a result of an exemption for topics that are considered newsworthy. Obviously, that argument didn't work.
Sponsored stories have been around for nearly a year and a half now - they debuted in early 2011 - and many advertisers feel they are cheaper and have better CTR thank traditional Facebook ads. Last year, TBG Digital revealed that a test consisting of 2 billion impressions found that Sponsored Stories received a 46% better CTR than traditional Facebook ads. Coupled with a 20% lower CPC, you can see why Sponsored Stories are a big deal. You'll find more on the original TBG Digital study here.
Now that Facebook is a public company, one can only expect greater scrutiny towards the world's largest social network. I think it's well-deserved, but lawyers should draw the line between breaches of the law (like this one) and simply going after the biggest target simply because it's easier to hit.
Related articles
- Facebook to settle class-action suit over Sponsored Stories (macworld.com)
- Facebook settles 'sponsored stories' lawsuit (news.cnet.com)
Twitter Needs to Compete with Facebook's Open Graph. Here's Why:
This just in from InsideFacebook:
Twitter already has an official Facebook integration that lets users post tweets to their profiles and friends’ News Feeds. It does not share retweets or @replies. An Open Graph app could leverage Ticker, allowing retweets and replies to appear in the lightweight feed and other tweets to show in News Feed. This would be similar to how Spotify publishes individual song listens to Ticker but puts stories about users listening to artists, albums and playlists in News Feed.
The Inside Facebook goes on to discuss how integrating with the Open Graph would allow tweets to have a dedicated section of timeline's designated for them. Check out Twittus, an unofficial app that does this already.
I don't disagree with Brittany Darwell's approach per se. However, I have another point of view: why would Twitter cede the "open graph" space across the entire Internet to Facebook? Why not directly compete with Facebook's Open Graph in some way? While Twitter doesn't have the ability to directly compete with Facebook purely on its merits and capabilities, plenty of large Web players would back Twitter if it could provide a Facebook alternative for carrying one's social identity across the Internet.
Many people love the adage "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." If I was Twitter, my motto would be "if you can't beat 'em , beat 'em anyway."
Facebook Acquires Friend.ly: What's Next?
This just in from InsideFacebook:
Facebook has acquired friend.ly, developers of a Facebook-integrated website that lets users get to know their friend better by asking them questions about their interests. The friend.ly website will continue to operate, but the team will be “focusing on new projects at Facebook” according to an announcement on friend.ly’s blog.
The friend.ly team’s experience getting people to reveal things about their identities could help Facebook coax more biographical data from users. This data could then be used to strengthen ad targeting.
What do you think of friend.ly? Long-term, will friend.ly functionality be 100% folded into Facebook, or will it operate as its own (well-integrated) entity? Have you tried it out yet?