The Social 6: News You Missed Yesterday, 8/22/12 Edition
Fifteen-Year Olds Create Reserverr, Hoping To Replace Your Calendar
Talk about starting off young: two fifteen year-olds have founded Reserverr, a site that helps users automatically books reservations free of charge. Billy Gallagher reports for TechCrunch on why this deceptively simple app could make waves.
Gannett buys social media ad company Blinq Media
Traditional media player Gannett, which counts USA Today among its properties, announced that it had acquired Blinq Media, an up and coming firm which develops social media ad campaigns. This is just part of the ongoing trend of traditional media firms buying up rising tech companies so they can broaden their digital expertise, especially on social and mobile channels. I'd rate this as a smart move; the traditional media companies that continue to modernize themselves will win, and the ones that don't will eventually go away. Period.
Predictors of In-App Purchases? Not Having Paid Apps And Playing Lots of Games, Apsalar Finds
In-app purchases are turning into the primary way that many mobile developers make their living. In fact, the majority of the top 25 highest-grossing iOS apps are free to start playing! Analytics company Apsalar conducted a deep dive into mobile apps and spending, as Kim-Mai Cutler of TechCrunch reports.
Dave Kerpen & Likeable Media in Inc. Magazine
Very happy for my friends Dave and Carrie Kerpen, who are featured in this month's Inc. Magazine. The Inc. story features how Dave and Carrie built Likeable Media, the social media and word of mouth marketing agency. Pick up the magazine to read their story, as well as some of the fastest-growing small businesses around. In case you can't tell, I *love* the magazine.
Social Media Fan Advocacy & Loyalty Software roundup, courtesy of @JasonFalls
Social media thought leader (I don't throw that around too often) Jason Falls offers up some great analysis on fan advocacy and loyalty platforms, including 500 Friends, Brandsforce, Zuberance, and more. If you want to understand how to build advocacy and loyalty, and how they're related but different, this is a must-read.
‘Leaked’ iPhone 5 Video Reveals Radical New Design
Gee, there's serious interest in the iPhone 5 launch. Are you honestly surprised? This quick Mashable clip links to the "leaked" video for the iPhone 5 teaser, which indicates a relatively substantial deviation from the iPhone 4 and 4S.
The Social 6: Key Stories of The Last 24 hours, 8/15/12
#6 Done Deal: 10 Weeks Later, Salesforce.com Owns Buddy Media
Peter Kafka delivers a great article for AllThingsD sharing that Salesforce.com now officially owns Buddy Media. The deal was said to have closed at $750 million. All in all, a pretty quick acquisition as these deals tend to go. Congrats to my friends at Buddy Media for officially being part of the Salesforce family.
#5 Facebook's Instagram Deal Moves One Step Closer: UK's Office Of Fair Trading Gives IT The All-Clear
Speaking of slower acquisitions, Facebook’s Instagram deal is one step closer to being a reality: Ingrid Lunden of TechCrunch explains some of the anti-competitive concerns surrounding the deal. Personally, I can see why any consolidation of social platforms should be closely reviewed.
#4 Mobile Apps Could Be Affected by New COPPA Privacy Rules for Kids
Brian Proffitt writes a great article on ReadWriteWeb explaining why the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act are considering new changes.
#3 How the Second Screen Scored in the Summer Olympics
Mobile media became a huge deal during this years Olympics. John Paul Titlow writes an interesting for ReadWriteWeb telling why, and is a great way of telling what the future holds for mobile event consumption.
#2 Ultimatum to stores: sign pledge not to sell 'trampy' kids clothes or be boycotted
Nick Ralston posts a video and an article on Life & Style about whether or not to sell kids clothes that may be a bit revealing. Inappropriate clothing for children has raised as an issue against Target Australia (*very* loosely affiliated with Target USA), and a grassroots attempt is being made to respond to the store’s decisions.
#1 Dell CEO's Daughter Booted From Twitter for Security Reasons
How annoying would it be for you to spend $2.7 Million to keep your family safe, only to find that the biggest security concern was your own daughter? Even though it was innocuous, Alexa Dell, CEO Michael Dell’s daughter, posted a photo going to Fiji, which could lead to people following her. Zoe Fox writes for Mashable and gives more details to the situation, which sheds some light on the concerns associated with geo-location sharing.
The Social 6: Key Stories of The Last 24 hours, 8/9/12
As you guys may be aware, I’m a pretty voracious reader and generally share a bunch of news & reviews 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 Backed By $900K From Keith Rabois And Angels, Breakthrough Is Your New Online Shrink
Did you know that one in four Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental illness? To go along with that, only one-third of those people are treated! Its no secret that the poor are a few of many that can't afford treatment. Rip Empson writes for TechCrunch about Breakthrough, launched out of TechCrunch50, and how it offers a way for users to privately connect with mental health professionals via email, phone or HIPAA-compliant video chat.
#5 Y Combinator-Backed Canopy Labs Unveils A Self-Serve Approach To Customer Modeling
Canopy Labs, one of the startups in Y-Combinator’s current class, is aiming to help mid-sized businesses organize their sales leads and focus on high-value customers. Anthony Ha delivers a TechCrunch article outlining Canopy’s value proposition, and how an “actionable and quick” solution is better than a custom solution built in-house.
#4 Boutine Lets Women Build Their Own Virtual Boutiques
A new website called Boutine allows women to browse and create new looks by mix-and-matching items. Similar to Polyvore in many ways, the website aims to be the place where you actually purchase the items you mix. Founder Pramod Dabir, was inspired to try his hand at a fashion startup after years of working in investment banking thanks to a little inspiration from his then fiancee, now wife. Yet another fashion-focused startup, but this one looks like it has the business model to stick around if it gains any traction.
Apple put a 24-hour ban on users changing their Apple ID password via phone, after at least one hacker used some phone trickery to get access to users’ accounts.
#2 Google to Include Gmail Results in Search Results
Yesterday, I reported that Google is looking to include Gmail results inside regular web search queries, and explored what this could mean for the future of search. Read the piece to see how to sign up for the private beta.
#1 Square Partners With Starbucks, Raises $25M For Series D; Howard Schultz Joins The Board
While Square started largely at a grassroots level, here’s one more indicator that it’s heading for the bigtime. Beginning this fall, Square will be the exclusive debit and credit card transaction partner for Starbucks across the U.S. Plus, pay with Square users will be able to the nearest Starbucks by accessing the Square Directory from their iPhone or Android phone. This is a huge coup for Square in becoming a mainstream transaction handler.
The Social 6: Key Stories of The Last 24 hours, 8/8/12
#6 The Pitfalls of the Unmanaged Customer Experience
What makes your brand, ultimately, is the experience you give to your customers, not just the product you actually sell them. Yes, we all know this. No, most companies still don’t adhere to this somewhat important rule. Malcolm Carlow writes for E-Commerce Times, and provides some nice, high-level advice on customer service.
#5 Bingo! Facebook Gambles On Games Using Real Money, Not Credits, To Engage Users
Facebook hasn’t had such a good time in the news lately, as I’m sure you’re aware. However, Facebook is rolling out something that could be minor game-changer. Ingrid Lunden, writing for TechCrunch, says not only is this a new way to interact with people but you can win real money! It’s only in the UK for now, but it will be interesting to follow this and see how much traction this gets.
#4 Instagram & foursquare Photo Contest Boosts Engagement Across Social-Mobile Platforms
Interesting case study: Barney’s Beanery ran a two-week photo contest across all its locations and offered prizes such as $100 gift cards and much more. According to Moment Feed writer Joergan Aaboe, Barney’s Beanery sees 66 percent increase in photos taken and tagged to their locations relative to Facebook and foursquare check-ins.
#3 FAQ: Why did Google buy these companies?
Jon Gold, writing for NetworkWorld, gives a rundown about Google's history of acquisitions, and how each one has fit into the company’s strategy. Overall, I'd say Google has acquired pretty intelligently, acquiring expertise where they were lacking.
#2 Why Apple Should Buy Foursquare
Do you believe Foursquare is just another app? At the moment it doesn't have much room to grow, according to many; even though I’m a big fan of the app, usage is nowhere near some other social platforms. However Jon Mitchell writes for ReadWriteWeb and says Foursquare would be a perfect fit to be purchased and embedded into Apple’s iOS strategy.
#1 Facebook Introduces Mobile Ad Unit to Promote Apps
Mobile is becoming an increasingly important part of going social, and Facebook simply won’t be competitive if it can’t find a way to monetize mobile media. Given that, only a few weeks after the debut of its first-ever ad unit for mobile, Facebook is releasing a new mobile unit in beta, so that app developers can better promote their apps.
Guys, read my lips, this is the start of something pretty major.
The Social 6: Key Stories of The Last 24 hours, 8/4/12
As you may know, I’m a pretty voracious reader and generally share a bunch of news & reviews 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 Do You Remember All the Cool Things Your CRM App Can Do?
Christopher Bucholtz, in this E-Commerce Times piece, argues that the average enterprise isn't taking advantage of many of the features that come baked into their CRM implementation. As someone who's advised many companies in getting the most out of their CRM investment, I can attest to the problem. Scheduling features are the biggest opportunity for companies to easily extract more value out of CRM, as Mr. Bucholtz outlines in this piece.
#5 Facebook Photos Get Blurry With This Privacy Plug-In
This fall, you may see a lot of blurred photos on Facebook. McAfee will be making it a little safer to share your photos on the social platform thanks to Social Protection, a new product that will allow users better control over their, and prevents people from downloading those pictures to view anywhere else. This sounds more like McAfee looking for a saleable product than it is solving a real need, but maybe I'm in the minority? Emily Price reports more in this Mashable piece.
#4 Social Media Is Becoming Useful, Finally
Contrary to the headline of this article, it's not a rant about how social media has largely been a productivity waster. Instead, it's a piece about Clipboard, a privately beta-launched at the end of 2011 and available to the public since May, is looking to make social media more productivity for everyone. Gustavo Razzetti has more detail on Clipboard in this Clickz piece, and how it could be a bit of a game-changer.
#3 Google Plus Comes to Blogger, Brings Both Communities Together
Google rolled out a brand new feature in Blogger this past Monday that ties directly into Google Plus. In this Business 2 Community piece, Andrew Glasscock explains all of the benefits the new functionality offers for Blogger users. If you're a Blogger user, this is A) a must-read and B) something you should look more into!
#2 Kanye West Is Advising NYC Startup The Fancy on the Future of Commerce
This week, Kanye West payed a visit to one of my favorite NYC startups. The Fancy - which is is one of his favorites as well. Kanye stopped by to give advice to The Fancy CEO Joe Einhorn, who reportedly "looks up to Kanye the way most tech folks idolize Steve Jobs." Hey, whatever works for you. Key takeaway here: The Fancy is becoming a favorite of quite a few celebrities, not just 'Ye.
#1 A Real Dad Won't Save You if You're 'Taken' [VIDEO]
I think a lot of you were interested in winding down yesterday; that's probably the #1 reason so many of you clicked on this parody of the Movie Taken, the 2008 thriller about an American girl kidnapped by human traffickers in Paris. Pretty fun video of how a dad less capable than Liam Neeson's Taken character would react to his child's abduction.
The Social 6: Key Stories of The Last 24 hours, 8/3/12
As you may know, I’m a pretty voracious reader and generally share a bunch of news & reviews 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 Image Ad Startup Cortica Raises $7M From Li Ka-Shing's Horizons Ventures And Ynon Kreiz
Cortica announced that they have raised $7 million in funds. The company's image recognition technology helps serve up incredibly relevant ads; just take a look at the example inside this article. TechCrunch blogger, Anthony Ha, says the money comes from Horizons Ventures, the firm owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, and from Ynon Kreiz, the former chairman and CEO of the Endemol Group, the world’s largest independent TV production company.
#5 Sign and Send Contracts From Your iPhone For Free With HelloSign
Not quite a social story, but bear with me - this is a pretty big productivity booster! HelloFax, the company that allows you to send and receive digital faxes, has spun off its digital signature service into a new product called HelloSign. Emily Price, writer for Mashable, says documents can be signed and securely returned to their sender from both the web and the company’s new iPhone application. Unlike other services and apps that are already out there, digital signatures using the service are free and unlimited so you can send and receive just a few documents with no cost.
#4 Why Is Great Service So Rare?
Great service is something that every customer wishes to have at all times. Everyone loves a customer-friendly brands like Zappos, and gets weak in the knees when a customer service rep actually treat us to great service. Who couldn't agree with that? But besides the obvious business advantages, outstanding service remains frustratingly mysterious, as contributor Dorie Clark outlines in this Forbes piece.
#3 Is Social Media Destroying Real-World Relationships? [INFOGRAPHIC]
It's no secret that social media allows us to organize our real-world relationships.It allows you to meet new people outside the digital realm — both of which can be great, life-enhancing things. Sam Laird writes on Mashable asking if social networking could have an adverse effect on our quality of life? After all, 24% of respondents to a recent survey indicated that they had missed out on participating in a major event in person because they were too busy documenting their life online. Pretty useful infographic included in this piece, too.
#2 Rumor: Google Puts A Hold On New Google+ Acquisitions
Frederic Lardinois and Alexia Tsotsis report for TechCrunch that Google may be putting a stop to all acquisitions related to Google+, at least until the end of this year. Google is cautious of both growing the Google+ team right now and providing the product with any more resources until January. It will be interesting to see if Google+ marketing spend goes down in the short-term. Is Google looking to see if Google+ can continue its forward momentum without as much of a concentrated push on their part? Could be. At a certain point, Google+ has to succeed or not on its own merits.
#1 8.7% of Facebook accounts are fake? Still, that leaves 872m bona fide users.
According to Paul Sawers, writer for The Next Web, 8.7% of Facebook accounts are fake, as CNET noted earlier today. That means about 83m users, if we’re using the 955m figure announced by Facebook recently. While this obviously leaves Facebook with a pretty significant number of worldwide adoptees, the amount of accounts purported to be fake is pretty staggering.
The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 hours, 8/1/12
As you may know, I’m a pretty voracious reader and generally share a bunch of news & reviews 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 Twitter Launches Clickable Stock Symbols, StockTwits' Howard Lindzon Says "Hey, We Already Do That!"
Twitter quietly rolled out another new feature. This may seem simple and straightforward at first but could actually have big issues. Rip Epson of TechCrunch reports on how Twitter via its very own Twitter account announced users can now click on stock (or “ticker”) symbols in any tweet to view search results for those stocks and companies - and what kind of impact this will have.
#5 [Review] Eloqua's Grande Guide to Community Management
Eloqua has published another on of their Guides! This one revolved around Community Management. Robyn Tippins of ReadWriteWeb says she was able to get a copy on Thursday and wanted to share her review now that it’s available. The writers of ebook is written by great people who are loved in the community management and content strategy sphere, Brett Petersel (Co-Founder of The Community Manager) and Jesse Noyes (Managing Editor at Eloqua) wrote the bulk of the document with contributions from Nate McGee, Alan Belniak and Lauren Harper.
#4 Bizzabo adds a social and mobile twist to business events, raises $1.5m
Robin Wauter of TNW says Bizzabo, the Israeli maker of a smartphone app that helps professionals network with peers at conferences and tradeshows, has raised $1.5 million in seed funding. The money comes from a group of investors and investment firms, including Jeff Pulver, former 888 Holdings CEO Gigi Levy, among others.
#3 Who's That Girl? Chick-fil-A's Social Media Blunder
By now, the Chick-fil-A PR disaster has made huge headlines, and put the chain in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. As you may know, Jim Henson’s company recently severed their ties with Chick-fil-A due to their stance on gay marriage, and the fast food giant blundered their response, to put it mildly. This a great example on why your business needs to tread carefully when it comes to sensitive topics. Good read!
#2 Goodbye, Gmail Video Chat. Hello Google+ Hangouts
Gmail has had video chat since 2008. But its time for something newer and better so wave your last goodbyes to your buddy list. Chris Taylor of Mashable reports that Google will be be replacing Gmail video chat with Google+ Hangouts. The differences between the two is the old video chat was based on peer-to-peer technology. Now hangouts, utilize will the power of Google’s network to deliver higher reliability and enhanced quality.
#1 Ah, so that's Twitter's strategy: A "clickable" world
Does Twitter have a secret strategy to become more of a "starting point" for all your digital browsing activity? Now that “Cashtags” (clickable stock symbols) are becoming a clickable part of Twitter became popular, it's interesting to see where Twitter might take this strategy. Drew Olanoff of TNW thinks this could include making bits and pieces of data clickable, leading you to a full stream of context around a topic or item.
The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 hours, 7/31/12
As you may know, I’m a pretty voracious reader and generally share a bunch of news & reviews 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 Twitter Doghouse Lets You Temporarily Dump Annoying Tweeps
Are you a non-sports fan but have a few Olympic-obsessed tweeps who will be hijacking your entire Twitter feed for the next two weeks? For situations like these, there's a new app called Twitter Doghouse. Mashable writer Sam Laird says the new app will allow users to unfollow tweeps for scheduled periods of time. Personally, I'd prefer a way to just block people temporarily without actually letting them see they've been unfollowed - but hats off all in all to the developers of Twitter Doghouse!
#5 Using Instagram for Your Small Business
This piece by the Direct Selling Education Foundation says you should consider using Instagram as a networking and marketing tool. This is very much an Instagram for beginners type of article, with a business angle - but plenty of you found this useful, so on the list it goes!
#4 Clif Bar Launches First Geo-Location Twitter Campaign
Organic foods and beverage maker Clif Bar is attempting to launch the first geo-location Twitter campaign. Lauren Indvik of Mashable says the company wants you to send a geo-tagged tweet to @CLIFMojoGo the next time you’re in a park, at the beach or on a trail. Twitter does allow advertisers to target users in U.S. regions, but this is really the first true geo-location campaign on Twitter. Hats off to Clif Bar for being innovative!
#3 New Digg Team Publishes Redesign in Progress
As most of you know, Digg was recently purchased by Betaworks, and will be undergoing a major underhail. “Digg 2.0” released screenshots and additional details on its reimagining of the platform, which used to be a vibrant part of the social media conversation. My take? Digg is taking a big step in the right direction with giving its audience a clear sense of the product roadmap, and this should woo back some lapsed Digg users and perhaps even recruit many new ones.
#2 How Big Companies Are Becoming Entrepreneurial
Most believe that big companies are the opposite of entrepreneurial - but that's not always the face. Larger corporations do run entrepreneurship programs for several years, like the fabled Lockheed Martin “Skunk Works” – a small group of employees working on revolutionary products such as famous aircraft designs including the U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird. Dan Schawbel of TechCrunch wrote this very useful piece going into the entrepreneurial efforts of Amazon, Microsoft, and others - worth a few minutes!
#1 Why No One Will Watch Your Crappy Corporate "Viral" Video, and How to Fix It
What separates great branded video content from the bad? Scott Stratten of Fast Company says he gets asked this question all the time: "How do we make our video/post/content go viral?" The truth is you can't make something become extremely popular. I don't decide, and neither do you; the audience does. Asking for something to go viral is one of the best ways to ensure it doesn't! Calling your newest launch a "viral marketing campaign" is pretty silly. Going viral isn't a campaign, it's a result of being good or bad, and resonating with your target audience.
The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 hours, 7/24/12
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 "A click of a button opens all doors"
Grey Group, the world-reknown integrated marketing communications agency, recently completed its Eye on Asia study. The study, considered the first qualitative study on consumer shifts that drive online behavior, uncovered seven key consumer shifts. BestMediaInfo’s Delhi Bureau has more.
#5 WedPics, Pinstagram For Weddings, Preps For Launch With Teaser Video
Is it really necessary to hire a photographer for a wedding? I’ll let you decide after you read about this new app. WedPics is a mobile app which will allow wedding guests to take photos and add Instagram-esque, filters at the wedding. The pics then get dropped into one crowdsourced wedding album that guests and happy couple alike can browse later.
#4 This app makes true "global" Twitter search as easy as one spin of the mouse
A pretty sweet visualization/search app, TweetingEarth, allows its users to execute a simple Twitter search -- then “spin the globe” using their mouse. It’s really interesting. Drew Olanoff of TNW explains more, including visuals of how it actually works.
#3 How brands are using social media to take back control
Brands are harnessing the power of social media to change their approach to customer service, but are their efforts faring well overall? While some are succeeding, plenty are dealing with social media pitfalls of their own making. Just ask Addison Lee's chairman John Griffin, who turned his brand into a target to the company’s Twitter and Facebook audience by claiming the majority of cyclist road deaths in London are the result of inexperience on the part of the cyclist. Thoughtful analysis in this article by Jon Norris of The Guardian.
#2 Teen Could Face Jail for Tweeting Names of Her Assailants [UPDATED]
Tweeting just may lead to a Kentucky girl being jailed – all for sharing details about her sexual assault! There’s more to this story, but I encourage you to read the story and see if you think this is fair? It’s personally pretty upsetting to me. Sam Laird of Mashable goes more into better detail on how this single tweet may land her in jail.
#1 Droplings Is A Little App That Makes It Easier To Share Dropbox Files
If you're like a lot of people, you like Dropbox. But, it’s surprisingly hard to send a single file with a public link? Thanks to Droplings, it will make it easier to navigate and find files faster and easier! John Biggs of TC gives a great description on how to use Droplings, which is the work of Munich-based programmer Carlo Zottmann.
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.