The Social 6: 8/25/12 News Roundup
Social media in sustainability: your questions answered
This Guardian piece is a Q&A with Dana Poole, a global digital communications consultant with BP. The answers given here are useful not just for a social media practitioner interested in sustainability, but for anyone involved with social marketing in general.
Storytelling, One Frame at a Time
Want a compelling for how visuals elicit engagement on social platforms? Look no further.
Global communications agency M Booth developed this great Infographic from multiple data sources,which was then shared on Mashable, which I then pinned, and later tweeted. Don't you just love how information spreads these days?
Facebook releases update for iPhone/iPad app, claims it's twice as fast
I'll admit I was late on sharing this news: the new "5.0" version of Facebook's iOS app debuted Thursday on the App Store, debuting to largely solid if not spectacular reviews.
What's wrong with Microsoft's new logo, & how to avoid the same mistakes
Microsoft unveiled its new logo this past week, and many have called it an outright failure. While there's truth in the fact that a logo might have less power for a multinational conglomerate for which most people have quite established views already, it's hard to argue logos simply don't matter. This Entrepreneur piece by Jason Fell outlines what went wrong, and how to avoid those pitfalls yourself.
Multiple People Shot Near Empire State Building
I work a few blocks from the Empire State Building, and yet I found out about the situation via social media. Within minutes, the news of the shooting was seemingly everywhere. Yesterday's shooting was another case study in how quickly journalists need to get the story right, as there's such pressure to be the first to report on details.
Apple v. Samsung verdict, & what it means
As you've probably read, a judge had a $1 Billion+ settlement in favor of Apple in its case against Samsung. We'll probably be dissecting this case for awhile to come, but Rachel King's ZD Net piece begins to frame how Samsung and other phone manufacturers will have to steer pretty clear of designs and gestures originated by Apple in the future. When you think about it, isn't that better for us consumers?
The Social 6: 8/24/12 News Roundup
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: Nicholas Sparks Beat Box Office Predictions After Social Media Campaign
While this is old news in that The Lucky One came out earlier in the year, Jason Boog of Galleycat shows how author Nicholas Sparks used social media to spark (sorry, I tried to avoid it!) increased word of mouth and box office receipts.
News Corp.'s Jonathan Miller, who has led its digital efforts for a year years, is stepping down. This is just one of many executive moves since the company announced it would be splitting its traditional publishing business from the company's other properties. Miller's departure is just another sign that News Corp. is going through a pretty significant overhaul.
#4: Facebook Has 44% Fake Followers; Twitter Has 33%
The @facebook account on Twitter's following is 44% fake, and @twitter's number is at 33%. That's according to the new online tool provided by StatusPeople, a social media management company out of London, that looks at a Twitter account's following and estimates its number of fake, inactive, and authentic followers. I've tried this tool, and while I can't (yet) attest to their entire methodology, it's certainly a good place to start. From some of the accounts I've tested already using their tool, it appears that it's at the very least a good tool to get a directional sense of whether or not you have an inactive/fake follower problem.
#3: Mayor Bloomberg & NYC launches digital toolkit for small businesses
Mashable, Google, Tumblr, Weebly have partnered with the City of New York to provide small businesses a digital education program to, essentially, start kicking butt and taking names with respect to their digital aptitude. Rachel Sterne, NYC's Chief Digital Officer, will be teaching the Digital Toolkit's first course on September 20th. All in all, a really cool initiative to give small businesses some of the tools they need to compete effectively.
#2: 7 Ways YouTube Can Grow Its Platform
Is YouTube still one of the top social platforms, and the web brand most associated with video? Absolutely. However, it's important to continuously innovate and address its challenges to stay ahead. In my second piece for Mashable, I outlined ways that YouTube can accomplish just that, some of which are already in the process of being addressed (good for them!).
#1: 3 of 4 CMOs Say Social Media Impacts Sales
This Forbes piece shares results of a Bazaarvoice survey asking 100 members of the CMO Club how they feel about social media. While it's a pretty small sample size, over half of the CMO respondents represent brands with over $1 billion in annual revenue, so it's very interesting -- and important -- to note their results on how social media affects sales.
The Social 6: News You Missed Yesterday, 8/23/12 Edition
#6: How the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur Branded Himself Too Well - New York Times (blog)
Mike Michalowicz branded himself “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur” back in 2008, yet now he's trying to rebrand himself -- and social media is pushing back! Very interesting story detailing #1 how to brand yourself, and #2 how to think about social media may play a part in making it difficult to rebrand if you're successful at #1.
#5: It's Not Too Soon to Think About Crowdfunding - New York Times (blog)
Another NY Times blog piece that resonated with many of you. Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, offers up some tips for social entrepreneurs looking to turn to crowdfunding.
#4: How Social Media plays a role in the B2B sales process
Kevin Jorgensen offers up a very useful Business 2 Community piece for understanding how social media fits into the B2B sales cycle.
#3: Progressive’s social media fail may be warning
Haven't heard about Progressive's recent social media crisis? The insurance giant had to deal with a social media firestorm in the past week after a consumer, Matt Fisher, used Tumblr to voice complaints about how Progressive treated his family poorly when the family tried to collect on his deceased sister’s Progressive policy.
#2: Thanks to Verizon's vacation blackout window, we know when iPhone 5 is launching
It's always fun trying to figure out when the latest Apple releases are hitting stores, and with the iPhone 5 it's no exception. Read this piece to get a sense of when you'll be able to purchase your iPhone 5 at Verizon.
#1: YouTube will be offering mobile ads
YouTube will at long last be actually offering up mobile ads, giving Google another revenue stream, and helping to lead the way in monetizing mobile. This is going to be huge. Mark my words.
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: Stories You Missed Yesterday, 8/21/12 edition
#6: Internet and Attitude, a Powerful Combination
The NY Times Room for Debate typically has some interesting conversations going on, and this piece by Spencer Ackerman of Wired.com isn't any exception. Nice discussion of Russia's Pussy Riot controversy, and how social platforms like YouTube and Twitter played major parts in the story.
#5: Coca-Cola worried about Ottawa Public Health campaign
Jessica Smith writes in the Metro about a compelling story: some Coca Cola managers in Ottawa have written letters to the city's Mayor, expressing their misgivings over Ottawa Public Health's planned social media campaign about sugar-sweetened beverages. Key takeaway from this piece: just because you can raise social media awareness for your business or cause's issues, doesn't mean your opponents can't use "going social' tactics to respond in kind.
#4: A Hidden Evil of Google Plus
Margie Clayman writes a really nice Business 2 Community article talking about how Google Plus' privacy settings have had a negative impact on Google Analytics, and getting to know your customers better. Kind of interesting how Google's social platform, in some ways, hurts site owners when it comes to going social with customers!
#3: PR and Social Media: A Beautiful Relationship
This Business 2 Community piece was shared my good friends at DKNY on Twitter, letting it reach a pretty sizable audience -- many of which found this pretty interesting! Laura Szatkowski writes from the perspective of a young PR person building a career, and noticing how social media can really benefit a PR career. Worth a read for PR mavens in the making, but also for young people in general.
#2: Here’s Why Zuckerberg Needs to Stay as Facebook’s CEO
This piece by yours truly elicited considerable interest, especially considering how many investors and pundits have looked for reasons why Facebook's stock has sunk so low. Zuckerberg is really not the problem, which I outlined in this piece that a number of you found interesting.
#1: For World Humanitarian Day, Beyoncé Helps Makes Social Media History
Did you know World Humanitarian Day was August 19th? I admittedly missed it, and personally, I think it ought to be a bigger deal. MTV News Australia shares news about how Beyoncé collaborated with the United Nations to help raise awareness for World Humanitarian Day, and how social media played a part.
The Social 6: Stories You Missed This Past Weekend, 8/20/12
#6: Back To School: 5 Evernote Tips for Students
If you don't use Evernote, go ahead and download it! I'll wait. Even if you're not a student, these Evernote tips from Dave Copeland of ReadWriteWeb can definitely come in handy.
#5: Deets For iOS Keeps Contacts Up To Date Automatically, Lets You Share Files, Photos & More
Deets is a new iOS mobile app (Android coming soon) that doesn't just keep contacts' information up to date automatically -- it's so much more. Sarah Perez provides some great TechCrunch analysis on the app and the business behind it.
#4: Case Study – Nakashima/Katsu-Ya
I love food and I love social media, so you can imagine an article touching on social media marketing for restaurants would be right up my alley. This is an interview with Tim Nakashima (business owner) and Brad Cebulski (agency) and how they work together to drive business value. Wish there were more pics of the food, though!
#3: In India, a Time of Flux Approaches
I'll admit it: I'm not an expert on the Indian economy, much less its startup scene. That being said, this article by Ankush Chibber gives some detailed analysis on the evolution of India's consumer Internet space.
#2: Social Media Transforming Campaign Strategies & Engagement Practices
If you're into cold hard figures and like politics as well, then you'll really enjoy this Examiner piece by Anthony Carranza, which dives into exactly how the Romney and Obama campaigns are leveraging social platforms to support their campaigns for the US presidency.
#1: Celebrity Tweeters: Worth Their Weight in Gold, or a Lot of Hot Air?
Many celebrities tweet endorsements, and there's a debate as to how much these are worth in general. This article in The Next Women touches on some of the factors businesspeople should look at when evaluating how important celebrity tweeters are.
The Social 6: Key Stories of The Last 24 hours, 8/17/12
#6 A $12-Million-A-Month iOS Game? NaturalMotion Has It With CSR Racing
Benchmark Capital-backed NaturalMotion has announced that its high-profile game, CSR Racing, is now surpassing $12 million in monthly revenue. If that’s the case, that would be the most any iOS game has hit to date, and illustrates the potential market opportunity here.
#5 Case Study: Salon Keeps Customers Coming Back With Wacky Rewards
Stephanie Miles tells why salon customers that go to Red 7 Salon keep coming back for more after they receive rewards. Really useful Street Fight article if you run a brick & mortar location.
#4 The Hulu Dilemma: How Private is Your Video Playlist?
While I’m very far from a privacy advocate, in that I personally tend to make things public by default online whenever possible, this article outlines the challenges associated with considering anything private online when it’s stored on a third party’s server. Nancy Scola writes a strong ReadWriteWeb article on how Hulu is dealing with a class action suit relating to privacy, and how your private playlist may be private to your friends, but not to data miners.
#3 HTML5 Gaming Gets Another Contender With Goko's New Platform
Another gaming piece today! HTML5 gaming gets a new cohort of startup contenders. Kim-Mai Cutler delivers a great article on TechCrunch explaining about Goko, a Redwood City-based company that may make it easier for game developers to publish HTML5 games. This looks like a pretty strong platform; I’d recommend keeping an eye on Goko.
#2 Little Black Bag Stows Away $8 Million in Funding for Social Shopping
Another social commerce company, Little Black Bag, has raised $8 million dollars to fund. Tricia Duryee writes for All Things D saying the inspiration came from a Japanese New Year's Day tradition. Yet another sign that social shopping startups are red-hot.
#1 Meet the Guys Who Started Stanford's Facebook in 1999
Jesse Draper posts a video on Mashable from back in the day. Believe it or not, Stanford shut down “The Facebook” in 1999 because of safety precautions. Interesting piece to check out, and wonder if the founders ever think “what if?” I can related: I created smithfacebook.com for my business school, the Robert H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland, back in 2005/2006 or so – so I can completely empathize and wonder what might have been!
The Social 6: Key Stories of The Last 24 hours, 8/16/12
Without any further ado, here's a roundup of what I shared, and what you guys found interesting, over the last 24 hours:
#6 AfterCollege Relaunched, Looks To Build A LinkedIn For College Students And Recent Grads
AfterCollege is now looking to be, in essence, the “young LinkedIn.” There’s more to it, of course, and Rip Empson writes a great article on TechCrunch outlining what the new AfterCollege looks like.
#5 Campaigns' calls for voter videos going unanswered
Both major presidential candidates are seeking homemade videos created by voters, but surprisingly, there is very little user-generated content being submitted. Callum Borchers wrties a great piece for The Boston Globe explaining what’s going on.
#4 6 Paid-Owned-Earned Ideas in Retail from eTail's Social Day
Allison Tepley writes for AddThis’ blog, sharing insights from eTail’s Social Commerce & Engagement Summit, and which themes and topics were front and center.
#3 Google Plus Starts Offering Vanity URLs
Google+ is stepping up its game by offering vanity URLs at long last! Sanjeez Ramachandran delievers a piece with a great explanation. Unfortunately, they’re only for verified accounts right now, but it’s a good, necessary step for the social platform.
#2 Barnes & Noble Tosses Nook to the Discount Pile
B&N is cutting the retail price of their Nooks, looking to be possibly the most inexpensive option on the tablet market. If this works, I’m all for it: the healthier the Nook can be, the more likely we are to have Barnes & Noble stick around.
#1 Pinterest Nudges Users Off the Couch and Into the World With New Android and iPad Apps & There’s more: Pinterest is launching for the Kindle Fire later this week
This is a tie between two articles that both touch on how Pinterest is becoming so much more than a browser-based experience. With this week’s releases, it’s pretty clear that Pinterest is looking to do whatever it takes to put its platform in front of as many people and as many devices as possible. I’d say they’re doing a good job of becoming more ubiquitous.
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, 8/14/12
#6 Now In 20 Cities, Startup Grind Aims To Inspire The Next Generation Of Global Entrepreneurs
Rip Empson writes for TechCrunch profiling Startup Grind, an event-based community for entrepreneurs.
#5 How Maker Camp uses Google+ to give teens a behind-the-scenes look at tech and science
Now here’s a pretty cool initiative: a new summer camp is in the making and the markers are Google and Make Magazine! This new online camp is targeted at 13 to 18 year olds that want to learn more about science and technology. Anna Heim writes for The Next Web explaining more about this new online initiative.
#4 Answer Underground Aims To Be A Mobile-Focused Quora For Education, Hits The iPad This Week
Did you know there are 3.7 billion web searches every month for education-related topics? I sure didn’t. Sallie Severns, formerly of Answers.com, founded and created Answer Underground, to help fill this information niche. Answers Underground is a mobile-focused learning utility created to help students share information and get answers quickly. Rip Empson shares more details in this TechCrunch piece.
#3 Kim Dotcom promises that disruptive new music service, Megabox, will launch this year
Writing for The Next Web, Jon Russell says Dotcom's new venture, Megabox, will allow artist to sell music to direct users, and is said to launch before the end of the year.
#2 Case Study: Twitter and Mindy Kailing
An article on Pocket Stop’s Basement Blog about Mindy Kaling, , and how her new show on Fox, The Mindy Project, might not have gotten off the ground without the strength of her voice on Twitter. This is a great lesson for any sole proprietor or personality: having a strong “social voice” clearly can pay huge financial dividends.
#1 Google makes another huge move in travel with rumored acquisition of Frommer's
Fresh off of acquiring Zagat a few months back, Google is now acquiring Frommer's brand of travel guides! Brad McCarty writes for The Next Web outlines the move, which should improve Google’s travel-planning searches.
