The Social 6: Key Stories of The Last 24 hours, 8/7/12
#6 Underemployed? Social Networking Can Help
Most people agree that having a job is better than not having a job. Social networking can actually be of great assistance for those among us who are underemployed. In this helpful Mashable piece, Sudy Bharadwaj outlines how social networking can help.
#5 ShoeDazzle Steps Up Fashion E-Commerce Competition, Adds 1M Users In July And Now Has 13M
According to Ingrid Lunden of TechCrunch, ShoeDazzle picked up 1 million new users in the month of July, bringing the total number of members up to 13 million. Kim Kardashian is one of the backers of this trendy website. Expect to hear more from ShoeDazzle over coming months; their strategy is sound, and their brand is clearly resonating with consumers.
#4 I Want To Be Like Mitt; So I Bought Thousands Of Twitter Followers
John Talty reports, in a well-written International Business Times article, that Mitt Romney had been averaging 3,000 to 4,000 new Twitter followers per day for much of July, but in one three-day period -- July 21-23 -- he Romney amassed more than 130,000 fans, strongly indicating that his handlers are purchasing followers. The question the Romney campaign needs to ask itself is, are purchasing followers who might not ever support the candidate in November worth it?
#3 So you think you're an early adopter? Find out just how "early" with this site
Have you ever wondered how early you joined a social platform in relation to other users? It’s kind of cool to find out if you were one of the early adopters that helped popularize a site and made it a big deal. Drew Olanoff (one of my favorite tech reporters) writes for The Next Web about a new tool that will help you figure out how much of an early adopter you really are.
#2 Be A Bitch On Email, Or Be Email's Bitch
Do you ever get over 100 emails a day? If you’re one of these people, you must hate emails. Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with them. This TechCrunch article (by Jordan Crook) argues for a more efficient world when it comes to email in this piece.
#1 Why people hate Klout, and how to fix it
A lot of you found this piece interesting: Klout, the leading tool for measuring influence, has often been criticized for its lack of transparency and accuracy. In this Econsultancy piece, Sam Dwyer offers up some ideas how Klout, Kred, and PeerIndex can fix their business models.
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 This Past Weekend, 7/30/12
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 :).
The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 hours, 7/27/12
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 This Guy Modeled His Impressive Resume After Google Analytics
The #1 advice I give people is that their resume needs to stand out. The second key piece of advice is that is has to be tailored to whatever market you're going after. Online marketing manager Simone Fortunini created a great example of a resume that's modeled perfectly after Google Analytics, and really stands out from the crowd. Nicely reported by Vivian Giang of Business Insider Careers.
#5 Zynga's Mark Pincus blames engagement decline on Facebook
Harrison Weber of TNW talks about Zynga's CEO, Mark Pincus, blames Facebook in part for the loss of users due to the changes to Facebook's platform. In my opinion, Zynga still has plenty of long-term potential, in that they've developed a strong gaming platform. However, they're just too dependent on Facebook. A strategy to become less dependent on Facebook would bode well for their long-term growth.
#4 Chick-Fil-A's Facebook Page becomes Ground Zero
Yesterday, I shared more news about Chick-Fil-A's PR troubles. I event went so far as to create abbyfarle.com to comment on the snafus. The PR problems continue for the fast food giant: a huge protest to "Eat Less Chikn'" has begun, and the company is finding it hard to control their message. Amora Mcdaniel of Upstart (part of Bizjournals.com) shares more about the controversy that the company is facing.
#3 Forget About.me, Vizify is your new online profile of choice [Invites]
Vizify, the new way to show a broad overview of data culled across every service that a user is on. You can see the official Jeremy Goldman Vizify here, as a testament to how impressive a visualization tool it is. Not only does Brad McCarty of TNW give you more information on the site, but he shows you how to navigate it!
#2 Greek Athlete Kicked Off Olympic Team For Tweet
Another day; another downfall brought to you, in part, by Twitter. The top microblogging platform got Voula Papachristou, Greece's triple-jump champion, in deep trouble after a very offensive tweet. She's now prevented from competing in the London Olympic Games. Billy Gallagher of TechCrunch details the situation in this piece.
#1 McKinsey Says Social Media Could Add $1.3 Trillion to the Economy
While we may be in a social bubble in many ways, McLinsey Global Institute, the research division of the business consulting powerhouse, released a study called "unleashing value and productivity through social technologies." Quentin Hardy of The New York Times summarizes nicely and explains more about the study's findings.
The Social 6: Key Stories from The Last 24 hours, 7/25/12
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 The Rise of Digital Pollution
Lacoste's Senior Director of Ecommerce and Digital Strategy, Erik Lautier, posted on his Facebook page decrying how much digital pollution surrounds us all these days. In this piece, Erik discusses the rise of digital pollution, and starts to hint at what could be done to address it. Great read from a very smart guy.
#5 YC-Backed Chute Nabs $2.7M From Salesforce and More To Become The Twilio For Media Content
Chute has decided to take a different approach on photo-sharing or photo-syncing. They plan to expand beyond the photo field as well. Rip Empson of TechCrunch explains nicely how this works.
#4 YouTube Fights Comment Trolls By Discouraging Pseudonyms
It's no secret that YouTube videos contain some harsh critiques originating from people using pseudonyms. Often, these "comment trolls" just try to stir up unnecessary drama, rather than add any value to the conversation.. Writer Fruzsina Eordogh of ReadWriteWeb explains how YouTube is working to discourage pseudonyms - something I'm personally very in favor of. If you're going to say something spiteful, you should be willing to do it with your name attached.
#3 It's a platform, not a feature: Google+ Hangouts could bring YouTube-Level disruption
Google+ Hangouts are gaining traction in a lot of circles (no pun intended, G+ users!). It will be interesting to see if people will gravitate to Hangouts, leading them to become the new Skype or Oovoo - or if consumers will reject Google "controlling" most of their online experiences. Drew Olanoff of TNW gives a good description of Hangouts and their potential to disrupt.
#2 Fancy That: Pinterest Rival The Fancy Passes 1M Design-Savvy Influencers
The Fancy, a new social commerce site, is letting its users become affiliates, getting commissions when their friends purchase products. They're positioning this as something of a game-changer, even though sites like Amazon have offered commissions for ages now. BrandChannel gives some great statistics on The Fancy & discusses their future in this piece - worth a read!
#1 This Movie Recruited Instagram Users To Make Its Posters
Talk about a buzzworthy use of a social platform: two Montreal-based filmmakers enlisted advertising agency TAXI to get the group "Instagramers Montreal" to collaborate and take images that would be used to publicize their new film, J’Espère Que Tu Vas Bien. The photos selected for the 87 (yes, really!) movie posters are made up of pictures taken as part of a Insta-Walk that Instagramers Montreal organized. Perfect fit for the film in my opinion, since the movie is an 87-minute, and follows the same route the Instagramers Montreal group took. Nice reporting her by Laura Stampler at Business Insider.
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, 7/23/12
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....
