Facebook Plugins, Animated GIFs, and Social Media Myths: Today's Social 6
I got flack from some of you guys for being excited about Twitter blocking animated GIFs in profile pictures, but sorry; I hate them. That was clearly one of the bigger stories of the last 24 hours, but Napkin Labs and my post on Facebook's Shared Activity plugin made waves too.
Here's your Social 6:
#6: iPhone 5 and iPad Mini To Have Exchangeable Batteries? (Tapscape)
#5: 8 Social Media Myths Busted (Business 2 Community)
#4: Why Health Care Needs Social Media (Huffington Post)
#3: Napkin Labs launches Facebook ‘Fan Center’ to give brands more qualitative customer relationships (The Next Web)
#2: Twitter Blocks Animated GIFs in Profile Pics (Mashable)
#1: Mixing sharing with privacy: Facebook debuts its Shared Activity plugin (jeremygoldman.com)
Klout, Unfriending Experiments, and iTunes: Today's Social 6 News Roundup
Of course there's still some Apple news that was widely clicked on and shared yesterday, but we're past "the worst" of it. Today we also have some news about tools that can help optimize your social media posts, the need to stay within Facebook's promotional guidelines, and also new upgrades to a popular storefront called iTunes. Oh. wait, that's Apple. Darn it. Anyhow, here's your Social 6 news roundup:
#6: Is lack of NFC hurting iPhone 5's buzz? (Ecommerce Times)
"It doesn't take long for the excitement over a new iPhone launch to disperse, leaving a vague sense of unfulfilled expectations in its place. In the case of the iPhone 5, one of the larger disappointments is the lack of NFC technology. Never mind that few retailers are equipped to accommodate it, and the vast majority of consumers don't even know what it is."
#5: Four Apps That Can Help You Make An Impact With Your Social Media Postings (Business Insider)
"Running around the Internet looking for pertinent news and topics to your business and your customers is like running through a sprinkler as a kid – you might occasionally get lucky with a cool spot, but most of the time you’ll probably be miserable, aching for that next cool spot. Since it is the Internet, there are certainly enough tools out there to help a small business along, but deciding on one might be difficult. I’ve found a few that you might want to take a look at, including a convenient one called ChatterJet."
#4: How to Increase Your Digital Klout (Mashable/Revolution TV)
"On this episode of Revolution, Fernandez talks about the rise of his company, its challenges in measuring digital and real world influence. He also gives tips on what consumers and businesses need to do to make their online influence matter most."
#3: My big unfriending experience on Facebook (Facebook)
"Social Experiment Time! If you see this status & don't think you'll ever talk to me again, feel free to unfriend me! No harm, no foul. I'm just taking a stand that social media isn't about numbers, and is about making valuable connections with people (and brands). The world's becoming increasingly cluttered, and I'd hate to be part of that clutter in your own digital life."
#2: Apple rolling out redesigned iTunes store for desktop & iOS (VentureBeat)
"Along with the announcement of the new iPhone 5, Apple announced some big changes to its iconic music and media store iTunes.The new iTunes’ iOS store app redesign optimizes the screen to focus more on products (such as music, apps, and games)."
#1: 50% of Facebook brand pages are violating Facebook's promotional guidelines, and consequences are severe (Daily Mercury)
"Sunshine Coast social media expert Donna Hamer has warned businesses breaching Facebook rules that they risk having their pages wiped by administrators. Her comments follow those of social media law expert Jamie White who said 50% of Facebook business pages were in breach of Facebook's Promotional Guidelines."
Apple's Ping, YouTube, and Coke Highlight Today's Social 6 News Roundup
While we had a few major Apple articles that were shared, commented on, and retweeted yesterday, let's look at some Apple news - but let's open our minds to all the other articles you might have missed yesterday, shall we? Here's what you missed yesterday:
4 Social Media Tools That Never Go Out of Style (Business 2 Community)
"Social media is a whole lot more about hustle, and a whole lot less about slick tools or automation...[there] isn’t an app for earning someone’s respect. There are, however, some basic guidelines that those who 'get' social media have unilaterally used in their rise to becoming forces to be reckoned with. We’ve outlined four of them for you below."
With iTunes, is Apple's Ping Dead?
"iTunes is getting more social, but not with Ping. Today Apple announced that Ping will be shut down on September 30th. iTunes 11 will instead display your Facebook friends who Liked each entry, offer Facebook and Twitter sharing for purchases, plus let musicians share photos on their artist pages. The changes come amongst a larger overhaul to the iTunes store and player design."
Case Study: MicroGREEN InCycle Cups Transmedia Campaign (Business 2 Community)
"MicroGREEN came to Magnet Media for help spreading the word about the cup before its introductory launch in test markets. MicroGREEN especially wanted to reach “millennials” and “millennial moms”—young groups that value sustainability and are highly connected with digital media—with a trans-media campaign."
Cease Fire! Google Debuts YouTube App For iPhone - with Ads (Forbes)
"...the new app, unlike the old one, can run ads. The inability to run ads on the old one was a reason many content providers didn’t let them be viewed on the app.More to the point for Google, this means it can now earn some serious coin from mobile visitors. That’s crucial as mobile devices become the default way people are reaching content on the Web. Google says a quarter of YouTube views, more than a billion a day, are from mobile devices."
With Apple's announcements today, who stands to gain?
"Apple's big product launch in San Francisco this week, expected to mark the debut of the iPhone 5, could spell good news for a host of companies way beyond the boundaries of the tech giant's campus in Cupertino, Calif.From Apple itself to the company's telecom partners and component makers, there's a whole host of firms set for an iPhone 5 boost."
Is This The World's Smartest Coke Machine? (ReadWriteWeb)
"Plenty of devices can claim to have an Intel microprocessor inside. But, seriously, a Coke machine? This one does, and it can take your picture, too...at the Intel Developer Forum on Tuesday, Intel showed off an interactive Coke machinemanufactured by SIA Interactive, a South American technology and design firm. The machine towered over Dadi Perlmutter, the head of Intel's chip group."
Apple, Amazon, and more Apple: today's Social 6 News Roundup
Busy day and I'm waaaaay behind schedule. Here's your Social 6 news roundup:
Another Social Bookmarking Start-Up? Wince. Wait, These Two Are Actually Interesting
"As a longtime squinter at Delicious clones, I was surprised this week to see a couple of social bookmarking-type tools that actually seemed quite well-built and distinctive. Will making a product snazzier make it mainstream? Not necessarily. But Clipboard and Mural.ly both caught my jaded eye."
The Dawn Of Visual Social Media
"It’s become clear that social media sites like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram have ushered in visual marketing as a new breakout trend for 2012...if you want real results, you have to show it...it really looks like that today 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'"
The iPhone 5 might single-handedly boost the US' GDP
"Gadget lovers are eagerly awaiting news from Apple's media event in San Francisco on Wednesday, when the company is widely expected to introduce the iPhone 5 after months of rumors. Wall Street analysts — and economists too — will be paying close attention. That's because a new iPhone could provide a huge revenue windfall for the world's most valuable company. It could also lift business for related firms such as wireless carriers, suppliers and accessories sellers."
Amazon holds an event today where it'll launch its new Kindle e-readers & Kindle Fire tablet
"Today is Amazon's turn. The Seattle-based company is holding an event today in Santa Monica, California, where it is expected to launch its new Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablet. An ad, which aired last night, showed the new Kindle e-reader and new Fire."
Restaurants put Social Media on the Menu
"Social media is here to stay but Connolly sees Facebook and Twitter as less relevant for the next generation in terms of restaurants. People will adapt those sites for the long-term, 'like keeping in touch with family, grandkids,' they won’t be searching on them, he predicts.Young people will create their own next-generation social media technology. Whatever form it takes, it will remain a digital form of word-of-mouth, which essentially is what social media really is."
The Choreography of an Apple event
"...when perhaps the most secretive company in tech holds an event, everyone thinks they know what's going to happen -- but no one knows exactly what's going to happen...'It's like the Super Bowl and the Oscars of technology all rolled into one,' Ritchie [editor-in-chief of iMore, an Apple-centric blog] said.
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.