LinkedIn's Follow Feature, Truvia, Facebook Gifts, and more: the Social 6 for 10/3/12
A very late Social 6 roundup today, guys. Sorry about that, but iluminage & life beckons. I'm sure you understand.
In any case, the news roundup for today is below. This was actually a ridiculously strong day with a bunch of cool stories breaking...I don't think I've spent as long debating who should receive the #1 spot in a long time.
#6: YouTube’s Slick New TV Mode Lets You Browse From the Keyboard or Your Phone (Mashable)
#5: New Ads for Truvia Serve Up Sweet Words (NY Times)
#4: Facebook Gifts: potent new revenue stream, or dud? (EConsultancy)
#3: Dog owners shame pets on social media (WBTV)
#2: Twitter Who? LinkedIn Promotes Its Own People to Follow. (All Things D)
#1: Live Twitter Feed Appears in Print Ad [VIDEO] (Mashable)
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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."
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: 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.
