In a week where Super Bowl commercials and commentary on social media dominated the reporting of anything social media related, I do have a few tidbits to share that have nothing to do with the big game. From Lady Gaga (what?) to Pinterest (of course) to Twitter and Facebook (naturally) and even Klout.
Buzz
Some Klout users have been clamoring for a mobile app for quite a while. With the addition of more and more gamification to the mix, a mobile app makes a lot of sense. This week BlockBoard, a mobile app maker, was acquired by Klout. It's the in thing to do to buy an app maker before you build an app, so we should have a release sometime soon(ish).
Are you using Pinterest yet? More so now than ever before, I'm completely sold on the value of it as a social bookmarking tool. But is your site "optimized" for Pinterest? Having good visuals (video/pictures) is crucial for sharing on Pinterest. You don't have to go very far on the Web before you'll trip over a pin or a post about creative ways to use Pinterest. Without a doubt, it's going to be interesting to watch this network evolve. There was a bit of controversy about Pinterest making money off of users' pins, though they have to make money somehow so I think it's mostly about being transparent about it to users. In other Pinterest controversy, they say that imitation sincerest form of flattery and Pinterest has clones in spades.
There is still a lot of content I'd rather share on Stumbleupon, but they've recently made changes that make it a tad less appealing. As someone who's been a big fan of StumbleUpon for a while, I'm disappointed to say the very least.
In the big question of who owns twitter followers - prompted by PhoneDog Media in South Carolina - a judge has allowed the lawsuit against former PhoneDog employee, Noah Kravitz, to move forward. Do you have employees tweeting on accounts that your company owns? Make sure the ownership and company social media policy is clear and put it in writing. Never just assume that it's understood.
Facebook is still raising the ire of users from its Timeline rollout and privacy concerns around it to demands for dividends as people see through the IPO filings just how much their data is worth to Facebook. They're also doing some really nice work with the design of photo layouts, but users are upset that deleted photos haven't been properly purged - a big no-no for sure.
There was a time when actresses or pop stars had to market themselves as pop stars and actresses. Then it evolved into perfume lines, clothing lines, shoe lines and more. If you weren't dipping your toe into multiple industries, then you were essentially not hip and with it. Now, it seems that tech and social networks are all the rage. From Ashton Kutcher's tech investments, to Justin Timberlake "saving" MySpace and now Lady Gaga has developed her very own social network called Little Monsters - apparently a cross between Reddit and Pinterest where you can share all things Gaga.
I'm just shaking my head. Moving on!
Brilliance
I like posts that debunk myths about Web presence and help support the (already well-proven) business case for getting online. David Meerman Scott published one this week that so perfectly illustrates the fallacy that customers are not on the Web. Sure, not all of them will be, but for the vast majority of businesses I bet you will find a critical mass you can reach out to.
I took a few Web design courses a few years ago and probably the best part of those courses was the emphasis that was put on code that's accessible. I developed an awareness of the issues around usability that I believe helps me address them better for my sites - whether my audience needs it or not. You really never know. I thought about that when I saw this post from Mark Shaefer about social media leveling the playing field. Isn't it so good to read stories like this about the positive impact SM is having?
Speaking of a level playing field, this post from Mitch Joel about the changes our world has experienced is a poignant commentary on how connected we've become and encouragement to sit back, relax and enjoy it when you have a free moment.
How much time do you spend on social media? This was the subject of a poll reported on by SmartBlog on Social Media. The results are interesting - we spend a lot of time. The article has a few good tips to keep your time spent down to a minimum.
Facebook engagement seems to be a universal issue. I always get questions about how to get more from followers. Here's a few suggestions for creating engaging posts from Amy Porterfield. The biggest takeaway? Operate on the KISS principle - keep it simple silly. Make it easy for your followers to respond to your call to action. And keep your posts short.
*****
This past week on The Media Mesh, I talked about the 5 Ws of Facebook and had a very interesting discussion about comments on blogs. This week, we'll dive a bit deeper into Facebook with Social 101. Don't forget that we're finishing up Getting Things Done for the #MediaMeshBBC on February 21st!
Buzz
Some Klout users have been clamoring for a mobile app for quite a while. With the addition of more and more gamification to the mix, a mobile app makes a lot of sense. This week BlockBoard, a mobile app maker, was acquired by Klout. It's the in thing to do to buy an app maker before you build an app, so we should have a release sometime soon(ish).Are you using Pinterest yet? More so now than ever before, I'm completely sold on the value of it as a social bookmarking tool. But is your site "optimized" for Pinterest? Having good visuals (video/pictures) is crucial for sharing on Pinterest. You don't have to go very far on the Web before you'll trip over a pin or a post about creative ways to use Pinterest. Without a doubt, it's going to be interesting to watch this network evolve. There was a bit of controversy about Pinterest making money off of users' pins, though they have to make money somehow so I think it's mostly about being transparent about it to users. In other Pinterest controversy, they say that imitation sincerest form of flattery and Pinterest has clones in spades.There is still a lot of content I'd rather share on Stumbleupon, but they've recently made changes that make it a tad less appealing. As someone who's been a big fan of StumbleUpon for a while, I'm disappointed to say the very least.In the big question of who owns twitter followers - prompted by PhoneDog Media in South Carolina - a judge has allowed the lawsuit against former PhoneDog employee, Noah Kravitz, to move forward. Do you have employees tweeting on accounts that your company owns? Make sure the ownership and company social media policy is clear and put it in writing. Never just assume that it's understood.Facebook is still raising the ire of users from its Timeline rollout and privacy concerns around it to demands for dividends as people see through the IPO filings just how much their data is worth to Facebook. They're also doing some really nice work with the design of photo layouts, but users are upset that deleted photos haven't been properly purged - a big no-no for sure.There was a time when actresses or pop stars had to market themselves as pop stars and actresses. Then it evolved into perfume lines, clothing lines, shoe lines and more. If you weren't dipping your toe into multiple industries, then you were essentially not hip and with it. Now, it seems that tech and social networks are all the rage. From Ashton Kutcher's tech investments, to Justin Timberlake "saving" MySpace and now Lady Gaga has developed her very own social network called Little Monsters - apparently a cross between Reddit and Pinterest where you can share all things Gaga.
I'm just shaking my head. Moving on!
Brilliance
I like posts that debunk myths about Web presence and help support the (already well-proven) business case for getting online. David Meerman Scott published one this week that so perfectly illustrates the fallacy that customers are not on the Web. Sure, not all of them will be, but for the vast majority of businesses I bet you will find a critical mass you can reach out to.
I took a few Web design courses a few years ago and probably the best part of those courses was the emphasis that was put on code that's accessible. I developed an awareness of the issues around usability that I believe helps me address them better for my sites - whether my audience needs it or not. You really never know. I thought about that when I saw this post from Mark Shaefer about social media leveling the playing field. Isn't it so good to read stories like this about the positive impact SM is having?
Speaking of a level playing field, this post from Mitch Joel about the changes our world has experienced is a poignant commentary on how connected we've become and encouragement to sit back, relax and enjoy it when you have a free moment.
How much time do you spend on social media? This was the subject of a poll reported on by SmartBlog on Social Media. The results are interesting - we spend a lot of time. The article has a few good tips to keep your time spent down to a minimum.
Facebook engagement seems to be a universal issue. I always get questions about how to get more from followers. Here's a few suggestions for creating engaging posts from Amy Porterfield. The biggest takeaway? Operate on the KISS principle - keep it simple silly. Make it easy for your followers to respond to your call to action. And keep your posts short.
*****
This past week on The Media Mesh, I talked about the 5 Ws of Facebook and had a very interesting discussion about comments on blogs. This week, we'll dive a bit deeper into Facebook with Social 101. Don't forget that we're finishing up Getting Things Done for the #MediaMeshBBC on February 21st!