WebProNews - Social Media

Holiday Shoppers Turning To Social Media And Internet

Mike Sachoff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:33:30 +0000

Digital technologies continue to drive a new approach to shopping, with social media and mobile phones becoming key influencers this holiday season, according to a new survey of holiday retail spending and trends by Deloitte.

Social media is gaining traction with 17 percent of consumers planning to use social media during their holiday shopping, and 60 percent plan to use it to find discounts, coupons and sales information, More than half (53%) plans to use social media to research gift ideas, while 52 percent plan to check the gift wish lists of friends and family.

Consumers in all age groups plan to embrace social media over the holidays. While more than half (52%) of those who expect to use social media during the shopping process are in the 18-29 years old age group, 33 percent are in the 30-44 years old age group and 12 percent are in the 45-60 years old age group.

The mobile phone is another digital tool for the holidays that is on track to be used by 19 percent of consumers to help with their holiday shopping. Those consumers plan to find store locations (55%), research prices (45%), find product information (40%), get discounts and coupons (32%) and read reviews (31%). A quarter plan to make a holiday purchase with their phone.

The Internet ranks as a top shopping destination and continues to see steady growth. Nearly a quarter (22%) of consumers indicate they will shop primarily online this year and many are using the Internet to find special offers, with 44 percent of shoppers expecting to use a coupon they get online.

Reviews have become another key online source of information, with 39 percent of consumers indicating they often read consumer-generated reviews of stores or products online, and one-quarter (25 percent) saying they will likely purchase a product this holiday season based on an online recommendation. More than a third (34 percent) say that online consumer reviews and ratings influence their buying decisions more than advertising.

"Consumers are turning to mobile, online and social media during their entire holiday shopping experience," said Stacy Janiak, vice chairman and Deloitte's U.S. Retail leader. "Retailers should consider harnessing this activity to turn browsers into buyers with one-click access to coupons, promotions and purchasing tools."

"This year's leaner in-store inventories may also open the door for retailers to lure customers to their online channels where it is easier to access inventory, no matter where it is located."

The Internet is also changing the traditional store-based purchase process. Almost half of consumers (48%) say they like the convenience of shopping with multi-channel retailers, and 78 percent indicate they have purchased an item in a retailer's store after viewing or researching the product online. In addition 65 percent have done the opposite and purchased an item on retailer's website after viewing it in the store or catalog.

Related Articles:

>Online Retailers To Have Better Holiday Season

>Amazon And Walmart Engage In Price War Over Holiday Book Shoppers

>Consumer Online Spending To Grow 24%

Twitter Continues Retweet Roll-Out

Chris Crum — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:29:05 +0000

Update: There is an interesting post here from Twitter CEO Evan Williams, which talks about how the retweet button works, and why Twitter is doing it the way it is.

Original Article: Back in the summer time, Twitter announced that it intended to add a retweet option to its service and the API. Twitter is now rolling out the feature to a small percentage of Twitter users.

"You may remember that we shared the mechanics of this feature with developers a while back so they could think about how to work it into Twitter apps," says Twitter Co-founder Biz Stone on the company blog. "Now we're ready to start trying it on Twitter. The plan is to see how it goes first with this small release. If it needs more work, then we'll know right away. If things look good, we'll proceed with releasing the feature in stages eventually arriving at 100%."

If you are a regular Twitter user, it's pretty much a given that you know what retweeting is, but Stone describes what the button does to those in the dark. "Retweet is a button that makes forwarding a particularly interesting tweet to all your followers very easy," he says. "In turn, we hope interesting, newsworthy, or even just plain funny information will spread quickly through the network making its way efficiently to the people who want or need to know."

The Impact of Retweets

Retweets have already been a great way for content and updates to go viral. Now as the actual feature rolls out, that should only increase. Read this article for a look at the pros and cons of retweets (there are more pros).

Now that retweeting is becoming an actual feature of Twitter, you're going to want to keep in mind the tweetability of your content. Shéa Bennett, who writes the blog Twittercism, came up with a helpful equation for maximizing retweet potential. We talked about that here, but basically what it boils down to is leaving enough room in a tweet to accommodate what others will add to it as they retweet it.

This means keep titles short (at least in the tweet). For example, if you use some form of "tweet this" button on an article that automatically fills out the Twitter form with the article info, make sure there are not too many characters taken up. As you're probably aware, Twitter only allows for 140, and that's not very many. Keep in mind the "RT," hashtags, usernames, etc.

Tweaking Twitter Trends

In another piece of Twitter-related news, the company also announced that it is experimenting with improvements to trends that will help users find more relevant tweets. They say they're working to show higher quality results for trend queries by returning tweets that are more useful.

"The improvement won't be very noticeable at first, but this is a small step toward unearthing more value in search and getting you more relevant results," says @JennaDawn.

This means you will probably see less spammy trending topics popping up, which should benefit anyone who follows the trends.

Related Articles:

> An Equation for Getting More Traffic from Twitter

> Wonder What Percentage of Tweets are Retweets?

> More to Retweeting Than Meets the Eye for Businesses?

Consumers Are Looking for Offers on Social Networks

Chris Crum — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:59:50 +0000

Razorfish has released a wealth of interesting data about consumer online behavior, and a good deal has to do with social media and brand interaction. For those struggling to find the right use of social networks for their business, the data is worth paying attention to.

The data is based on a survey of 1,000 consumers in the US, about half male and half female. They cover four major age groups and 10 major cities.

"To avoid duplicating the more broad-based work of Pew, Forrester, and other research firms, our goal was to survey what we call "connected consumers,'" Razorfish explains. These connected consumers have broadband access, have spent at least $150 online in the past six months, have visited a "community site" (MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Yelp, etc.), and have consumed or created some form of digital media like photos, videos, music, or news.

"Based on previous Razorfish consumer research, we have found that these 'connected consumers' roughly mirror the U.S. population with broadband access. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, about 63% of all Americans today have a high-speed Internet connection, up from only 55% in 2008. This translates to roughly 200 million people, based on a July 2009 population estimate from the CIA World Factbook (total population 307,212,123, July 2009 estimate)."

In other words, pay attention to the results. You can find them all here. I wanted to highlight a few of the particularly interesting ones here, which pertain to social media use. They paint a pretty good picture of what consumers are looking for from brands on social networks (although these are certainly not the limits of what companies can do with them).

Beyond the data in the above graphs, another point worth mentioning derived from the research is that for Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, those who follow brands are mostly looking for exclusive deals or offers. This mentality will likely increase moving forward as deals get more personalized as well.

Like Jeremiah Owyang recently discussed with WebProNews, sites can connect with existing networks like Facebook, Twitter, etc. (think Facebook Connect and similar services), and in the future, people may be able to log-in to corporate sites with their Facebook (or whatever) account, which will bring up their profile information for companies to serve personalized content (or perhaps personalized deals).

The point is, consumers are clearly more than willing to interact with brands through social media, and this will likely become increasingly true as social networks themselves gain more users. It's not only about pushing your offers out there and hoping people bite. People are becoming friends/fans of brands hoping you do give them special offers.

Interesting new marketing opportunities are going to continue to present themselves moving forward as networks get more advanced and more brands figure out new ways to use them.

Related Articles:

> How Big Brands Use Social Media

> Some Brands Have Good Ideas For Social Media. Do You?

> Forums Are Relevant in Social Media Marketing

> Using Facebook Traffic to Drive Brand Loyalty

Spam Will Not Keep You Away from Email

Chris Crum — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:29:35 +0000

With all of the spam out there and the increasing amount of malice that comes with it, it's easy to look at the situation and think that email must be dying. Combine the overwhelming amounts of inbox spam and the ever-increasing popularity of communication tools like Twitter and Facebook, and you may ask yourself why you even need email.

Well, I've got ten answers for you here.

Don't get me wrong. Email will evolve. In fact, it's already begun to. But email as a utility is currently in no danger of going away. This is a view that Pro Blogger Darren Rowse appears to have in common with me, as he implied in a recent interview with WebProNews.

Rowse notes that email is simply a familiar way to get information, and it's still one of the most popular ways. He offers his blog content via email as a weekly newsletter, and it gets twice as many subscribers as his RSS feeds do. Furthermore, the people getting those email newsletters are even clicking on the ads.

As Rowse says, people rely on email. That's not just the old folk either. A recent study found that people between 18 and 24 years of age would rather give up social networks than email. In fact, according to that study, they'd be more likely to give up television.

For all of the unwanted marketing messages and spam out there flooding inboxes, email is still the preferred channel of communication by consumers for receiving marketing messages, according to a different survey.

Spam is going to flood every channel that achieves the usage of the masses. It's been going on longer than we've had a name for it. As long as I've been alive, I've been forced to sit through commercials I had no interest in seeing, while trying to watch television. Granted, they couldn't give my television a virus, but they have always been intrusive to some extent.

Now that social networks are rising to popularity, the spam is sure following there. It's unavoidable. People will spam you no matter what you're using. But you'll still use it.

Related Articles:

> Spam is Getting More Malicious

> 10 Reasons Social Media isn't Replacing Email

> People 18-24 Would Rather Give Up Social Networks Than Email

20 Goals for Business Social Media Use

Chris Crum — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:30:18 +0000

I probably don't have to tell you that many businesses are still struggling with the concept of using social media. Many simply can't find a good reason to use it at all, and many more find themselves using it but struggling to validate that use. They can't find the ROI. They feel that too much time is being wasted. Basically, they're just using social networks because they feel like they're supposed to. They just want to keep up.

Many businesses are even banning social media from the workplace entirely. In fact, a great deal of our readers have expressed that they feel that social media doesn't belong in the workplace because employees are there to "work," not "goof off."

Well, that may be the case, and perhaps social media doesn't fit into your business at all, but considering your general business goals can help you decide whether or not there is a place for social media, and whether or not your employees can fit into that puzzle.

As social media enthusiast Chris Brogan told WebProNews in a recent interview, it's time to get over the touristy part of social media and start getting down to business.

He says it's not "Gee whiz, it's cool" anymore. It's "What are we gonna do with it?"

"Great you can type. Now what?" he says.

Here are some sample goals a business owner or manager might set for social media use. Once the goal is considered, then you can look at the tools that are out there and evaluate which ones will give you the best shot of achieving those goals.

20 Possible Goals

1. I'm a content provider, and I want to expand my reach.

2. I want my customers to be able to stay updated with news about my company.

3. I want to get to know my customers.

4. I want to promote my product.

5. I want to stay abreast of current news and trends.

6. I want to share my ideas with likeminded individuals.

7. I want to increase brand awareness.

8. I want to provide customer service and support easily.

9. I want to find a job.

10. I want to recruit.

11. I want people to like my brand.

12. I want to collaborate on business projects.

13. I want to directly sell a product.

14. I want to earn respect within my industry.

15. I am getting information overload, and I want to get organized.

16. I want to drive traffic to my site.

17. I want to attract advertisers and make money.

18. I want to get more involved with local prospects.

19. I want to get more involved with people on an international and global level.

20. I want to keep up with my competitors.

There are certainly more possible goals for business social media use out there. I've probably not even scratched the surface. What goals do you set for your social media efforts? Discuss here.

Related Articles:

> How Big Brands Use Social Media

> Some Brands Have Good Ideas For Social Media. Do You?

> Using Facebook Traffic to Drive Brand Loyalty

Tagged.com Reaches Settlement With NY AG

Mike Sachoff — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:27:36 +0000

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Monday that his office has stopped social networking site Tagged.com from misappropriating the contacts lists and identities of its members and from sending out millions of deceptive and unsolicited emails.

Through an agreement with Cuomo's office, Tagged will pay $500,000 in penalties to the state and take measures regarding the access and use of its members' personal information.

"Unsuspecting users had no idea that Tagged had hijacked the email addresses of their colleagues, families and friends for the purpose of blasting them with spam," said Attorney General Cuomo.

Andrew Cuomo

"This agreement holds the company accountable for its invasion of privacy and puts the proper safeguards in place to keep it from happening again."

In June, Cuomo announced his intent to sue Tagged for deceptive acts after his office became aware that the company had sent more than 60 million misleading emails to people stating that Tagged members had posted private photos online for their friends to view.

In reality, the photos did not exist and the email was not from their friends. When people tried to access the photos, they were required to become a new member of Tagged. The company would then gain access to their email contacts and send more fake invitations.

As part of the settlement, Tagged will now provide clear disclosures when asking for access to a new user's email contacts and will no longer access those contacts or send messages without the member's permission.

Related Articles:

>Tagged.com Sued By NY AG

>NY AG Hits Intel With Antitrust Suit

>Dell Settles New York Fraud Case For $4 Million

EA Acquires Playfish For (Maybe) $400 Million

Doug Caverly — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:57:18 +0000

Social network games - and by extension, social networks themselves - received a strong endorsement this morning as a major acquisition was announced. Electronic Arts has bought Playfish, a maker of said games, for at least $300 million.

Barry Cottle, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Interactive, explained in a statement, "Social gaming, with its emphasis on friends and community, is seeing tremendous growth and this is the right time to invest to strengthen our participation in this space."

Indeed, Playfish should make a good partner for EA. The company describes itself as a leader in the social gaming industry, and has received backing from Accel Partners (which also invested in Facebook) and Index Ventures (which put its weight behind Last.fm and Skype).

Moreover, Playfish claims that over 150 million of its games have been installed. (Playfish's top games are Country Story, Pet Society, Restaurant City, and Who Has The Biggest Brain? in case you're curious.)

And that large number brings us back to the matter of Playfish's price. EA's paying $275 million in cash and $25 million in "equity retention arrangements" up front. Then, as much as $100 million more will be delivered if unspecified performance milestones are met between now and the end of 2011.

Related Articles:

> 20 Goals For Business Social Media Use

> Nearly Half Of Consumers Would Recommend A Product On Facebook

> Facebook Most Widely Used Network Among Businesses

8 Reasons You Need to Stop Ignoring Twitter

Chris Crum — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:15:18 +0000

There have been many articles written about why to use Twitter, and we've certainly published our fair share of them. However, the landscape is constantly changing. New trends, ideas, applications, and features come out, and they further emphasize Twitter's place in said landscape. Following are some reasons why it is becoming increasingly important to marketers.

Still not convinced Twitter is useful? Tell us why not.

1. Twitter Lists

Twitter Lists are changing the game. We recently looked at several reasons why, but also consider that with the Lists gadget, your tweets may appear all over the web if you can get onto lists. They will appear on sites and blogs, which are more than likely going to be related to the niche you are in anyway if you have the right audience on Twitter.

2. The Openness of Twitter

The openness of Twitter, social media and the web in general, pretty much means that your messages on Twitter won't be limited to your Twitter audience. Facebook and other social networks will bring tweets in. People will share them, screenshot them, link to them on blogs, etc. Twitter is a means of getting your message out to more people, but it's not necessarily only the people on Twitter that will see those messages.

3. Building Valuable Relationships

Laura Fitton, the author of Twitter for Dummies, chalks up success on Twitter to four basic concepts: listen, learn, care, and serve. Basically, if you listen to the community, you will learn, and if you show that you care, you are more likely to get more out of your efforts. Serving means providing something of use to the community. If you what you're not doing that, you may be setting yourself up to fail, as Fitton talked about in this interview with WebProNews.

4. Traffic That Cares

Twitter can bring you not only random traffic, but traffic from people who are actually passionate about the niche that you are a part of. Retweets are huge in this regard. Guy Kawasaki calls retweeting the sincerest form of flattery. He has a point. He notes that people are willing to risk their reputations by retweeting your content.

5. Staying Current

Being found in Twitter searches (not to mention real time search in general, which is starting to become a main area of focus for all of the big search engines, not to mention all of the standalone real-time search sites) provides a lot of opportunity for exposure. We discussed this here and gave tips for getting found in real-time searches.

6. Connecting with Local Customers

There are a variety of ways you can connect with local consumers and customers using Twitter and Twitter-related tools. There are tools like our own TwellowHood, which let you find Twitterers in your area, for example. Another thing to keep an eye on is Google's new Social Search. It's currently just a lab experiment, but could become more. It certainly has potential.

A recent Search Engine Land article made some good points about the potential of local marketing with this tool, which delivers Google search results based on the communities you are a part of. It draws from Google profiles, which include the networks that people are connected to (based on what any person includes in that profile). If you're not familiar with this feature, watch the following clip, and you'll understand.

7. Going International and Multi-lingual

Twitter is expanding into more languages. If you thought Twitter was important to marketing already, consider that for most of its existence, it has only been available in a couple of languages. Now it's in Spanish, and many more languages will follow. That's not only going to be huge for international and multi-lingual marketing efforts, it's going to be huge for Twitter's growth, and the more Twitter grows, the more potential customers are out there.

8. It's Still Young

Consider that Twitter is just getting started in the grand scheme of things. It's still young. There are no doubt going to be a lot more features added in the future. And don't forget about the thousands of Twitter apps that are already out there that can make Twitter useful in different ways to different people and businesses. Take some time and explore them. Fitton's site OneForty.com, which is like Yelp for Twitter apps, is pretty good for that. It has reviews, and people tell why certain helps have helped their businesses.

Did we leave some reasons out? Please share with the rest of us.

Related Articles:

> 6 Ways Twitter Lists Are Changing the Game

> By Tweeting, You Could Appear All Over the Web

> Twitter Expands the "Lists" Feature

> Microsoft and Google Score Deals with Twitter

Nearly Half Of Consumers Would Recommend A Product On Facebook

Mike Sachoff — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:57:34 +0000

Consumers are more willing to engage with and buy from brands on social networking sites, according to a new study by Performics and ROI Research.

The study found thirty-four percent of respondents who have used a search engine to find information on a product/brand after seeing an advertisement on a social networking site. In addition, thirty percent have learned about a new product, service or brand from a social networking site.

"Social networks are creating a monumental shift in how people communicate with each other and with brands," said Michael Kahn, SVP of Marketing at Performics.

"The results of this study can help marketers better understand where and how consumers interact with social media sites and what types of offers and communications engage them and motivate them to act."

The study also found the opportunity for engaging with consumers on specific social networking sites:

Forty-six percent of respondents say they would talk about or recommend a product on Facebook
Forty-four percent of Twitter users have recommended a product
Thirty-six percent of YouTube users say that they have gone to an online retailer or ecommerce site after learning about a brand on a social networking site

"The numbers are staggering. One in four respondents have four or more active social network accounts and more than one quarter access their Facebook or Twitter accounts at least once a day via their mobile phone," said Scott Haiges, President of ROI Research.

"We knew that these sites are extremely popular for socializing, but the level of interest for branding and promotional marketing content is surprisingly large."

Related Articles:

>Facebook Reminds Users How To Handle Death

>6 Ways Twitter Lists Are Changing The Game

>Facebook Connects Users With iPhone Apps

Facebook Most Widely Used Network Among Businesses

Mike Sachoff — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:18:47 +0000

Webinars and podcasts are the most popular social media resources for business people, used by 69 percent of those who turn to such channels for business information, according to a new study by Business.com.

Facebook is the primary social network on which consumer-focused companies maintain one or more profiles, cited by 83 percent of respondents compared with 45 percent for Twitter. Business-to-business companies maintain a presence on both social sites with 77 percent maintaining a profile on Facebook and 73 percent on Twitter.

Among those using social media for business purposes in their jobs, 62 percent visit company or brand profiles on social networking sites and 55 percent search for business information on these sites.

Consultants and marketers are the most active users of social media as a resource for business information, particularly in micro (less than 10 employees) and small businesses (10-99 employees). IT professionals have the lowest participation rate.

The average company in this study was planning, developing or running seven different social media initiatives; 65 percent of respondents staffing those initiatives, and 71 percent of companies themselves, have less than two years of experience with social media for business.

Building brand awareness and brand reputation are two of the top social media success metrics, but nearly two-thirds of companies focused on these metrics have little insight into performance via standard or easily accessible reports.

"We are constantly analyzing trends to determine exactly what tools business professionals leverage most for purchasing," said Ben Hanna, Ph.D., vice president, marketing, Business.com

"This survey was a way for us to benchmark where businesses, and business people, are finding value in social media."

Related Articles:

> Thinking Beyond Facebook And Twitter For Social Relevance

> Facebook,Foo Fighters To Pair Up Tonight

>Twitter Expands Into More Than Just 2 Languages

A Suggested Users List for Twitter That You Can Actually Use

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:08:56 +0000

Twellow has launched a new "Suggested Users" feature aimed at connecting Twitterers with similar interests. It should be much more useful to the common Twitter user than Twitter's own suggested list, which is one static list for everybody, and includes mostly celebrities and other well-known people. In fact, Twitter may be getting rid of that list soon anyway.

Twellow's feature is tailored to the interests of the specific user, so your list will be completely different than the next person's.

Twellow is a WebPronews service, which provides Twitter users with a directory of people to follow by category or location.

"Being able to find people that really share common interests is what Twellow is all about," says Twellow's lead developer, Matthew Daines. "This new feature should really add value to our Twellow toolset in helping people meet this goal."

"While Twitter has offered a suggested users list for some time, it really hasn't been very useful for the average Twitter user," he says. "Our large database of categorized users really has allowed us to provide a much better matching system for suggesting users to follow. These are relevant people who actually share your personal interests."

Twellow's Suggested Users feature can:

- Display up to 500 profiles.

- Let you follow users right from the list.

- Let your ignore and hide profiles you don’t think are good matches.

- Let you click the More Info buttons on each profile to show the categories for that profile. Your matches are marked with a green star.

- Let you adjust your profile categories if suggestions are not accurate, then return and view the new results.

Check out the Suggested Users feature on Twellow, and let us know what you think about it. Our team is always open to feedback.

Do you think such a feature would make Twitter more useful? Comment here.

Related Articles:

> Easily Find Twitterers You're Interested In

> Twellow Adds New "View Non-Mutuals" Feature

> Location Adds Purpose and Context to Twitter

Facebook Blocks More Ad Networks

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:17:21 +0000

Back in July Facebook updated policies for third-party ads on Facebook Platform. The company disabled two entire ad networks and over 100 more apps were suspended or brought into compliance over ad-related violations. Half of those had over a million monthly active users.

Facebook has now disabled two more offer and ad networks, which the company says have repeatedly violated its policies. This has all been part of Facebook's continued action against deceptive ads. The company has addressed its efforts in this area on the company's developer blog.

"First, deceptive ads are a widespread issue on the Web and one we fight aggressively," says Facebook's Nick Gianos. "This battle is not new and it’s far from over. We faced stimulus scam ads on our own system earlier this year and pushed them off the site with rigorous enforcement. We did the same months later when deceptive ads from third-party ad networks appeared in applications. We’re doing that again now as we see them appear in the form of offers."

"We recognize that monitoring ads isn't the first area of focus for an entrepreneur just getting started with social applications," he says. "That's why ad networks that don’t play by the rules should expect to be our first point of contact in our line of enforcement. Our policies are clear. If you're an ad network and don’t comply with them, you are doing a disservice to your customers, and you should expect your business opportunities on Facebook to cease."

The company emphasizes that it is the responsibility not only of ad networks, but also of developers to make sure content running in third-party apps is appropriate.

Facebook's policies on offers and "inappropriate" ad content can be viewed here. If there are questions, which there no doubt will be, they can be sent to Facebook via the Platform Advertising Contact form.

Related Articles:

> Facebook App Developers Face New Obstacles

> Facebook Puts Privacy Policy in Users' Hands

> Facebook Most Widely Used Network Among Businesses

Thinking Beyond Facebook and Twitter for Social Relevance

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:17:32 +0000

Update: Ford announced profits o nearly $1 billion between July and September. This is attributed to increased market share and a successful cost-cutting program. I wonder if the company's social media strategy played a significant role.

Original Article: When you think about social media marketing or building your social media presence, you probably think about Facebook or Twitter, or perhaps YouTube or MySpace. That's good. These are some of the top places on the Internet where people are spending their time online.

What online communities do you focus on? Comment here.

That said, there are probably plenty of places that you are either overlooking or just plain ignoring. They might not have the broad user-bases of the aforementioned services, but there are people there, and the more people you can reach and engage with, the better off you may be in some cases (depending on your goals for social network use).

According to Hitwise data, the top ten social networking websites and forums by US market share of visits looked like this:

To be clear, the Hitwise data from which MarketingCharts compiled the above graph is based on US market share of visits as defined by the IAB, which is the percentage of online traffic to the domain or category, from Hitwise's sample of 10 million US internet users. It's unclear exactly what all kinds of sites fall into the social networks category.

But the point is that there are a lot of places out there where people are forming communities that you may not be thinking of, but may provide plenty of opportunities for driving more engagement, brand awareness, and/or even traffic.

Are you considering things like Tagged or Yahoo Profiles/Groups? Are you considering the forums out there that pertain to your niche? Forums are relevant in social media marketing. I've discussed this in the past. Forums are basically social networks. They're communities too. You have to think about where the people are, and not just where they are, but where they are talking. Where they're communicating with others.

Forums or other more narrow communities may even prove to be more valuable tools than Facebook or Twitter in some cases. They are more likely to be focused on specific niches, than on the general public. There are certainly plenty of times where the general public - the Facebook/Twitter crowds are who you are trying to reach, but there will be other times when you may want to reach a specific group of people, which may or may not be a part of Facebook or Twitter.

Look at Ford for example. Scott Monty, who runs the social media efforts for the Ford Motor Company recently told WebProNews that they use all sorts of forms of social media, because "Let's face it, people are using all sorts of forms."

"We try to be where the mainstream are and we do it in a way that humanizes the company at every turn, so we're on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Scribd, Delicious, and upcoming as our major platforms," he said. "And we're constantly monitoring to see what the trends are and where people are going, so that we're relevant."

The key word there is relevant. Go where you're relevant.

What are some less thought about communities that you use to engage with people? Discuss here.

Related Articles:

> Forums Are Relevant in Social Media Marketing

> How Big Brands Use Social Media

> Some Brands Have Good Ideas For Social Media. Do You?

> Using Facebook Traffic to Drive Brand Loyalty

LinkedIn Tests a New Design

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:14:04 +0000

LinkedIn is testing a new design. Only a select number of users will see it, however. New features include:

- A global navigation bar at the top of the page that provides convenient access to all LinkedIn services.

- Simplified local navigation within each of the LinkedIn areas (Profile, Contacts, Groups, etc.).

- More room available for page content. Less scrolling.

- A cleaner, less-cluttered look.

Here is what it looks like:

"We began the redesign effort several months ago by analyzing how people use LinkedIn," says LinkedIn's Kevin Bury. "We looked at what features people use the most and pored over several years of data from usability research on the site. Armed with this information we began doing design explorations of how to better organize LinkedIn features, and make them more convenient to find and use."

"We factored into this effort additional features we knew were coming," he adds. "We narrowed down the designs to a few candidates we felt were strong contenders. We then prototyped these designs and had users perform tasks with the prototypes in the usability lab. We went through numerous iterations until we arrived at a design we felt worked the best. One of the key features of the new design is that it allows much more space for page content – information about you and your professional network."

LinkedIn says it will be paying attention to user feedback, and there is no word on whether or not changes will be permanent. That's what testing is for though. The company also makes no mention of whether or not a greater number of users will be able to see the new design, and if so, when that would be.

Are you seeing the new design? If so, what do you think? Share your thoughts here.

Related Articles:

> LinkedIn Announces 50 Million user Milestone

> LinkedIn Makes Profile Organization Easier

> LinkedIn Introduces Custom Profiles for Companies

Google Wave Simplified: How it Basically Works

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:46:53 +0000

As you may know, Google has been sending out Google Wave invitations for a little while now. Many people are still finding these hard to come by, but others have been lucky enough to be selected and get their hands dirty.

Those who have been granted access to Google Wave have the ability to nominate people for invitation, but not directly invite people themselves. So in other words, you're not getting in unless Google wants you to. They have to approve your nomination.

Unfortunately, that means those outside of the tech-savvy developer crowd and those who can actually access Google Wave, there is still a lot of mystery around the service. People want to know how it works.

The preview comes with a wave featuring a video from "Dr. Wave," or Product Manager Greg. The video is embedded below, but he points to different features within the interface, so imagine that it is placed as it is in the above screenshot.

Google Wave brings its own terminology to the table. For one, a wave itself is a collection of messages. Those messages within a wave are "blips." Blips can be edited and replied to. Anyone that is in the wave at the same time can see replies and blips being typed live in real time. That's live. You can see the characters appear as they are typed.

If you really want to see how Google Wave works, watch this series of videos that Google provides in the preview (they're all very short):

There are other videos that appear in the preview, but these are probably the most useful ones for showing how Wave works.

Now the version of Google Wave that people have access to is just a "preview." It doesn't even come with a beta tag. It's still quite early. Even parts within the preview version are clearly marked as under construction (things like key settings).

The videos provided do not begin to scratch the surface of the potential of Google Wave. With Google allowing developers to create apps or "gadgets" for it, the possibilities will likely be limitless. But as a general "getting to know you" for the common user, the videos provided pretty much explain the core of Google Wave.

Have you used Google Wave yet? Share your thoughts.

Related Articles:

> Will Google Wave Shape the Future of Online Communication?

> Is Google Wave Getting An App Store?

> Google Wave Invitations Roll Out/span>

Social Networks Don't Waste Time, People Do.

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:54:16 +0000

Social Media policies of well-known organizations often appear in the news with commentary throughout the Blogosphere, the Twitterverse, etc. There is an ongoing debate about just how restricted social networks should be when it comes to employee use.

Where do you stand on this debate? Share your thoughts.

Bloxx, based in the UK, has released some research finding that 90% of IT Managers surveyed believe access to social networking site should be banned or restricted. 90%. That's a lot. The managers surveyed came from across the UK public sector as well as private organizations.

The concerns addressed in this survey were the usual suspects: staff productivity, network security risks, and damage to the corporate reputation. Productivity was by far the top concern.

Is productivity your top concern with employee social network use? Discuss here.

The research found that not only are an increasing number of organizations completely banning staff access from social networking sites, but it is also quite common for staff to post disparaging remarks regarding other employees, their boss, or the company on social networks.

Over 22% of respondents don't have any controls in place for staff accessing social networks. 35% of IT managers believe staff are spending over 30 minutes each per day on average accessing social networks. The companies are potentially providing an additional 16 days paid vacation for each employee, Bloxx says. Still, the research also shows that social networking is increasingly being used as a valuable business tool. Obviously access is required to take advantage.

"UK businesses really can’t afford to underestimate some of the risks of Social Networking use in the workplace," says Bloxx CEO Eamonn Doyle. "However, our view is that a complete ban is unrealistic and adopting this approach means that companies can’t obtain the potential business benefits of Social Networking and can alienate staff." Among Doyle's suggestions are increased employee education, "well-thought-out" acceptable use policies, and the use of Web filtering.

There are plenty of reasons why social network access shouldn't be completely banned. We cover these reasons about every day. If your company completely ignores social networks, you're ignoring a tremendous amount of opportunities for marketing, customer service, traffic, sales, communication, etc.

Social networks are not going away. The popularity of specific ones may change in time, but the concept of social networking is going nowhere. It's not even a new concept. Forums and email are pretty much social media for all intents and purposes. Social networks have recently been blamed for $2.25 billion in lost productivity. I wonder how much money lost productivity from personal email and general web surfing accounts for. I wonder how much employees simply talking to each other at the workplace has cost companies. That's not necessarily online, but it's still socializing. How have you handled email and general web use in the past?

Reputation issues are one thing. Security is another (and I think employee education plays a big role there) but as far as productivity, I really don't see that the use of social networks is really that different than any other form of simply not working. People can spend their time using the phone for personal calls, but you probably haven't completely banned the telephone. You may need that to communicate with customers, drive sales, etc. I'm sure you see my point.

Are social networks really the time wasters or is it just the people finding new ways to waste time? Share your thoughts here.

Related Articles:

> Social Networks Blamed For $2.25B In Lost Productivity

> How SHOULD Employees Use Social Media?

> Some Brands Have Good Ideas For Social Media. Do You?

Why British Singer Matt Goss Likes Twittering with Fans

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:52:32 +0000

Do you know who Matt Goss is? If you're an American, there's a good chance that you don't. Still, in some places, like his British homeland, he is a star. He's sold 16 million records with his group Bros, which also featured his twin brother Luke. He's been making records for about 20 years.

Are you familiar with Goss? Respond here.

Goss will probably be the first to tell you that he's not a superstar in the U.S. It says right on his official site that he comes to America an "unknown." But he is hoping to change that. He's already been headlining shows at Palms in Vegas.

Goss is using social media to help build his career in the United States. He uses Twitter specifically to reach out to fans. He says he likes the immediacy of it. He likes that you can say something and get 100 responses back in 15 minutes. He likes that he can connect with his fans and get so many different perspectives. He'll ask people about a song or a video, and what they would change about it. He clearly aims to be a crowd pleaser - the perfect type for Vegas.

He has even called upon fans to pick what song they wanted to see released as a single.

"People actually have a voice now," he says. "Propaganda is not as relevant as it was when all you had was propaganda and what you read, you had to believe almost. Now the individual and the common man can have a voice."

Goss believes there are times when "heavy" messages are appropriate with a tool like Twitter, but thinks it is also a way to escape and have some enjoyment. Either way, he likes that there is no middle man, and notes the importance of accountability. I guess Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson did not attend Matt's session at BlogWorld.

Time will tell if Matt's efforts in social media will transfer his stardom to the States, but either way, you can tell he's enjoying trying. What do you think of his approach to Twitter? Share your thoughts.

Related Articles:

> Jermaine Dupri, Anthony Edwards on New Media for Celebs

> Twitter is for Old People?

> How Big Brands Use Social Media

6 Ways Twitter Lists Are Changing the Game

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:25:42 +0000

We knew Twitter lists were going to be big for Twitter. We knew they were going to greatly increase the usefulness of the service, and for many, even the enjoyment. What we didn't know, however, was that right out of the box, we would see so many different uses for them, providing a window to the potential that they really do hold not only for Twitter itself, but for any business or individual who uses it. Let's look at a few of those ways that Twitter lists are being used.

Tell us how you are using Twitter lists.
1. Organization and Noise Reduction

When Twitter first made the announcement that the Lists feature was coming, my first thoughts were about how great that would be to organize the Twitter stream. It has worked out as such. It's a great way to separate the people you follow into groups.

For example, if I want to keep marketers, news organizations, sports stars, musicians, and my actual real-life friends all separate from one another, I can do that. It's a great way to reduce the "noise" that has commonly been associated with Twitter. You can look at a custom-made list and simply get tweets related to a certain category. It's very much like organizing a feed reader into different folders.

2. Changing the News

Mashable's Pete Cashmore wrote a pretty interesting piece for CNN about how Twitter Lists are already transforming online journalism. Journalists are using friends to filter massive amounts of data through lists. Again, it's about noise reduction.

Vadim Lavrusik also discusses ways news organizations are using Twitter lists. He looks at how different publishers are creating staff directories, recommending "tweeps" and specific information, using lists for curated real-time steams, and to follow events.

3. Directories

Mike Butcher points out that Simplezesty is creating lists of Twitter users in entire countries. This is a concept that could be taken by anybody to run wild with, particularly with regards to niches. Lists are essentially an organization tool, so anything can be broken down into categories.

Let's say you are a restaurant critic. You could create separate lists for the best pizza places, the best burger joints, the best bars, the best Mexican restaurants, etc. This could be applied to virtually any industry.

Shameless plug: Of course our own Twellow.com has served a similar purpose and more for quite some time, and it's already pretty well-established, so you if you're looking for people to follow by industry, I suggest checking that out.

4. A New Way of Interaction

Look at what the NHL had done. Jennifer Van Grove points to a Tweet from the National Hockey league, which called upon fans to tweet @NHL their favorite team with a specific hashtag. The purpose was to create lists fans by team.

I can see a lot of potential for this type of thing too. I could see such a thing being turned into a game, or being used by businesses for promotions, contests, etc.

5. Popularity Contests and Paid List Spots?

I would have to imagine that people are going to covet spots on certain lists. It's potentially going to be a great way to get new followers, so people are going to want to appear on the lists of influential Twitterers.

Could this lead to paying for spots on Twitter lists? I'd actually be shocked if this isn't already going on to be honest. It's not much different than the old-fashioned paying for a link. Only in this case, Google isn't there to keep you out of search results, because here you're trying to be found on Twitter, not Google.

That actually raises some more questions, however, as Google (and Bing) has recently made a deal with Twitter, which will see Tweets make their way to the search engine. We don't know yet exactly how this will go, and whether or not lists will ever factor into the Google part of things. Could being on more lists be taken as a sign of authority? I'm only speculating.

6. Exploitation and Spam

Inevitably, Twitter Lists will also be exploited and used for spam purposes. It's on the Internet and it's a chance to gain exposure. It pretty much stands to reason than spam will follow. Why would this be any different than any other tool? Valleywag thinks Ellen DeGeneres is already engaging in such tactics. That's an interesting read.

Are Twitter lists going to change how we get our news? How we find information? How we market our businesses? What do you think? Share your thoughts.

Related Articles:

> By Tweeting, You Could Appear All Over the Web

> Twitter Expands the "Lists" Feature

> Microsoft and Google Score Deals with Twitter

Will Google Wave Shape the Future of Online Communication?

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:52:12 +0000

To be clear, I don't consider myself an expert on Google Wave by any stretch of the imagination, but based on what I have learned about it, these are my responses to frequently asked Google Wave questions. These are just my opinions.

We'd love to hear your opinions about Google Wave. Share them here.

Will Google Wave replace email?

No. It may replace email in the same way that social networks already have. Social networks have not replaced email in general. They have, however replaced it in some cases for some people. For example, friends may send each other a quick note via Facebook message rather than email. However, chances are one of those friends was emailed by Facebook alerting them that they had a new message. For more reasons on why social media (and I include Wave in this) won't replace email, read this article.

Will Google Wave catch on with the general public?

Obviously, it's incredibly early to tell if Google Wave will catch on on a massive scale. For that matter, what does "catching on" really mean? Does it mean to the extent of email? To the extent of Facebook? Twitter? There are pretty wide gaps between these. Will it catch on to the extent of RSS? Who knows. If you want my honest opinion, I don't think it will achieve Facebook-like status. I'm not sure that it will achieve Twitter-like status either, which is just a fraction of what Facebook has.

If Compete's numbers for the US are any indication, Gmail doesn't even come close to attracting the unique users that Twitter does anymore. I have a hard time accepting that Google Wave will be bigger than Gmail (though it's certainly possible).

Will Google Wave catch on in the workplace?

If Google Wave catches on anywhere, I think it could catch on in the workplace. Lots of companies are using Google Apps, and now that Google is marketing that aggressively, that is likely going to increase big time. With the right promotion and integration, I could easily see Google Wave working its way into the mix there. The very collaborative nature of Google Wave caters to work-related use.

At this point, Google Wave is in its very early stages, and over the coming months and probably years, we are going to continue to see improvements and innovations made with it. Will that translate into widespread adoption? I'm not so sure.

I think people are going to have a hard time figuring out why they should be using it. I also think people are getting tired of having more accounts to keep up with (although this would be connected to your Google account).

If Wave brings all of their contacts and socializing into one central hub, it's going to have some competition. Mozilla is already working on Raindrop, which sounds like a pretty useful tool. There will be others.

On the other hand, it could go the Twitter route, where people will struggle to "get it" for a long time, and slowly start finding uses that suit them. That "ah-ha moment" hasn't come for everybody that's used Twitter yet either, but there's no denying that service has made its mark on popular culture.

I don't want to sound anti-Wave here. It seems cool and potentially useful. Worst case scenario, it is just another tool that you can use if you want, which may or may not make your life (and work) easier. Best case (for Google at least), it becomes like email (or to a lesser extent Facebook) in the sense that it is practically unavoidable to use because everyone you know uses it and if you don't you will be out of the loop. At this point, I'm just leaning toward the former.

Do you think Google Wave is going to change the world or do you think it's being over-hyped? Discuss here.

Related Articles:

> Google Wave Simplified: How it Basically Works

> Mozilla Aims to Integrate Social Media and Email into One Inbox

> Google Gets Serious About Marketing Apps

Why Actor Kevin Pollak Prefers the Online Medium

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:48:38 +0000

Kevin Pollak, who even if his name doesn't ring a bell, you've likely seen before. He's a comedian, as well as an actor. He's played in movies alongside Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Jonn Candy, and others.

Not a moviegoer? He's also played on his fair share of television shows. You may have seen him on The Drew Carey Show, Shark, Ed, or Entourage. Or maybe you've seen him in a comedy club.

Actually, there's a good chance you've seen him on the web, and if not, you will (I guess you have now either way). Pollak has his own online show (Charlie Rose-style) called simply Kevin Pollak's Chat Show in which he talks with some pretty big-name people. He's had guests like Kevin Smith, Levar Burton, Eddie Izzard, Lisa Loeb, Kevin Nealon, Seth Macfarlane, Hank Azaria, and others.

Are you familiar with Pollak's work? Comment here.

Here's a look at the intro from the first episode of Pollak's show.

Pollak likes the online format for a variety of reasons. He likes that you can get stuff out all over the world instantly. He likes the lack of limitations. You can do a show uncensored, and you can let it run as long as you want. His shows are normally at least an hour long, and sometimes 2 hours or more.

The online format is ideal for inspiring audience participation with the show itself as well. Pollak says he's had users contribute a theme song, questions for guests, and participate in a "Larry King game" (you'd have to watch the show to understand).

We're seeing this audience participation with content thing more and more in the online video world. Look at what Paramount's doing with Mountain Dew, Adobe Flash, and MySpace. They're marketing with an interactive web series/game.

In another article I talked about using more than just the obvious communities to spread your message. Kevin Pollak's Chat Show is a good example of how this can happen on its own, particularly with online video in the mix. His videos are not only on his site, but they're on YouTube, Beet.tv, Blip.tv, Ustream, and other Video sites.

The natural shareability of online video combined with the communication power of social media opens up the doors for a whole lot of opportunity. Pollak has presences on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. He's even got one on Mahalo. Pollak's show proves that you can find success online even if you don't know that much about the Internet. As Kevin says in our interview with him, he's learning as he goes. It certainly helps that he is already in show business, but if you can provide interesting enough content, people out there will watch it, and they will share it. Best of all, you can reach people all over the world.

How has being online expanded your opportunities? Discuss here.

Related Articles:

> Why British Singer Matt Goss Likes Twittering with Fans

> Comedy and Alcohol at BlogWorld

> Paramount Follows Up "Paranormal" Marketing with More Social Fun

Using Facebook Traffic to Drive Brand Loyalty

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:37:53 +0000

WebProNews recently covered a study from Chitika, which found that Facebook was the most valuable social media tool for driving repeat readers to content sites. The study was based on 33 million unique users across Chitika's publisher network in September. It compared the number of visitors coming from major traffic sources Digg, Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Twitter, to the number of times those visitors came back to the referred site. Visitors that went to a site four or more times in one week were considered loyal users. By a wide margin, Facebook led the pack in providing loyal traffic. 20% of all visitors from Facebook visited the site four or more times per week.

Where does your most loyal traffic come from? Facebook or somewhere else? Comment here.

"We've received the most clients from Facebook than any other social media website," a reader commented on the article. "Although we've received slightly more visitors from Digg and Stumbleupon, the viewers have not converted into customers the same way they had through Facebook."

There has certainly been plenty of talk about how Facebook can drive traffic, but clearly there are still a lot of people struggling with just how to go about doing so.

"Why am I not getting this?" another reader asked. "Blogs I've done are boosting my Google, Yahoo, and Bing ratings and getting traffic to my web site, but I'm not getting how Facebok can do this."

Comments like these are not uncommon, and to be fair, this one was made prior to Microsoft's announcement of a deal with Facebook (Google has been rumored to be in talks with Facebook as well).

But not all traffic has to come from search, although Facebook exposure can certainly contribute to that as well, if nothing else, than simply through promotion leading to links.

When a Facebook user frequently checks for status updates, he/she is likely to see new posts made from Facebook Pages he/she is subscribed to. This means creating a Facebook page can have a great effect on page owners. Making readers aware of the page is key as well. Luckily Facebook has a widget called the Fan box, that you can put on your site, which can lead new visitors directly to your Facebook page.

Facebook has also just updated another important widget - the share button. Now it will provide a live count of shares, as well as analytical information. You can find out how people are sharing and engaging with your content, and gain further insight into how your stuff is doing with the Facebook community (and adjust your strategy accordingly).

Traffic is a common goal, but it is not the only one. Going back to the topic at the beginning of this article, brand loyalty is a big one.

A representative for Stuzo Group, one of Facebook's exclusive development partners, shared some interesting case studies with us, looking at how they created branded applications and fan pages for brands like Doritos, Budweiser, Smashbox, and Purina.

"When Stuzo works with these brands, the goals that they have most often in creating these promotions is to increase brand loyalty and recognition, boost traffic to their website, and drive sales," the representative said. "These goals all go hand in hand, and explain why Chitika's study was so valuable; hits to a website are great, but they don't mean much unless they contribute to brand loyalty and positive recognition of the brand." (emphasis added)

A common theme among the case studies provided by Stuzo is that they all present clear objectives for what they want to accomplish with Facebook. For example, Budweiser's were:

1. Create brand awareness through a strong fan base and social channel opt-ins

2. Incentivize users to engage with the brand on a regular basis

3. Convert new customers and drive increase in sales

Budweiser went the route of contests and competitions (which are viral by nature). According to the case study, this has resulted in:

- Hundreds of thousands of Unique Pageviews

- Sustained high level of brand engagement by all measurements

- Significant, continued growth in Budweiser’s Social CRM and social channel opt-ins

Budweiser is just one example of a big brand finding success through social media, and through the use of Facebook in particular. As I recently discussed, you can find new and interesting ways to integrate social media into your own plans by looking at some of the brands you use yourself and how they employ different tools. This helps you to put yourself in the customer's shoes and determine the things that work and the things that don't.

What brands have you seen using social media in interesting ways? Discuss here.

Related Articles:

> The Most Loyal Traffic Comes from Facebook

> Facebook/Twitter Use May Now Mean More for Google/Bing Rankings

> Some Brands Have Good Ideas For Social Media. Do You?

CNN.com Launches News Trivia Quiz

Mike Sachoff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:56:51 +0000

CNN.com said Thursday it is introducing a new interactive online news trivia quiz called the CNN Challenge.

CNN Challenge will focus on both historical news events and the top stories of the week. New quizzes about historical events will be available every Tuesday and Wednesday, and a new current news quiz will be available every Thursday.

The CNN Challenge features three rounds of five question, focused on the who, what, when, where and why of certain news events. In the final stage of the quiz dubbed the "Lighting Round" users will have 90 seconds to answer five questions. Users receive points based on their response time and value of the question, which varies by the stage of the quiz.

After taking the quiz, users can check the "Newsbin" for answers to and additional context on each of the questions, as well as links to more information related to the questions.

There is also a social aspect allowing users to share the quiz on Facebook, Twitter and Mixx. Users can also see where they rank on a "Leaderboard" for the quiz or challenge other members of the community.

CNN has signed on in-car communications system, Ford Sync to sponsor the quiz. Fifteen-second Sync video ads will run between some rounds starting later this month.

"The CNN Challenge offers CNN.com's users the ability to expand their knowledge of the news and current events in a fun and engaging way," said KC Estenson, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com.

"At its core, the CNN Challenge is another example of how we are leveraging interactivity and the social nature of the web to create a unique online experience."

Related Articles:

> CNN Launche App For The iPhone

> CBS Trying Hand At Citizen Journalism

>NBC Launches Video Trivia Game On Facebook

Facebook/Twitter Use May Now Mean More for Google/Bing Rankings

Chris Crum — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:17:52 +0000

Disclaimer: This article was originally written before Google made its announcement, and has been updated to reflect that.

Google and Microsoft have both inked deals with Twitter and Microsoft has also inked one with Facebook to integrate Twitter and Facebook updates into Bing search results. Google will be adding tweets to search results.

Google's Marissa Mayer says, " We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you'll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information."

Google's Announcement:

There is a good chance that Google will be making a similar deal with Facebook, but even if they don't, their deal with Twitter and Bing's deals with both make it all the more important for marketers to be found in real-time searches and Facebook/Twitter in general.

Do you spend anytime trying to be found in real-time searches? Discuss here.

A while back WebProNews compiled a list of five tips for getting found in real-time searches, which basically boils down to staying in the conversation for relevant topics that people are searching for. The tips were:

1. Use keywords
2. Talk about timely events
3. Have a lot of followers
4. Promote conversation
5. Include calls to engagement

I elaborated on each of these in the previous article. Social media is viral by nature, and real-time search is nothing more than putting things in chronological order. You have to keep people talking to stay relevant "right now."

That said, we don't know all the details about how Google and Bing will be integrating its Twitter and Facebook results into the rest of their results yet. Bing has made available a beta tool for people to mess around with for searching tweets with the search engine. "You can now search for what people are saying all over the web about breaking news topics, your favorite celebrity, hometown sports team, and anything else you use Twitter to stay on top of today," says Paul Yiu of Bing's Social Search team.

A spokesperson for Microsoft tells WebProNews, more specifically, the new Twitter developments in Bing include:

A real-time index of the Tweets that match your search queries in results. This feature makes it easier to follow what’s going on by reducing the amount of duplicates, spam, and adult content.

Giving you the option to rank tweets either by most recent or by “best match,” where we consider a Tweeter’s popularity, interestingness of the tweet, and other indicators of quality and trustworthiness.

Providing the top links shared on Twitter around your specific search query by showcasing a few of the most relevant tweets. Additionally, Bing automatically expands those small URLs (like bit.ly) to enable you to understand what people are tweeting about. Instead of showing standard search result captions, we select 2 top tweets to give users a glimpse of the sentiment around the shared link.

Bing already displays some Tweets for certain people results at the very top of the regular web search results page. That's a good place to appear. Here is a little info about how they rank tweets in their Twitter search.

Google announced a new Google labs project that injects social media into its own search results. This was also announced at the Web 2.0 Summit. Ben Parr with Mashable has the details from Mayer:

    - The bottom of search results will soon have social networking information from your friends, like their Flickr (Flickr) photos or their status updates. It’s a blended search integration, similar to seeing news or image results.

    - These are pulled from social networks connected to your Google Profile. The more that are connected, the more social information that will appear in search results.

    - They have also improved searching for images using social networks. Images become more relevant using social networking data.

    - It will launch in Google Labs in the next few weeks.

The deals with Microsoft and Google make social media marketing all the more important to marketing in general, and specifically search engine marketing. Where social media has generally fit into the SEO equation thus far, has been the promotion of content, which inspires links and conversation, which can in turn help search engine rankings.

Now, if status updates and tweets become directly integrated into search results in Universal Search-type fashion, it will be not only be about promotion and outside links, it will be about direct exposure right in the results, not unlike the importance of online video right now (as you're probably aware, videos are often displayed prominently on the first page of Google results).

Now, forgetting about Google for a moment, pretend that the deals with Microsoft are the only ones that happened. You may also recall that Microsoft has a certain deal in the works with Yahoo. This (if everything goes according to plan) will see Bing results taking over Yahoo's own. Yahoo may still be controlling the front-end of its search, but Bing will be controlling the back-end. Ranking for Bing will mean ranking for Yahoo.

So with Yahoo, Twitter, and Facebook deals all in place for Bing, getting found in real-time searches may not only mean getting found in Twitter searches, Facebook searches, and such. It may also mean getting found in Bing searches and in Yahoo searches. That's pretty much the meat of the non-Google U.S. search market.

Now let's bring Google back into the equation. It has a deal with Twitter and may very well have one with Facebook before long. Kara Swisher who broke the news about Microsoft's deals says Google's been talking with both social networks. Still think real-time search and social media are not worth your time?

Do you think deals with Bing and Google will have a big impact on traffic from Twitter and Facebook? Share your thoughts.

Pew: Technology Hasn't Made Us Hermits

Doug Caverly — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:27:04 +0000

Good news, people: according to the latest info from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, we're not turning into a bunch of grouches who want to do little besides stare at computer screens. As it took statistics dating back to 1985 into account, Pew even found a couple of instances in which technology seems to have made folks more sociable over the years.

An executive summary stated, "Social media activities are associated with several beneficial social activities, including having discussion networks that are more likely to contain people from different backgrounds. For instance, frequent internet users, and those who maintain a blog are much more likely to confide in someone who is of another race. Those who share photos online are more likely to report that they discuss important matters with someone who is a member of another political party."

Pew also reported, "Cell phone users, those who use the internet frequently at work, and bloggers are more likely to belong to a local voluntary association, such as a youth group or a charitable organization."

Now, there were some issues. Pew believes that everyone's "discussion networks" have decreased in size by about one-third since 1985, and apparently time spent on sites like Facebook and MySpace is sometimes substituted for neighborhood involvement.

Still, the Pew reports seems to provide evidence that technology isn't to blame for any loss of an "Andy Griffith"-like (or at least "Cosby Show"-esque) world.

Related Articles:

> Google Aims To Put The "Friend" In Friend Connect

> Social Media Playing Role In U.S. Policy Making

> Social Networks Don't Waste Time, People Do

Social Media Will Not Replace Search

Chris Crum — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:10:37 +0000

Nielsen has shared some interesting findings from its research on how Internet users discover content. The research mainly focused on how content is found through search, portals, and through social media.

"In a nutshell, there is a segment of the online population that uses social media as a core navigation and information discovery tool — roughly 18 percent of users see it as core to finding new information. While still a smaller percentage than those who use search engines or portals like Yahoo! or MSN, it is a significant figure," says Nielsen. "And as social media usage continues to increase (unique visitors to Twitter.com increased 959% YOY in August) I can only expect this figure to grow."

If you were still questioning the possibilities of getting traffic from social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc., perhaps this information will help ease your doubts. While the traffic may not always be as significant as what comes from search, additional traffic is additional traffic, and the viral potential offered by social networks shouldn't be ignored.

The following graph from Nielsen shows how big of a role sites besides search engines play in actual searches for new information online.

"At the root of the changing nature of content discovery is the sheer amount of information that is available on the Web," says Nielsen. "If you want to learn more about the latest smartphone released into the market, your favorite search engine is sure to provide you with hundreds, if not thousands, of articles about the device. But with the increasing number of resources available, it’s difficult to know what you should believe or take at face value."

According to the firm's findings, 26% of "socializers" or those who spend over 10% or more of their online time on social media, feel that there is too much information online. Nielsen says, "So are social networks replacing portals or search engines? Perhaps. Regardless, if we don’t understand and address people feeling increasingly alienated by the amount of information on the Internet, and the need for a human guide, yes, your favorite social network (or something like it) will become the next great content gateway."

Of course the search engines are built on a cross between human and mechanical elements. Google's search quality team has been discussing this very process. Personally, I'm all for social media, but I don't usually have too much trouble finding the information I seek using search. If anything, I think the information overload simply stresses the need for the continued improvement in search quality.

Your friends may not have all the answers you seek. Furthermore, if you are asking people you don't know, why would you trust them any more than search results?

Search and social media are not completely separate entities. Social networks have search functionality and search engines search through social networks. It's all intertwined.

Do you think social media could ever replace search? Share your thoughts.

Social Media Not a Priority for Many Small Businesses

Chris Crum — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:10:44 +0000

Citibank has released the results of a survey about small business social media use. According to Citibank, few small business owners and managers are increasingly using social networking sites.

Over 500 small business executives across the United States were surveyed, and 76% of them haven't found sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to be helpful in generating business leads or expanding their business during the last year. 86% said they hadn't used social networks to get business advice or information either.

"Our survey suggests that small business owners are still feeling their way into social media, particularly when it comes to using these tools to grow their businesses," said Maria Veltre, Executive Vice President of Citi's Small Business Segment. "While social media can provide additional channels to network and help grow a business, many small businesses may not have the manpower or the time required take advantage of them."

According to the survey, small businesses are relying much more on search engines than they are social media, or even small business-focused sites and WSJ.com.

42% of small business owners and managers say they've made greater use of their company's website to generate business leads and sales in the last year. Among companies with 20-99 employees, 57% say they've made greater use of their sites. 28% are using email marketing and 25% are using online advertising for generating leads and sales.

How SHOULD Employees Use Social Media?

Chris Crum — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:08:25 +0000

A recent study found that 54% of businesses prohibit employee social media use completely. There are valid arguments supporting both sides of this debate. We've seen quite a few news stories in recent months about social media policies coming to light. We've seen the topic discussed with regards to the news industry, sports leagues, and more recently, movie studios.

Fears exist. Questions. "How are my employees going to screw things up out there?" The result often ends up coming in the form of strict social media policies that severely limit interactions and engagement. "Here are the things that you can't do."

What fears do you have involving employee social media use? Share your thoughts.

In many cases, these rules are very justified. Amber Naslund made a very good point in an interview with WebProNews at BlogWorld this past weekend though. If you're going to give employees guidelines and tell them how they should not be using social media, you should try balancing that by giving them some ways that they should use it.

In the long run it comes down to what your goals are for social media use, and those goals should influence your policies. When you figure your goals out, you should be able to figure out how you want employees to proceed.

You should also use those goals to influence the tools you use to accomplish them. Wasted time is one of the most common reasons companies prohibit employee social media use. Wasted time can be minimized when you plan for specific goals. There are tons of social networks and related tools available, but that doesn't mean that you have to use them all. Try to determine which ones will most effectively help you accomplish what you are trying to do, whether that be push out information, drive traffic, provide customer service, etc.

When you can clearly establish your goals and the tools you want to use to accomplish them, it should be easier to clearly tell employees what they can be doing with those tools to help accomplish those goals. If you've picked a tool, you must have a reason for doing so. Share that reason in the policy. Make employees understand. "If you CAN use this tool this way, we CAN meet our goal of ____."

If this sounds vague, that's because different industries have different goals. Different businesses within the same industry have different goals.

What are your goals for business social media? Discuss here.

Google Aims to Put the "Friend" in Friend Connect

Chris Crum — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:33:59 +0000

Google has launched some new features for Google Friend Connect, aimed at letting site owners make their GFC experience more personalized and letting their visitors get to know each other.

A representative for Google tells WebProNews that 9 million sites are using Google Friend Connect, and pages with GFC get over half a billion unique visitors a month. Two people join every second, she says.

One of the new features is an "Interests" section, which lets a user add "site-relevant" questions that people can answer when joining their site or through Google's poll gadget.

"For instance, if you have a music website, you might ask people to share their favorite bands, the last concert they attended, or where they discover new music," explains Google Friend Connect Product Manager Mussie Shore. "Or if you run a hiking site, you can ask them about a favorite hike or national park. The details people share are added to their Friend Connect public profiles for your site, which are seen by other site visitors. This way, your visitors can learn more about each other in the context of the interests that bring them to your website."

People can also now send private messages to each other through Google Friend Connect. Another new feature is the "community data" section, where people can share interests on your site in chart form.

There is a new "Newsletter" section that lets you create, send, and manage newsletter and a personalized content gadget, which automatically presents a dynamic set of links to your site's content that matches a visitor's specific interests.

Finally, if you display Google ads on your site, there is a new "AdSense" section in your Google Friend Connect account, which lets you enable the ad units that are matched both to your site's content and to the interests users publicly share on the site.

Google points to huffingtonpost.com, metrolyrics.com, sfstation.com and pachakam.com as example sites that already show off the new features of Google Friend Connect. You can check these out to get an idea of how they work.

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Social Media Playing Role In U.S. Policy Making

Mike Sachoff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:21:27 +0000

Senior staff in the U.S. Congress and European Parliaments regularly access digital outlets and social media to research, influence and set policy, according to a new study by StrategyOne.

Nearly every staffer (96%) uses online resources for public policy research, more than half (54%) reported learning of policy issues for the first time online and (19%) actually changed policy positions based on information and opinions they found online.

Sixty percent said they access social media for personal reasons, but in addition, nearly one-third use it for communicating with professional colleagues (28%), one in five (21%) to reach out to constituents, and one in ten (9%) to research policy issues.

In addition, blogs are an important resource for staffers with two in five (39%) using blogs and social media sites in the past 30 days to monitor news about issues and the same percentage (39%) to monitor constituent opinion about an issue.

"When it comes to policy development and public affairs, we're seeing a digital about-face as staffers and elected officials move from face time to Facebook and other social media to research and communicate on critical issues," said Jere Sullivan, Vice Chairman of Global Public Affairs, Edelman.

"Traditional communications and advocacy channels remain important and effective in all countries, but the growing influence of online cannot be overlooked and needs to be included in the mix of tools for communicating about and forming consensus on important policy issues."

The survey identified the growing importance of digital tools for both communication with constituents and for constituents reaching their members. They noted websites have become universal in terms of their usage and effectiveness in reaching constituents (82% feel they are effective) while other outlets have shown positive impact, including online videos (52%), blogging (46%) and micro blogging such as Twitter (22%).

"Currently, staffers are showing a willingness to embrace these digital resources on a professional level which will allow them to build on their effectiveness in communicating on policy issues," said Mike Krempasky, Executive Vice President, Digital Public Affairs.

"We were also encouraged by the fact that our survey sample was of senior, tenured staffers who dispelled the myth that digital is only used by younger entry level staff."

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