In the previous week, Google launched an updated version of Google Maps for the Android phone, which was equipped with the new Leaderboard feature that is reminiscent of the Foursquare app.

The Leaderboard addition to Google Latitude hasn’t been officially announced, and google seems to be wanting to keep it that way. Google doesn’t even reveal the Leaderboard as being a new feature on the Android Google Maps update. It only says it fixed bugs and has “improved battery performance for Latitude and Location History users.” Also, the Leaderboard is only available on the latest version of Google Maps, and not everyone has access to the feature yet.

The new version of Google Maps with the Latitude Leaderboards is only accessible after a user checks in somewhere using Google Latitude. Maps users can share their location with Google’s Latitude app. After check-in, the user earns points and is navigated to the Leaderboard page, which ranks the user and his or her Google+ friends. There is also a global page that ranks all users based on points from check-ins. The person with the most points earns a crown above his or her No. 1 ranking. Leaderboard doesn’t have a mayor, like Foursquare.

Do you currently use FourSquare? Would you use this?No Tags

I’m going to try and start a new trend – of circular icons. I must admit they do look very impressive on some website, it’s a good contrast to the traditional blockishness of website designs and therefore does attract your attention. Here are the 5 different sets you can start using today:

1. Somicro

This particular icon-set is very clean and sharp. There is a good variety of icons available, and it’s probably my most favourite set so far.

2. Round Social Media Icons

These icons remind me of cute buttons. The white outline gives it a much more playful feel and is suitable for website that want to be more lighthearted and cheery.

3. Simplito

This icon set is aimed to be clean and simple. It is reminiscent of a child’s drawing and has a but of a sketchy touch to it.

4. Buddycons

The buddycons set is something you would see on a windows graphic set. It is very basic and gets the job done.

5. 8-bit Social Iconset

Our last set is a tribute to the retro gaming movement. Pixels are coming back as a novel design trend. This would work really well in the gaming industry.

There we have it, 5 icon sets you can start using on your websites. It’s always good to change your icons and do some testing. Will circular icons result in more click throughs to your social properties? Implement and find out!

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The self titled ‘Virtual Pinboard‘ site allows you to both organise and share images of ‘beautiful things found on the web‘ in collections based on user interests such as favourite recipes, must see destinations and funky furniture – with the intention of helping your own friends and followers discover new things.

The social network has even surpassed Google+ in the amount of traffic it drives to retail sites. Monetate has compiled this infographic to illustrate the capabilities of Pinterest:

Who Else Users Pinterest?

Besides retail stores and specialty boutiques, the site is open for everyone to use. The U.S. Army have even included Pinterest in their online media campaign, with collections including images of patriotic foods and DIY Army decor.

Above: Online Retail example – Kikki-K.com

Above: Used to increase the online presence of the U.S. Army

The site continues to show promise in innovating the way people share content online. If you’re on Pinterest, what have you been using it for? Drop us your link in the comments below!No Tags

If it makes you feel better, even the Coke page is suffering from this issue. To show you what this looks like here is a screen shot of what a pushed down landing page looks like:

It may be a good idea if you want to let your fans know that this is happening so you don’t shock or alarm them.No Tags

When I applied to work at E-Web Marketing, I actually applied for a role in the Social Media Department. They weren’t hiring. Luckily, they found another role for me that allowed for continued research, participation and active involvement in the social media realm.

A few weeks ago I was thrown into the deep end. I was now looking after a client’s Facebook campaign. Easy, right? Just talk to their fans, write a few funny statuses and try not to post any inappropriate photos. Wrong. There’s so much more. Particularly when it comes to Facebook’s paid advertising option.

Facebook certainly tries to make it easier for you by providing the ability to target your competitors, people with certain interests and age groups. You can add pictures, set your maximum bid per ad, and cap your budget so that it spends it slowly over whatever time period you desire. It provides detailed graphs and figures that crunch the numbers of how your advertisements are performing and how effectively you’re communicating with the fans on your page.

At first, it may a seem a little daunting and overwhelming, but there’s a few important points to always keep in mind:

Test, test, test!!

There’s no limit to the amount of advertisements you can create. Don’t be afraid to make the exact same advertisement twice and simply change the picture. Change the words you use. Change the page it sends the user to. Change the interests and age groups you’re targeting. Don’t leave any stone unturned. This way, you can see exactly which campaigns are running effectively, and which ones are failing miserably. Simply pause the ones that aren’t doing their job, and leave the ones creating the most impact.

Learn the different metrics

This is super-important. Facebook provides a lot of different statistics on how your campaign is performing. If you don’t know what they mean, or how they affect your results, then learn. It provides you with indicators of why your campaign might be underperforming, and what areas you need to change.

The same goes with the social insights page. It provides a lot of data that could flash warnings for whether or not you’re really charming your fans. Are they participating? Are they telling their friends? Continuously monitor this to see where you can improve!

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A quick read of their story tells us that this brand grew from online blogs and communities, which is not surprising – these guys do it well. Their “about” story is a compelling read – more interesting than most short stories and is a very big contributing factor to the success of this brand. So I decided to investigate how exactly they came to achieve so much activity online and why their customers are so passionate. Black Milk have the right combination of elements needed to be successful in social. They are:

1. A Sincere And Captivating Story

2. A Specific Identity Or Niche

3. The Peacocking Product

4. They Are On The Right Social Media Channels

5. Unique Way Of Using Social To Benefit Their Brand

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So how is this event handling itself on social media? It will be interesting to take a look at how the superbowl itself is conducting it’s social media leading up to the event.

Twitter

Follow @SuperBowl on twitter, as well as ten different official hashtags, including #SuperBowl,#superbowl46 and varions including various team names, to get the latest information on the matches when you’re not near a streaming device or unable to get to a television. This is a great medium for fans to connect to the Superbowl via their mobile phones as well as make commentary on the games live while watching tv.

Stream

The first Super Bowl officially to be streamed live through NBC and NFL.com. You no longer need to be watching the superbowl via TV or cable, the game is a click away at NBC.com for free. The official NFL website also offers an audio pass during the game. These can be accessed virtually anywhere there’s an Internet connection, but it is not compatible on all devices so check beforehand.

Facebook

Every social media events needs a Facebook page for coverage of the Super Bowl. Not only will updates be posted via the official administrators there will be sure to have many fans posting their take on the game via tags and comments. Also don’t forget that your favourite team will also have a Facebook presence so get onto that as well.

Mobile Apps

Mobile streaming will be available through a dedicated mobile application, in addition there is also a free Superbowl guide for iPhone and iPad that allows you to access the live stream as well as follow the game updates and offers a social media dashboard called NFL huddle. The is also a official game program available which summarises the teams journey as was as stats and fun facts.

Google Plus

Google has focused on ramping up Super Bowl coverage, even launching their own pre-game and post-game activities through inside search. From statistics crunching to post-game analysis hangouts, Google has eagerly coordinated a schedule that helps fill the surrounding time, while you’re without action.

One great way to follow the game with Google in real time is to circle up with the team you want to bring home the big trophy. Both the Giants and the Patriotshave very active Google Plus accounts, known for thoughtful interaction with fans and shareable items. If you’re in it for the action, create a special circle with both teams and watch as they share throughout the game. Any way you slice it, Google Plus will make for a great social supplement.

Get- Glue

This is a social media platform that specialises in TV check-ins. Why check in? Get-Glue and the Superbowl is offering great extra material including opportunities to enter in some competitions on game day such as cases of Pepsi for life and behing the scnees photos and videos from the superbowl.

This is a good mix of social media mediums used for this campaign. No longer are people just happy with one, being able to access the event via all these methods ensures that everyone has a chance to participate. Is there anything you think could be done better? Let us know in the comments section below.No Tags

The website is set out like an exclusive nightclub, with entry to different rooms dependent on how many twitter followers you have. If you have less then a certain amount you get met with this message:

The idea in itself is great because it rewards those that have spent time building their online reputation and influence and making it “exclusive” means that those that are influential will be wanting to share to further show their status online. Little gimmicky tactics such as letting you know who you share the night club with. Once you get into the more exclusive rooms you can expect to be mingling with celebrities and such.

This website was a rising fad of the time and now probably is not as highly visited as when it first came out, but the concept still intrigues me and what this concept can mean for marketing campaigns.

Share with me how you will use this concept to create a marketing campaign?No Tags

What about the Hub

The social data hub is a platform that partners can input data in and determin which action and activity will be relevant for the content and how the actions will help them achieve their goals. For example dig will input their action as “dig” and that it is equivalent of a “share” of the content.

This data is then accessible by Google analytics so marketers can better understand which platforms are working and which are bringing them value.

Who are the current partners

Google is kicking this off with a respectable list of partners:

• Delicious
• Digg
• Diigo
• Gigya
• LiveFyre
• ReadItLater
• Reddit
• TypePad / SixApart
• VKontakte
• Google+
• Google Blogger
• Google Groups

Even though the major players such as Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn have not yet confirmed their involvement the aim of the announcement is to entice more to partner. The proposed benefit of being involved is that by providing their data to GA, marketers and publishers will more easily be able to see the value of social media to their business, prompting them to use/spend more with their networks. We hope that the major players do participate and contribute to the dream of higher transparency between social activities and revenue.No Tags

Here’s a peek at the new designs for the brand pages Twitter will be implementing soon, along with a redesign of their web interface and mobile apps.

Twitter’s business page solution allows brands to customise and enhance their presence, featuring their most important content and having space for lots of cool graphics and imagery to be prominently placed on screen. Room for new headers and promoted tweets ensure that as a business/brand on Twitter, your message is tailored and highly visible to the audience you are trying to attract.

I’m a fan of all things pretty, and this definitely fits that category. I look forward to seeing how it fares in terms of functionality.

Do you use Twitter for your business or brand?No Tags