Due to a mixture of out-of-town trips, getting sick, and just plain piling up of work, I wasn’t able to post a social media review last week. But, there’s no need to fret. Although still a slave to seasonal allergies, I’m back with a more aggregated rundown of the interesting stories in social media this past two weeks.
Facebook launches a Subscribe button and Friend Lists
Facebook seems to be taking a cue from competitors Twitter and Google+ with the debut of the Subscribe button which allows users to follow anyone’s profile updates whether you are their friend with that person or not, and Friend Lists which enables users to arrange their various friend connections into lists. Doesn’t this sound familiar? If you subscribe to a user’s updates from someone who is a friend, you can keep track of more than just public updates and can also customize what kind of updates you would like see in your Newsfeed. With Friend Lists, users have the option to put their friends in either the basic, smart, or custom lists (see the differences here) and the lists are directly integrated with the chat and Newsfeed functions. Do you think Facebook is experiencing an identity crisis or is integrating Twitter and Google+’s key elements a smart move? Source
Twitter introduces an analytics tool and serves branded tweets to non-followers
It’s a little late in the game, but Twitter finally releases their own measurement feature called Twitter Web Analytics. The tool aims to give website owners a better grasp of how much of their content is being shared in the Twitterverse, how much traffic is driven to their website via Twitter, and how effective is their website’s Twitter integration. This means A LOT to companies and online marketers (given they are not already using a different tool that provides this insight) because this sheds light on just how beneficial a company’s Twitter activity is. Another new Twitter offering that greatly affects businesses, is branded tweets for non-followers of the brand. Last month, I blogged about the introduction of Promoted Tweets which allows brands to place their tweets at the top of their followers feed (take note: you must be a follower of that brand to see the tweet). This restriction has stunted Twitter’s revenue growth so now they have announced that brands can inject ads into users’ feeds, even if they are not brand followers. This is definitely great for companies wanting to advertise on this platform, but as a user, I would hate to get “spammed” ads from brands I don’t care for. Wouldn’t you? Source
100 million is the magic number for both Twitter and Klout
Twitter has reached 100 million registered, active users. Announced in a blog post, this milestone also marks five years since Founder Jack Dorsey aka @jack sent his first tweet to only seven followers. Twitter has definitely come a long way since then. Coincidentally, Klout also announced their 100 millionth Klout score via blog post. This means two things at minimum. First, there are 100 million Twitter users who identify the importance in engaging with social media, enough to actively tweet. Second, there are 100 million people who are strategically looking at their performance and influence over various social media mediums. Two years ago, I would start the day reading the paper versions of the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and WWD before going out to produce a video news story to be published at 6:00 P.M. when I used to report for an online publication. Now, I start my day reading news from the WaPo and NYT Twitter feeds and tweet my blogs and videos at any time of the day. Obviously, Twitter, and social media in general, has changed the way I consume and produce information. How has social media changed the way you communicate?
