Latest Reads: Week of June 4
It’s the start of the summer, and I’ve failed miserably at keeping up with my blog. To pretend to make up for it, here are some of my favorite articles from the past week.
Why Twitter Is a Better Brand Platform Than Facebook (AdAge)
I agree with B.L. Ochman’s comments here that Twitter is a better brand platform for Facebook. For brands that are just getting a start in social or even those that hopped on the bandwagon years ago, Twitter brings with it more flexibility, moderation control, and natural audience behaviors that Facebook just can’t give. Connectivity on Twitter constantly shifts between one to many to one to one, where as Facebook makes it difficult to have a one-on-one connection. It’s almost like having a conversation in a crowded party. It gets hard to hear what the other person is saying.
Salesforce.com buying Buddy Media in $689 million deal to boost social-media marketing (Washington Post)
You might be saying, who the hell is Buddy Media and why do I care? Well, maybe you’re right. But for SalesForce customers, this means a nice comprehensive package for social media. It’s like a nice phone, cable and wireless internet service – but better (at least a girl can hope).
Buddy Media founder and CEO Michael Lazerow says, “The idea behind the deal is simple. By combining Buddy Media with the rest of salesforce.com’s products, including Salesforce Radian6, the leading social media listening platform, we will be able to deliver the first comprehensive Marketing Cloud that will allow customers to listen, engage, gain insight, publish, advertise and measure social marketing programs.”
4 Tips to Build an Irresistible App (via @MindaZetlin)
In this post, founder of Catalog Spree, one of the highest-rated shopping iPad apps, answers questions about what makes an awesome app. I completely agree – and stress that app builders need to focus on the first point: understanding the user. It’s easy to get distracted with flashy, shiny apps – but what your users want, how they want it delivered, how their user-experience feels and what value your content brings to them are all questions you need to ask. We lose sight of that so often, yet it’s the most important question to ask: “For who & what?”
6 Social Media Networks to Watch in 2012 [Plus Infographics] (via @JeffBullas)
We all know I love infographics, so here are 6. I don’t think these are going to be new and surprising, but I think it’s a good refresher for those who are still trying to get up to speed on social media adoption and usage. Always something nice to share with these.
Facebook IPO: Can Facebook Beat the Google Display Network in Online Advertising?
There’s been a lot of buzz around Facebook’s IPO and GM’s pull away from Facebook. All the questions lead to if Facebook works. Check out this infographic comparing Google Display Network with Facebook, and who wins out!
Enjoy…
This sloth kind of feels like you should update your blog more frequently.
This slow loris is wondering whether you really needed to write that tweet.
This lion just read your drunken status update from last night.
Images courtesy of 33 Animals Who Are Extremely Disappointed In You
Latest Reads: Week of March 26
Image Courtesy of fracasnoir.com
What a beautiful weekend! I had a great time visiting with old friends and colleagues, and seeing family in Kansas City! Now, it’s Monday and back to reality. To help make your morning coffee a little easy breezy, here a few of my favorite reads from the past week. [Sorry apparently this didn’t publish this morning, #fail]
Pinterest Updates Privacy Policy, Terms of Service (via Mashable)
As you’ve probably heard, Pinterest is updating its TOS and Privacy Policy. So what does this mean? Well, my quick translation is: “Dear Pinterest users, we’re trying to make life simple, so (a) we’re not trying to make money off you, (b) you need to keep it Twilight PG-13, (c) you can pin all your secrets privately, and oh, by the way, we’re up the API soon! Yay! Sincerely, your favorite time-suck, Pinterest.”
The Rise Of The Explainer Video (by TechCrunch)
Overview videos are a great way to share your visual/audio elevator speech! If you can’t explain how your product works in a brief video, you have bigger problems. Also, we spend a lot of time talking around things, but overview videos give you a step-by-step look at how something works, making it immediately actionable. Who doesn’t want that?
Clever App Finally Cracks the Code for Facebook Dating (via Mashable)
If you saw the latest infographic on online dating [Does Online Dating Work], you know that survey results state 27% of couples say they met through mutual friends, and 38% through work or school. So, it may not be a surprise to you that Huffington Post alumni Rob Fishman and Jeff Revesz launched a matchmaking app for Facebook this week designed to help you meet your friends’ single friends. Genius or just creepy? Guess you’ll have to see for yourself!
Five Ways to Optimize Video for Search Engines (via Entreprenuer)
Search is not dead, even though sometimes we seem to forget about it! Here are some great ways to optimize videos for search engines. These are great tangible and quick tips that really can make a difference in video views. Let me know how it works for you!
7 Best Interactive YouTube Videos
I love an me an interactive YouTube video! Check out these videos, enjoy and let me know which one is your favorite.
How Tech and Social Media Are Changing Travel [INFOGRAPHIC]
Sticking with the theme to share an infographic each week, here’s this week’s infographic on how social media and technology have changed how to plan for, document and catalog our travels!
Latest Reads: Week of March 12
Here are a few of the latest reads for this week. Happy reading!
More than half of consumers ‘overwhelmed by brand messages’ on social media (Ragan’s PR Daily)
I appreciate the top highlights in this study that was published by Ragan. If you read nothing else, here are the findings that were spotlighted. If you are engaged in social media on behalf of a company’s brand, DON’T POST every day, give people something meaningful, and more than anything – keep it simple.
- 40 percent of respondents felt that brand promotions are too complex to enter;
- 20 percent felt incentives are not worth the effort;
- 75 percent said that one or two Facebook messages per day is too much to receive from a brand;
- Nearly 40 percent don’t want to share brand interactions with friends
- 20 percent proactively post messages to brand pages.
15 Most Frequently Asked Questions by WordPress Beginners (WP Beginners)
I love WordPress, and I loved these FAQs! Hope this is helpful! Want a blog or Website? I enjoy BlueHost’s How To Use WordPress tutorial too! Check out the Playlist.
What People Are Pinning on Pinterest (Mashable)
By now, you know I love Pinterest (Pinterest Infographic; What’s So Awesome About Pinterest). Well, the latest article shares what eople are posting. Top categories for posting are Home (17.2%), Arts and Crafts (12.4%) and Style/Fashion (11.7%). No big surprise there!
A Store in Your Pocket: Retailer Mobile Websites Beat Apps among US Smartphone Owners (Neilsen Wire)
The latest Nielsen study shows that smartphone users prefer to visit mobile sites rather than mobile apps. As more and more companies start thinking about how to use mobile technologies, I always urge for mobile optimized sites, rather than creating dozens of apps! Ask yourself, what makes your app something a user can’t live without. If you can’t answer it, maybe you should wait.
Infographic: How To Train Your Employees To Handle Your Social Media (MindFlash)
Arming employees to use social media in a way that is safe for the company and safe for them is a critical project for me in my current role. Once I roll out, I’ll be able to share some of our results and best practices on my blog, but for now – enjoy this infographic from MindFlash!
Latest Reads: Week of March 5
Lots of fun announcements this week, and upcoming next week. Here are a few of my favorite latest reads.
Facebook Timeline for Brand Pages NOW (via Social Savvy Geek by @SocialSavvyGeek)
This week, Facebook announced that they were rolling out Timeline for Brand Pages. If you haven’t seen it, log into your Facebook page and do a preview. Also check out Mashable’s Facebook guide and Facebook’s guide to Pages.
Why Should a Social Media MBA Exist and Why the Corporate World Needs to Take Notice (via Neal Schaffer)
I’m happy to see this article by Neal Schaffer from Windmill Networking about the importance and introduction of social media in university settings. A couple of weeks ago, I was at the Food & Agricultural Communications Symposium, working with students on social media execution for a live event, that was also live streamed. It was amazing to see their lightbulb moment as they saw the value of social media (a personal engagement tool). For a follow-up to Schaffer’s Feb. article, check out Part 2: How Social Media is Introduced in Universities.
The Rapid Rise of Pinterest’s Blockbuster User Engagement [Infographic] (via Mashable)
I continue to call Pinterest a time vortex, and looking at the recent infographic on Pinterest’s adoption, I’m not the only one. For any site owner, time on site of HUGE importance, but as we look at not only Pinterest’s unique visitors (nearly 12 million in January 2012), we see continued trending on time on site. Ninety-seven minutes and 48 seconds per user. Pretty incredible! Now, I’d like to see original posting numbers, engagement and transactions!
Beyond Tools, Marketers Must Focus on Content (Jeremiah Owyang, Altimeter)
I always appreciate content from Jeremiah Owyang and Charlene Li. So many times, marketing forgets the meaning behind compelling content. Content becomes a machine-like process, where we develop something brochure-like and boring, and the distribution is through processes we’re comfortable with rather than distribution channels that our readership prefers. Check out the post and corresponding slide deck.
8 Useful and Easy Video Editing Tools (Small Business Trends)
I was looking for an easy and quick video editing software last week and landed on this site.
That’s it for me! Send suggestions if you’d like to be included.
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