| November 5, 2010 |
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- Study: Location services are still barely on the map
Location-based social tools have a long way to go if they want to rival Facebook and Twitter, according to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Only 4% of Web users use location tools, the study found, and on any given day just 1% of surfers log onto location-based services -- numbers that point to the mountain to be climbed by tools such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places. "Sharing one's physical location breaches a personal privacy barrier that many people are uncomfortable with," notes Mathew Ingram. "Facebook may have 500 million users, but even that kind of reach may not be enough to move location-sharing into the mainstream." Adweek (11/4) , GigaOm (11/4)
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- Social-media spat lands food magazine in hot water
Cooks Source, a New England-based food magazine, found itself at the center of a social-media firestorm Thursday after a blogger accused the publication of printing her work without asking permission or offering payment. An ill-advised e-mail exchange between the editor and the blogger quickly went viral, a spoof Twitter account rallied support for the blogger, and thousands of Facebook users inundated the magazine's profile page with outraged comments. Los Angeles Times/Daily Dish blog (11/4) , The Guardian (London)/PDA blog (11/4)
- Europe considers giving social-media users the "right to be forgotten"
The European Commission is considering proposals that would give social-media users the "right to be forgotten" by removing embarrassing online incidents and photographs. The rules would let netizens demand that Facebook and other social sites scrub all trace of shameful incidents from their servers. "Internet users must have effective control of what they put online and be able to correct, withdraw or delete it at will. ... The right to be forgotten is essential in today's digital world," said Viviane Reding, Europe's rights commissioner. Telegraph (London) (11/5)
- Ping makes MySpace looks like a roaring success
Apple's iTunes-based social network, Ping, is having trouble gaining traction with its most important constituency: artists. Ping has 2,000 artist profiles, compared with 8 million artists on MySpace, thanks to Ping's refusal to engage with record labels directly and a byzantine approval process for new profile pages. "Between the lack of Facebook connectivity, low artist count and lack of user interest, in short, Ping seems dead in the water," writes Austin Carr. FastCompany.com (11/4)
- Average consumer follows fewer than 5 brands, study finds
The average consumer is willing, but not necessarily eager, to connect to brands on Facebook or other social platforms, according to a report from communications agency Cone. The average social-media user follows 4.6 brands, the report found, but is more likely to engage with a brand if he or she stands to earn discounts or freebies by doing so. "Attracting new-media followers is like starting a fire -- coupons are your gasoline, and engaging content are the logs that keep the fire burning," notes Mike Hollywood, Cone's director of new media. Ragan.com/PR Junkie blog (11/3)
- Other News
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- How social media can help nonprofits do good
Nonprofits and charity groups are getting increasingly socially savvy, using tools such as Facebook and Twitter to create far-reaching and low-cost marketing campaigns. The best efforts use tagging and hashtagging to keep people engaged and talking, and find ways to connect social-media buzz to real-world campaigns, meetings and volunteer sessions, notes Rich Brooks. SocialMediaExaminer.com (11/2)
- Targeting is key for B-to-B social-media marketers
Social media can be a powerful tool for business-to-business marketers, but only if they take the time to listen and engage with their clients in a targeted fashion, experts suggest. Rather than chattering incessantly, aim to understand what your users need and respond accordingly. "Take the time to respond and have meaningful conversations. That will increase your following tenfold," says Delivra marketing chief Carissa Newton. Mashable (11/4)
- Say the magic word when talking to your CEO about social media
When you're trying to convince your CEO that social media is a worthwhile investment, focus on social networks' potential to generate recommendations, advise Troy Janisch and Mark Anderson. Sales are the amount of water gushing from the tap at any one moment; referrals are the reservoir itself, and as such are a far more powerful and accurate reflection of social media's potential to help your business, they argue. "Referrals are valued by business owners because they result in more sales over the long haul and a shorter sales cycle," Janisch and Anderson note. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (11/5)
