Startup Buddy Media,
a company that provides social media management tools to brands, has raised $2 million in funding from previous investors including SoftBank Capital,
and Bay Partners
. Buddy Media previously raised $8 million
in funding.
Buddy Media offers brand marketers and agencies and all-in-one social media management system to help create, manage and track social campaigns on Facebook and Twitter (the client will also offers functionality for MySpace and other social networks). With regard to Facebook, the platform lets agencies create, manage and track Facebook Fan pages to drive and increase user and brand engagement. Users don’t need to have any prior FBML knowledge to create pages on Facebook and can create sleek and interactive pages fairly easily. Buddy Media’s Twitter Management System, which we wrote about here, lets marketers measure and identify Twitter trending topics around a particular brand, related topics and competitors. You can also track performance and trends for a brand and entire industry across Twitter with easy to view data on followers, mentions, and re-Tweets.
As brands are flocking to Facebook to connect with the social network’s 400 million plus users, Buddy Media’s offerings come in handy. In fact, the startup is was profitable at the end of 2009, and is on track to make $20 million in sales this year. And well-known brands and organizations are using Buddy Media’s platform including Budweiser, NBC’s iVillage, designer Tory Burch, the NHL and the Dallas Cowboys. The platform finished 2009 with 150 clients, and has already added 45 more in 2010 alone. Buddy Media’s CEO and founder Michael Lazerow tells me that the startup is adding around 20 clients per month. And Lazerow says that the company needs more staff and talent to manage this rapid influx of clients. The new funding will be primarily used to hire developers and sales professionals.
Buddy Media’s platform is attractive because it lets marketers and advertisers with little to no technical knowledge create and manage attractive, branded Facebook fan pages, Twitter profiles and more. Of course, Buddy Media has a few competitors in the field including Involver
and CoTweet (which was just acquired by ExactTarget ).
Website: buddymedia.com Location: New York, New York, United States Founded: September 1, 2007 Funding: $10.3M In today’s social media world, every brand needs a Buddy.
Buddy Media, the leading social media company for the world’s largest brands, and with its recently launched the Buddy Media Platform provides brands, advertising, public relations… Learn More
Information provided by CrunchBase
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Buddy Media Raises $2 Million For Brand-Focused Social Media Management Platform
Monday, February 1, 2010
Microsoft simplifies social networking
STAYING CONNECTED: Ooi explaining how Microsoft Windows Live integrates with other social network platforms during a media briefing session in Kuala Lumpur.
By CHONG JINN XIUNGintech@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: Microsoft is latching on to the social networking game and is looking to simplify social networks through its Windows Live online service.
“The problem with social networking today is that there are simply too many options that it becomes difficult to keep track of all your friends in different social network groups,” said Microsoft head of Windows Live for Southeast Asia, Barrie Ooi.
Indeed, today’s social networking environment covers a diverse range of platforms that include Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and many more.
Also, different countries have different preferences for social networking groups such as QQ in China, CyWorld in South Korea, Mixi in Japan and MySpace in the United States.
All in one
“Instead of signing up for different social networking groups just to keep up with your friends, why not simplify your life by viewing everything on a single page?” asked Ooi.
Microsoft’s answer to the social networking dilemma, Windows Live, is projected to work as a central location for users to view all social networking activities in their network of friends.
Microsoft claims that Windows Live Home integrates well with all the most popular social networking platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Flickr.
Not limited to social networks, users can also read blog posts from Wordpress and Live Journal or check out what’s everyone listening to on music services like Last.fm and Pandora.
Extended services
The Windows Live experience also extends to several other services that includes Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger and Sky Drive.
“Windows Live Messenger retains a strong footing in Malaysia as the country’s most popular instant messaging client and we’re leveraging on it to point people to Windows Live,” Ooi said.
The latest version of Windows Live Messenger allows users to check on their contacts’ status updates on the “What’s New” feed on the bottom half of the application.
Possibly one of the most compelling reasons to use Windows Live is Sky Drive, Microsoft’s free online storage service that offers users 25GB of storage space to store and share their pictures, videos and documents.
“It may be hard to believe, but there’s really no catch to Sky Drive,” said Ooi. “Just sign into Windows Live and it’s there for you to use free of charge.”
Package deal
If you like to get your creative thinking cap on, the Windows Live Essential package includes Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker, which is another way to connect and share your photos and movies online.
Windows Photo Gallery works more like an extension of the built-in photo viewer in Windows but allows you to organise and find your photos easier by tagging faces in photos or through tags.
It also features some basic photo-fixing options and a cool panorama stitch feature. Once you are done organising your photos you can upload them directly to your Flickr or Facebook account.
Windows Movie Maker is another free application for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users that allows them to easily create family videos.
Simply select any number of photos and videos that you want and let the software’s handy auto movie maker do the rest, the company said.
Once users are done they can share their videos on YouTube or output in a TV-friendly file format.
According to Ooi, Microsoft isn’t limited to Windows Live alone for its social networking endeavours. There’s also Windows Live Writer, a desktop blog publishing tool that is compatible with most major blogs including Blogger, Live Journal, Wordpress and many more.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Facebook, Twitter becoming business tools, but CIOs remain wary
Social networking hacks: Top 10 Facebook and Twitter security stories of 2009
A number of Web-savvy CIOs are using Twitter to spread their views, engage with colleagues and discuss technology, yet a survey shows that more than half of CIOs in the United States do not allow employees to log onto social networking sites "for any reason" while they're at work. Another survey conducted in the United Kingdom found that nearly three-quarters of the top brands had no official presence on Twitter, despite the service's potential for reaching customers. (See related story, 12 CIOs who Tweet.)
Business users are logging onto public social networking sites far more often than social networks sponsored by their employers, but attempts to block such activity simply will not work, says IDC analyst Caroline Dangson, who researches enterprise collaboration and social technologies.
As workforces become more distributed, and even office workers spend time working at home, people will use personal devices for business use and it will be difficult for IT to make blanket proclamations banning tools as widely used as Facebook and Twitter.
"This concept of trying to control or block [social media usage], it is not going to work," Dangson says. "There's going to be a divide, with some companies that shun public social networks and are fearful of using them, and some who embrace it and take the risk."
An IDC survey of 4,710 U.S. workers in October found that 34% use consumer social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn for business purposes, and 9% use microblogging sites like Twitter for business purposes.
Yet many of their employers are trying to stop them from doing so.
A Robert Half Technology survey of 1,400 CIOs from U.S. companies with at least 100 employees found that 54% completely prohibit use of social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, while at work. Nineteen percent allow social networking sites for business purposes only, while another 16% allow "limited personal use." Just 10% permit use of social networking sites "for any type of personal use."
Some brands have begun using Facebook and Twitter to reach consumers, both to promote themselves and communicate about company failures. Rackspace, for example, has used Twitter extensively to communicate with users after several power outages knocked customer services offline.
But large companies are also avoiding social networking sites in droves. New Media Age, a United Kingdom publication, analyzed the top 500 U.K. brands and found that 74% have no presence at all on Twitter, and just 10% use the site daily.
Dangson believes Facebook is a good setting for businesses to reach consumers, but that there is a greater business opportunity in Twitter, particularly in business-to-business markets, because "everything is public and open."
Twitter "is a fantastic direct marketing tool," she says. "People have opted in to follow you and follow your messages."
Others tout the potential of LinkedIn, another major social network that is business-oriented, and often used to build business relationships and find new jobs.
Users of Facebook and Twitter likely care only about the sites' usefulness, but many financial analysts have wondered how these social networks can create a compelling business model. Out of all of them, LinkedIn may have the greatest financial future, and potential to be acquired by a larger company, says Robert Armstrong, a financial analyst and senior columnist at Dow Jones Investment Banker.
Major Web properties like Google and eBay have been successful because their business model is based upon transactions, he notes. Facebook and Twitter seem to lack that advantage, but LinkedIn is centered around a pretty major type of transaction ? the hiring of a new employee.
Even if you're not seeking a new job, LinkedIn may be the best place for IT folks looking to exchange information with colleagues. An IDC survey of 204 IT decision-makers found that LinkedIn is the best social network for finding information to support IT purchases. Twitter was ranked second, followed by Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube.
Clearly, use of social networks will continue to increase in 2010. Company executives need to accept this reality ? they don't have to take a hands-off, anything-goes approach, but they do need policies governing employee use and a strategy for corporate use, analysts say.
In the next year, CIOs will get more involved, and "we'll see companies writing policies and guidelines," partly to protect workers, Dangson says. Businesses will also increase use of Facebook and Twitter for CRM, she predicts, saying CRM is "the most compelling business case for public social media sites where customers frequently voice their opinions on matters of everyday life, including the brands in which they interact."
Forrester analyst Augie Ray, who studies social marketing, says companies like Best Buy and Comcast are have done a good job interacting with customers on social sites. This is necessary in part because consumers' attention has been distracted from traditional forms of advertising.
"They're embracing it because they have to," Ray says. "Brands that do get it, understand that they can engage with and have a two-way dialogue with consumers."
Companies need a strategy that takes into account who their audience is and how they prefer to be reached, Ray says. Social media efforts can't be half-baked. Starting a company Facebook page, putting a lot of effort into it up-front and then never updating it again is not effective marketing.
Businesses should also have a plan for how to use social media in times of crisis, because Facebook and Twitter are often the most direct ways of reaching customers. The moment a public relations crisis happens is not the time you want to be asking the question "how will we respond?" Ray says.
Companies looking to improve brand image via social marketing also need to be wary of the legitimate privacy concerns their customers may have. Marketers need to be transparent about what data they collect and how they are using it, Ray says.
"As individuals become more concerned about information they're giving up and how they're using it, that's going to have a big impact on companies," he says. "There's certainly some concern in the marketplace and government entities about use of marketing data. ? Marketers just want to be fully transparent, which they haven?t always been."
Privacy and security concerns also have businesses wondering how they can use social networking to improve collaboration among internal employees, without exposing themselves to risk. Companies are wary of employees releasing sensitive information like layoffs and acquisitions.
"The risk that comes with social media is how viral it is," Dangson says. "It's the risk of scale that can work both ways."
That's why many businesses will opt to create their own internal social networks, which can be controlled and open only to employees, and perhaps to business partners.
In 2010, you're likely to hear the phrase "Facebook for the enterprise." Salesforce.com recently announced "Chatter," a social-networking application that is designed for internal business use but can also incorporate content from public social networking sites by taking advantage of the Facebook and Twitter APIs. Therefore, employees can receive in the same feed a mix of private content from their bosses and fellow employees, and public content from Facebook and Twitter that is related to their jobs.
Bruce Francis, vice president of corporate strategy for Salesforce, says he doesn't know anyone without a Facebook account. Eventually, he thinks employees will develop extensive corporate profiles as well, and relationships between the public and corporate profiles will develop.
"The question we are asking everyone is 'why is it you know more about strangers on Facebook than you do about your colleagues and employees?'" Francis says. "You know who has gone to the movies, but you don't necessarily know about when one of your key sales reps has just visited a major account."
Even though many CIOs seem wary of social networking in the workplace, Francis is confident that IT executives will ultimately embrace the trend.
"I think that every CIO is looking at what's been going on with the rise of social networks like Twitter and Facebook," Francis says. "Companies are wondering, 'how can I capture that energy, that relevance, that better way of managing all the information that's important to me, how can I capture that for my company?'"
Just as in Facebook, Chatter allows people and applications to send users news in real time, but the security model will allow IT to determine what types of information employees can see. Salesforce believes this granular privacy control will help assuage concerns businesses have about the security of public social networking sites.
There are also private alternatives to Twitter, such as a service called Yammer, which lets companies create streams available only to their own employees. New privacy controls for Facebook, which have been criticized by many users for making too much information public, may ultimately make it easier for people to present different information to business colleagues and personal contacts.
"What companies are really asking for is a better way to collaborate," Francis says.
Follow Jon Brodkin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jbrodkin
This story, "Facebook, Twitter becoming business tools, but CIOs remain wary," was originally published at NetworkWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in social networking at Network World.
Original story - www.networkworld.com/nwlookup.jsp?rid=196732
Copyright (c) 2010, IDG News Service. All rights reserved. IDG News Service is a trademark of International Data Group, Inc.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
SocialNetworkers and Bloggers
Hello World! »
By jeunelle on Apr 22, 2008 in Social Networkers | 6 Comments
Welcome to my 1st website about Social Networkers and Bloggers.
This website is brand new and obviously in it’s beginning stage with lots to come from topics ranging from Social Networking, Social Networkers, Bloggers and Web2.0
I encourage Social Networkers, Bloggers and anyone well versed on the topic of Web2.0 who would like to be featured in this website to provide their Links if you have an exceptional website that you want considered.
I cannot guarantee that everyone who applies will be placed but the offer is open.
I will be placing a Forum in this website to bring some traffic and interest to the site.
Suggestions are also welcomed and if you have ideas on how this blog can be directed, I’m all ears.
I hope to see this blog become more user friendly or a small community of active participants.
The growth of this blog will depend on you and what you have to bring to the table.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
JomSocial - Social Networking for Joomla!
Create your own
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Create groups. Invite friends.
Send private messages. Comment on walls.
Share photos. Follow updates via activity stream.
Integrate 3rd party components with our robust API.
and much more...
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Fast Pitch! Blog>
It's Great to Be (a) LIVE...
The new Fast Pitch! is up!http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/Take a look:
In fact, we're sending out announcements to all of our members as we speak - giving them the opportunity to be the first to experience the new look and feel of the site, as well as some of the enhancements we've made to our industry leading networking and marketing features.
Here's a brief look at what we've done so far (with more to come!):
- More Dynamic Profile
- Better Integration with Social Media
- Ability to Send Messages to your Entire Network
- Improved Match-Making
- Ability to Create a Watch List for Hot Leads
- Send Direct Mail to Your Network
- Simple to Use Interface
- Enahnced Search Capabilities
One of the first things you'll notice is just how easy it is to navigate the network. In short, we've reduced the number of clicks it takes to get things done. Whether you're updating your profile, looking for ideal people to network with, chat live, send email newsletters, or post and share content... you're most likely only one click away!
For those of you who are uncomfortable with change... we will be offering a series of 'How To' webinars in the coming weeks to help everyone become more familiar with how to maximize your time on the network and how it can help you grow your business. Keep an eye out for those dates and times.
In the meantime, login and 'kick the tires'... Update your profile, make a few connections, add some content about your business and more. Start making your 'pitch' to the world... faster than ever!
Bill
posted by Fast Pitch! at 8:28 AM 0 comments
Grouply Rolls Out A More Social And Customizable Version Of Online Groups Platform
a startup that’s built around creating an managing online groups from Google and Yahoo Groups, is launching a more customizable and social version of its service. Launched in 2006, Grouply was one the pioneers of the socialization of groups and essentially lets users combine features of social networks and online groups, incorporating Google and Yahoo Groups products.
The latest version of Grouply, which currently hosts 1.6 million groups, has been enhanced to provide many more customization tools for Grouply groups, giving users the ability to transform the simple appearance of any Google or Yahoo Group into a modern, sleek, colorful website. Grouply provides built-in themes and well as custom templates that can be tweaked easily and without any programming knowledge.
Grouply is also adding features that make it more like a social network instead of a simple group. Groups will now have social activity feeds, directories, and can also promote their groups through search-engine optimization. Users can also see analytics about groups and user activity. And users can monetize groups by running ads and collecting membership fees, donations and event fees. Grouply collects money via a freemium model.
The platform faces competition mainly from Ning,
which is steadily growing and already launched many of these features. But in contrast to Ning, Grouply is more centralized around Yahoo’s and Google’s group products, which are still alive and well. In fact, Google, which says its Groups service is one of its most popular products, recently rolled out a a deeper integration of Groups as a feature of its enterprise-focused productivity suite Google Apps. Grouply is also planning to launch integration with Facebook and Twitter soon, and will allow users share their Grouply activities with their friends and followers in the two social platforms.
Website: grouply.com Location: Redwood City, California, United States Founded: March 1, 2006 Funding: $2.6M Grouply is pioneering the “social group” — a new type of online community that combines the best features of social networks and online groups. Social groups offer the social interactivity, media sharing, and modern design of social networking… Learn More
Information provided by CrunchBase
