Social Media Sum-Up

Social Media Sum-Up

I didn’t realize it had been well over a week since my last post, but moving our office location put me behind. So, this post will be a summary of what’s been happening this week in the social media world. 🙂

Facebook

As if Facebook didn’t already have millions ‘like’-ing this and that, the company recently added the ability to ‘Like’ users’ comments. That’s right. Now when your friends leave a witty comment on another friend’s status update, you can let the world know you like their comment enough to ‘Like’ it on Facebook.

Twitter Places

Twitter launched their new ‘places’ feature last week.

After months of rumors and hinting, Twitter has unveiled its major new foray into the world of geolocation, Twitter Places…

…Twitter Places can be explored and will reveal a list of recent, public tweets from that location. Twitter will also show you nearby locations and points of interest, including restaurants and shops.

Twitter Places will be integrated with Foursquare and Gowalla as well.

For more info on Twitter Places, read Jolie O’Dell’s post on Mashable.

Google Voice – “in short, less annoyances and more awesomeness.”

Google Voice is now available to everyone in the U.S., which means you don’t have to wait around any longer for your invitation to arrive. I’ve been using Google Voice for a couple of months now and have really enjoyed it. What I like most is the fact that I can miss a call and immediately receive a text and email of the missed caller’s voicemail transcribed a la the Google Voice robots. Sure, some of the transcriptions come out a little botchy, but they usually make me laugh.

There’s a great video about Google Voice, as well as more details on this great tool, that you can check out over on Mashable in Christina Warren’s post.

Stuff I Like

Stuff I Like

I love reading tips from bloggers who have ‘made it’ in the blogosphere. You know, the ‘big guys’ like Chris Brogan, Guy Kawasaki and my favorite social media blogger, Pete Cashmore.  These guys (and many others) know what they’re doing and their blogs are read by millions every day.

While working on a couple of blogs for work this morning, I came across several posts from Chris Brogan that were very useful. The first post offers suggestions and helpful hints on how to blog almost every day. Brogan offers tips like:

Find 20-40 minutes in every day to sit still and type.

Get the post up fast, not perfect. You can edit if you have to, later.

Mix things up by sometimes blogging on paper first.

As the sole person responsible for my company’s in-house marketing, I am in charge of posting on several blogs and have been working on a better schedule for my daily blogging efforts. Brogan’s thoughts on this, as well as his blogging secrets are great for people like myself who sometimes hit blogger’s block.

I also like peacocks, but that story is for another day…

Facebook CEO: “We’ve Made a Bunch of Mistakes”

Facebook CEO: “We’ve Made a Bunch of Mistakes”

What? Zuckerberg is admitting they made a mistake concerning Facebook’s repeated privacy changes? No way!

In his first comment since the privacy controversy of recent weeks, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that the company “made a bunch of mistakes” and wants to “get this stuff right this time”…Today’s concession isn’t a public apology; rather, Zuckerberg replied to a private e-mail from tech enthusiast Robert Scoble, who then requested permission to reprint Zuckerberg’s response on his blog.

Zuckerberg’s reply has some merit to it: Facebook wants to respond to the dust-up with a product fix. Rather than simply telling users what he intends to change, he’d rather go ahead and make that change.

Check out Pete Chasmore‘s post on Mashable for Zuckerberg’s full reply.

Posted using ShareThis

Foursquare Gets Mainstream Exposure on “The Today Show”

Foursquare has scored itself another partnership, this time with NBC’s The Today Show. Foursquare users who head to 30 Rock this summer for the Toyota Concert Series on Today will be able to check in, earn badges and compete for mayorships. The Today Show has its own branded Foursquare partner page that you can also visit to get music tips and other assorted information.

Check out the show clip and Christina Warren‘s full post on Mashable.

Coming Soon: Twitter Business Center

Earlier today, Mashable confirmed with Twitter that they have begun beta testing with what they are calling the “Twitter Business Center”.

Basically, this new business center will allow businesses to utilize the power of Twitter even more so than they currently do. Features include customizable profile pages, the ability to add a “Verified Account” badge to their profile, extra preferences to help reach customers, and multiple contributors (think HootSuite Team).

Check out the article from Mashable Co-Editor, Ben Parr.

4 Ways Foursquare Can Improve Your Workplace

I found the following post on Mashable this morning and shared it immediately because it has such valuable information for businesses regarding the power (and persuasion) of social media networks like Foursquare… Hours later I’m just now editing my initial share to include a little blurb and my own thoughts. 😛

4 Ways Foursquare Can Improve Your Workplace

It’s amazing how fast a social network can catch on. The most recent example is Foursquare. Co-founder Dennis Crowley recently announced they added almost 100,000 users in the ten days following SXSW. You might be tempted to write it off as a fad, but remember: Twitter started in a very similar way.

For those of you not familiar with Foursquare, let’s start at the beginning. It’s a location-based social network that combines your friends, location and status, meaning it allows me to tell my friends where I am and what I’m doing. The interesting thing about Foursquare is that this happens in a pseudo-game format. When I check-in at places, I get points. After multiple check-ins, I get badges. And I can see how many points I have in comparison to my friends.

While many are talking about the benefits of Foursquare as a marketing tool, don’t forget some of the same concepts can be applied to the internal workforce…

Posted using ShareThis. Read more of Sharlyn Lauby‘s post here on Mashable.

I think Sharlyn’s ‘4 Ways’ are beneficial for any business wanting to get more involved with their employees, customers, and of course the world of social media:

1. Orientation – for students or company employees (old and new)
2. Making Work Easier – for engaging your customers
3. Recognition – I’m the Mayor of 27 places and I love it!
4. Morale – positive work environments = more productive workers

For more workplace tips and great advice, follow Sharlyn on Twitter: @hrbartender

Google Adds App Store for Analytics

We had an extensive SEO meeting at work today, so a headline like this stuck out big time as I was cruising through Mashable. I can only imagine our discussions at work tomorrow on this and its results on internet marketing…

Today, Google is giving users even more tools for finding and understanding their web stats. The company has just announced they’re opening a full App Gallery for Google Analytics…

Apps are available in 12 categories, including business intelligence, campaign management, content, data collection, e-commerce, email marketing, mobile marketing, phone tracking, reporting tools, SEO, site auditing and widgets and gadgets.

Posted using ShareThis. Read the rest of Mashable journalist, Jolie O’Dell‘s post here.

Countdown to OAuthcalypse

Mashable Co-Editor, Ben Parr, recently posted about Twitter’s upcoming move to turn off basic authentication for apps…

In 9 weeks, 3 days and some change, Twitter will turn off basic authentication for apps, making OAuth the only way to connect to Twitter applications. The Twitter API team has even launched a countdown to what it calls “OAuthcalypse.”

Currently, there are two ways to connect to apps: basic authentication, where you provide your username and password to a third party, and OAuth, which allows you to connect to apps without giving away your account information. As part of a move to make Twitter more secure and stable, basic authentication will be removed on June 30th. Apps will no longer be allowed to ask for your username and password.

You can continue reading Parr’s post on Mashable here.

I’m happy to see that Twitter is focusing on making its platform more secure. With Facebook’s recent ‘Instant Personalization’ feature and Blippy exposing users’ credit card information, at least one social network is working with us to be secure online.

Facebook “Likes” World Domination

No need to become a fan on Facebook anymore, just “Like” your favorite business. Start with us! http://www.facebook.com/ebasedEVOLUTION

Facebook “Likes” World Domination

Facebook will host its F8 developer conference this Wednesday, outlining its plans to further its influence across the web.

Those plans include a web-wide “Like” button and a social toolbar for your website, The New York Times reports.

It’s all part of Facebook’s plan to follow you around the web…

Blog post by Mashable CEO and founder, Pete Cashmore (my social media man-crush)

Posted using ShareThis

What Social Media Ad Types Work Best?

What Social Media Ad Types Work Best? [STATS]

As time spent on social networking sites increases, advertisers are funneling more ad dollars into campaigns targeting users on those platforms.

But what type of ads on Facebook or other social networks work the best?

Read Mashable writer Christina Warren‘s full article here.

*Posted using ShareThis