This Week in Social

Facebook wants your expected child, Google+ should be fatest growing social network, Old Twitter is dead, Germany wants Facebook's facial recognition features halted, Sports stars using social media and Foursquare self service pages

Facebook gives option to add expected child as family member

 

Facebook members have been able to add other members of their family to their profile for some time but the new option allows the addition of an unborn child. This feature gives parents the option to add a due date and even name the child. Apparently too many parents were creating “illegal” fake profiles for their yet unhatched offspring and setting their age to 13, with this being the legal age to use Facebook.

You can read the story from TechCrunch.

 

Google+ now has 25 millions active users

In just one month, Google+ has captured 25 million visitors, making it the fastest social network to reach such a number. Growing at around 1 million users per day Google+ has outshined Facebook, which took three years to grab 25 million people, and Twitter, which took a little more than 30 months to reach that level.

You can read more on Google+'s rate of growth at Mashable. 

 

The Old Twitter is dead

Back in June, Twitter announced that they would be decommissioning the old platform from 3rd of August. While the new version has been out since last September, users still had permission to use the old version if they chose to, until now. May you RIP Old Twitter.

More about this story can be read at Media Bistro.

 

Germany claims Facebook are breaking EU privacy laws

A German privacy expert has claimed that Facebook's facial recognition software is violating German and European Union laws. Facebook uses individual biometric data that allows users to locate new friends after discovering their identity. The feature 'recognises' faces in photos so that you can connect a face in a photo, shortening the tedious tagging process.

All Facebook continues with a good article about this topic.

 

Sports stars in need of social media training

Joey Barton's public bust-up at Newcastle has resulted in the midfielder being transfer-listed for free. It has highlighted the impact social media can have on a professional athlete's career. After questioning his own club's transfer policy on his personal Twitter page, Newcastle United have issued him with a two week fine. The current Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew, admits he risks being seen as a dictator by his disgruntled players after firing a warning shot at his Twitter-mad squad - a legal letter designed to stamp-out the kind of cyber-ranting that has left Barton's future on Tyneside hanging by a thread.

 

Foursquare pages are now self service

Foursquares business pages are now self service, meaning that brands can now independently update their profile pages on the located based service.The updates make it easier for brands to publish information for consumers such as discount promotions and photos, via their Foursquare pages. For more information please visit Foursquare blog.

 

The Man Without a Face

Below contains a mini film that is play on The Man Without a Face that was created by writers and directors Dan De Lorenzo and Ben Stumpf, promotes the merits of being “untaggable,” which seem to include writing with pens, coming up with words sans Google and understanding why men and women like each other.

Have you still been using the Old Twitter? Would you update your Facebook family with an unborn child? Should sports stars be told not to use social media for their outbursts? Do you feel that your privacy is at risk with Facebook facial recognition? Please leave your comments in the section below...

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This Week In Social:

Facebook App for iPad revealed, The White House brings back the Rick-Roll, Google+ traffic falls, Sergio Aguero tweets his arrival to Manchester City and Twitter will add flagging option to links

 

iPad Facebook app found hidden inside iPhone app

TechCrunch didn't waste any time getting hold of the Facebook iPad app that was hidden in the iPhone app update, they even took a dozen pics and showed off the app that Apple fans have been craving. The app makes the Facebook experience far richer and more in-depth, such as giving happy snappers out there access to direct uploads to their iPad.

You can read the story from TechCrunch here.

 

The White House tweets out a Rick-Roll

You may remember the craze of RickRolling that even YouTube got involved with on April Fools 2008, it was where your friend sent you a link and instead of seeing a trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV you got Rick Astley's greatest hit Never Gonna Give You Up. 

The official White House Twitter account posted this response to David Wiggs regarding fiscal policy, "@wiggsd Sorry to hear that. Fiscal policy is important, but can be dry sometimes. Here’s something more fun tinyurl.com/y8ufsnp". 

This garnered a lot of attention by the mainstream press such as the BBC but most importantly got positive retweets and mentions from Twitter.

 

Google+ traffic sees first fall

It has been reported by Mashable that the latest social media craze Google+ has seen a dip of 3% in traffic. Not only that, users average time on the site has also fallen by 10%. This is the first time that Google's latest social product has seen a stumble in terms of growth. Last week in social showed that Google+ had reached 20 million users and was first to reach 10 million out of the major social media platforms.

 

Sergio Aguero tweets before official announcement from Manchester City

Twitter is often first for breaking news but in this case, Argentinian superstar footballer Sergio Aguero broke the news that he was signing for Manchester City before any official announcement. The player had a arrived for a medical but Manchester City had said that talks were still ongoing. This tweet from Sergio Aguero was retweeted by many fans and was used by news outlets to announce his signing.

You can read more about the transfer here on MCFC.

 

Twitter gives option to flag tweeted links

After seeing an unfortunate but predictable rise in spam links that are not safe for work on Twitter, there has been an option added to flag links so that other people will get a warning before they click it. This will help to reduce the power of spreading viral links that try to scam individuals or just aren't suitable for certain audiences. 

You can read more on Gizmodo.

 

After such a good week for Google+, has it fallen victim to the novelty-factor? What do you think about the option to flag tweets? We think it is an excellent feature because it will help to stop those @ mentions from suspicious accounts we all see from time to time. Will you be counting down the days until the official Facebook iPad app gets approved in the App Store? Please leave your comments in the section below...

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Google+ vs Facebook [INFOGRAPHIC]

Looks like Google+ is turning more than a few heads within the social space, drawing some attention away from the "mothership" that is Facebook.

If, like the majority, you haven't had a chance to explore Google's rival to Facebook yet, Technobombs has put together a helpful comparison of the two services.

If it was a boxing match, going on this example Google+ may just take it on points but the additional features Facebook has make it a tightly contested bout.

Who wins it for you? Will you and your friends be switching to Google+ anytime soon? Tell us in the comments below.

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This Week In Social:

Facebook Chat Announcements, BackType Acquired by Twitter, 2 Million HootSuite Users, Timberlake The New Cowell?, Eminem Sends Fans to Hell & An Elaborate Recruitment Drive

 

Facebooks Big Announcement

Over the last year, the Facebook messages team has been working to make it easier to have one on one conversations with your friends. In November, Facebook launched the new messages, which brings together your chats, texts, emails and messages all in one place. On Wednesday they announced they are introducing video calling and other improvements to chat. The new chat design includes a sidebar that lists the people you message most. Now it's easier to find your friends and start a conversation. The sidebar adjusts with the size of your browser window, and it automatically appears when the window is wide enough.

 

Facebook Group Chat

The group chat announcement comes as an add-on to Facebook’s already existing chat function. When you’re chatting with a friend on your Facebook page, a button allows you to add other friends to the chat. Finally, the company redesigned the chat window, so your Friends list can now vary in size relative to your browser window. A list of friends who are online will appear, as well as those who are offline that you message with the most.

You can read more on Wired.

 

Twitter Acquire BackType

This week it was announced that BackType has been acquired by Twitter! BackType will be bringing their team and technology to Twitter’s platform team, where their focus will be on developing tools for Twitter’s publisher partners. BackType's aim has always been to help their customers understand the value of engagement on Twitter and other social platforms. They also created BackTweets to help publishers understand the reach of their tweets and content, who they are reaching, and how Tweets convert to web traffic, sales and other KPIs.

 

HootSuite Hits 2 Million

See the full gallery on Posterous

HootSuite, the social media dashboard and analytics tool, has reached a new milestone: 2 million users. Invoke Media released HootSuite in December 2008 and it is widely used by individuals as well as organizations, governments and businesses. The White House, SXSW, Zappos and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia all use HootSuite, according to the company. HootSuite hit the 1 million-user milestone in November 2010. Consumers and businesses have shared some 500 million messages to date.

 

MySpace Talent Show

Timberlake reportedly is mulling turning the faltering social network site into a platform to find new talent, possibly through some kind of competition show. While details are scarce, the idea has the potential to become a key part of the future of entertainment – and sounds like a natural step for Timberlake. Between his music career, his well-received role in “The Social Network,” his knack for comedy as seen on “Saturday Night Live” and his Web dealings, Timberlake has become kind of an Internet-era Kevin Bacon, with few degrees of separation between him and the various tentacles of entertainment media.

You can read more on NBC.

 

Eminem Sends Facebook Users to Hell

Rapper Eminem recently released an EP titled Hell: The Sequel with his side project, Bad Meets Evil, a hip-hip duo including Royce Da 5’9. To celebrate, Eminem is launching a violent Facebook game. The aim of the game (developed by Grab) is pretty simple: Become so evil that you go to hell. Users choose an avatar while tracks from the EP play. Then they gain points (by watching music videos and interviews or spending Facebook Credits) in order to buy weapons. Players use the weapons to kill friends. Get enough points and kills, and you get to go to hell.

You can read more on Mashable.

 

Owen Hargreaves YouTube Fitness

Owen Hargreaves has launched a bid to prove his fitness - by posting daily exercise videos on YouTube. The 30-year-old midfielder is currently without a club after being released by Manchester United in May. Hargreaves was plagued by injuries during his four years at Old Trafford, making only 39 appearances after signing from Bayern Munich for £17m. Looks like he could do with some proper shorts though.

You can read more on BBC.

 

Some really cool announcements by Facebook this week. Have you tried the video chat feature? Can Justin Timberlake make a success of MySpace? Will we see social media used more often by job seekers? Lets us know your thoughts in the comments section below...

 

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What is Google+?

So you may have seen a lot of fuss being made about Google's new stab at social networking in the form of 'Google+', which was announced last night.

Following on from the-not-so-succesful 'Buzz' and 'Wave', Google it would seem has a lot of making up to do in the social space. That's an understatement considering the popularity of Facebook; can Google+ ever lay a finger on Zuckerberg's empire? 

We've pulled together some of the chat going on and some helpful vids to give you the lowdown.

What is Google+?

 

What is being said? 

Wired says:

The parts announced Tuesday represent only a portion of Google’s plans. In an approach the company refers to as “rolling thunder,” Google has been quietly been pushing out pieces of its ambitious social strategy — there are well over 100 launches on its calendar. When some launches were greeted by yawns, the Emerald Sea team leaders weren’t ruffled at all — lack of drama is part of the plan. Google has consciously refrained from contextualizing those products into its overall strategy.

That will begin now, with the announcement of the two centerpieces of Google+. But even this moment — revealed in a blog post that marks the first limited “field tests” outside the company — will be muted, because it marks just one more milestone in a long, tough slog to remake Google into something more “people-centric.”

GigaOM says:

One of the reasons why I think Facebook is safe is because it cannot be beaten with this unified strategy. Theoretically speaking, the only way to beat Facebook is through a thousand cuts. Photo sharing services such as Instagram can move attention away from Facebook, much like other tiny companies who can bootstrap themselves based on Facebook social graph and then built alternative graphs to siphon away attention from Facebook. Google, could in theory go one step further – team up with alternative social graphs such as Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr and use those graphs to create an uber graph.

TechCrunch says:

Overall, I’m impressed by Google+ after day one. Of course, like many, I also had fairly low expectations of anything Google tried to do in the social sphere after Wave and Buzz. Still, I used Google+ for hours and kept coming back. And I have a desire to come back tomorrow. That’s never a bad thing.

Google has done a very good job with the early execution. Can they maintain that? Once the novelty is gone, will there be a reason to use it? And will the idea scale — meaning both in absolute size and in terms of moving beyond an early adopter market? Remember, as great as FriendFeed was, it never really went beyond the early adopters.

Of course, you could also make the case (as I once presciently did) that a lot of what FriendFeed was is now being used by hundreds of millions of people around the world inside of Facebook. Google, given its size, will have a similar opportunity to take their concepts to the masses. It didn’t work with Buzz, will it with Google+?

Let’s revisit the question in about a month.

 

Would you make the switch from Facebook to Google+?

social media agency

This Week In Social:

Twitted and LinkedIn Ads, American Express and Foursquare, Skype and Facebook, Foursquare Reaches 10 Million, Klout Comes to Facebook, Google Photosharing and Harry Potter

 

Twitter Ads

After nine months of testing in-stream Promoted Tweets on third party client Hootsuite, reports have surfaced today that Twitter’s head of monetization Adam Bain has been pushing a new in-timeline Promoted Tweets product during this week’s advertiser-heavy Canne Lions awards. To the two of you that this comes to as a shock, one word: Inevitable. Twitter has made no secret of the fact that in-stream Promoted Tweets have been an eventual business model goal since April of 2010. 

You can read more on TechCrunch.

 

LinkedIn Social Ads

See the full gallery on Posterous

LinkedIn today announced that they plan to roll out changes to the advertising platform across LinkedIn which will surface actions from your network, like recommendations and company follows. The focus is to deliver ads that are more useful and relevant to you. Above are a couple of examples that illustrate these changes well. 

 

American Express & Foursquare Team Up

Last March, foursquare rolled out a small test with American Express: link your AmEx and foursquare accounts, spend at least $5 at a local merchant in Austin, and get a $5 savings applied directly to your monthly statement. They have now announced that the partnership is going national. Across the whole country, at select merchants, you can now check-in with foursquare, pay with your American Express card, and get big savings on your monthly statement.

 

Skypes Facebook Integration

With the announcement of Skype 5.5 Beta it has also been confirmed that Skype is continuing to bring people together whenever they are apart by introducing an easier way to connect with family and friends on Facebook. You can now instant message your Facebook friends directly from Skype, helping you stay connected with the people that matter the most to you. Simply use the new Facebook contacts tab within Skype to see when a Facebook friend you want to chat with is online and then start an IM conversation right from within.

 

Foursquare Reaches 10,000,000

See the full gallery on Posterous

This week foursquare reached its 10,000,000th user. This is a massive achievement for the company that already has over half a million brands and companies, and over 10,000 developers taking advantage of its API. The company is also thought to be planning another round of funding as its value is now believed to have exceeded the $1 billion mark.

 

Klout Comes to Facebook

Klout have announced that they're partnering with Involver to allow brands to provide customized experiences to their Facebook fans based on Klout Scores. Besides the number of fans, brands know surprisingly little about who those people are, their potential reach, and have little ability to message them individually. Now, with this partnership, brands can choose to give different offers, promotions, or messaging to fans based on their Klout.

 

Google Photosharing?

Recent reports seem to indicate that Google is aiming to launch a new photo sharing platform called “Photovine”. The reports surfaced from The San Francisco Chronicle that Google secured the trademark “Photovine”. The clever move is predicted to be a small part of a wider strategy to offset the positive growth of the expanding territory belonging to Facebook.

 

Pottermore

JK Rowling shocked and thrilled her fans in equal measure today, with the revelation that her new venture Pottermore was set to feature a wealth of new and previously unpublished material about the world of Harry Potter. Although the author made clear that she had "no plans to write another novel", the fresh Potter material – to be unveiled later this year - already stretches to 18,000 words about the novels' characters, places and objects, with more to come.

You can read more on the Guardian.

 

This week it is all about ads and partnerships. Can Twitter or LinkedIn Ads improve on the Facebook model? What would be your ultimate social partnership? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below...

 

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This Week In Social:

Facebook Secret Project's Unveiled, Google Monitoring, LinkedIn Has Klout, Facebook's Washington Insider, and Tumblr > WordPress

 

Facebook's Secret Photo Sharing App 

See the full gallery on Posterous

TechCrunch have revealed something massive - documents and images outlining what appears to be a new Facebook iPhone app built around photo sharing. With apps like Instagram and Colour exploding onto the mobile scene, it is clear that Facebook is keen to focus on mobile photos going forward.

 

Project Spartan

TechCrunch have also unveiled another Facebook secret project codenamed Project Spartan. They believe it is the codename for a new platform Facebook is on the verge of launching. It's entirely HTML5-based and the aim is to reach some 100 million users in a key place: mobile. More specifically, the initial target is mobile Safari.

 

Me, Myself & I

Google have released a new tool to help make it easier to monitor your identity on the web and to provide easy access to resources describing ways to control what information is on the web. This tool, Me on the Web, appears as a section of the Google Dashboard right beneath the Account details.

 

Measure Your LinkedIn Klout

Klout have this week launched a scoring system for LinkedIn. Once you add LinkedIn to Klout, you'll notice a LinkedIn logo will appear on your profile and your influence on the network will be added to your score. The system measures in a very similar way to its existing Twitter and Facebook metrics.

 

Facebook Hire Former Clinton Press Secretary

The Telegraph reports that Joe Lockhart, a former press secretary for President Bill Clinton, is joining Facebook to oversee the company's international and corporate communications efforts. Mr Lockhart is set to join Facebook next month as Vice President of Global Communications, and represents the company's latest move to enlist Washington insiders.

 

Tumblr > WordPress

See the full gallery on Posterous

According to their respective websites, 4-year-old microblogging platform Tumblr now hosts more blogs than 8-year-old WordPress.com. In January, Tumblr had more than 7 million individual blogs. Whilst there's still not much in it, what is clear is that Tumblr is on the up.

You can read more on Mashable.

 

Lots of exciting developments surrounding Facebook this week. What do you make of their plans? Will you be using Google to monitor your identity? Or are you more interested in your Klout? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below... 

 

We are a full service social media agency