Feb
05

Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Week (02/05/10)

by Feedback

Do you have time to search the web everyday to find the newest and coolest social media tools? If the answer is no, then you have come to the right place (and if the answer is yes, leave a comment with your favorites). I have searched the World Wide Web for social media information all week, and stumbled upon a few favorites along the way. Here are my picks of the week:

Super Bowl & Social Media:
This Sunday is marks the 44th Super Bowl. & from a social media perspective, this Super Bowl is unlike any other. Pepsi decided to create a large social media campaign in place of a super bowl spot, companies, such as Coca Cola, are using social media to generate buzz around their Super Bowl spots and the NFL is even getting fans involved socially. The NFL created hashtag #SB44, and if you tag your Tweets and Flickr photos with this, it will show up on the official NFL site’s SB44 Page.

Facebook Redesign:

This week, Facebook began rolling out a major homepage redesign. Changes include:

  • The notifications bar has moved to the top menu
  • The left menu is now used to display friends content
  • Search is being emphasized more
  • Easier to view photos, send/receive messages, chat, and interact with gamesRea

Read more from the Official Facebook Blog.

Hovercards:

On Wednesday, Twitter began rolling out a new feature to help improve user experience. Named Hovercards, this feature allows you to see additional information about a user just by mousing..ehem..hovering over the username. You will be able to see the users bio, whether you follow them or not, and easily interact with them all without leaving the page you’re on.

Happy Birthday to Facebook:

On Thursday, Facebook celebrated their 6th birthday. In Zuckerberg’s blog, he wrote: “Facebook began six years ago today as a product that my roommates and I built to help people around us connect easily, share information and understand one another better.” It has grown from that to a global, massively popular networking site. Today, over 400 million people use Facebook.

Bravo & Foursquare

Foursquare is teaming up with traditional media. This week Foursquare and Bravo TV announced a partnership. On Monday, Bravo began offering specialized Foursquare player badges for players who visit any of the 500+ Bravo locations (the locations are based on select Bravo shows.) Bravo also plans to offer incentives and prizes for viewers who participate. It will be interesting to see if other advertisers follow suit and how such badges will change the make-up of Foursquare.

-Anna (@alucas9)

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Jan
29

Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Week (01/29/10)

by Feedback

Do you have time to search the web everyday to find the newest and coolest social media tools? If the answer is no, then you have come to the right place (and if the answer is yes, leave a comment with your favorites). I have searched the World Wide Web for social media information all week, and stumbled upon a few favorites along the way. Here are my picks of the week:

iPad:

On Wednesday, Apple had their much anticipated press conference, where Steve Jobs introduced apple’s latest product, the iPad. Here’s the facts:

  • 9.7 inch display
  • Runs iPhone apps
  • Can be used as an eReader
  • Holds music, photos, and movies
  • Has Wi-Fi capabilities
  • Comes in 3 different memory sizes
  • Starts at $499

The verdict? Well, according to Twitter, it’s split down the middle. A study from Trendrr revealed that 48% of tweeters reacted positively to the iPad unveiling & 52% did not.

Twitter’s Local Trends:

After a test roll out last week, Twitter has finally made local trends available to all. As of now, everyone can view trending topics for 15 different cities and 6 different countries. So, if you want to see real time results of what’s trending in D.C., or even Brazil, now you can. Worldwide trending is still available, and Twitter is working to get more locations added to the list.  Learn more from Twitter’s Blog spot here.

The Facebook Friend Study:

An interesting study documented this week says our brains can’t keep up with the amount of friends we have on Facebook. It’s similar to a study done in the 1990’s known as Dunbar’s number, which concluded that the human brain is only capable of managing friendships with 150 people. The study is now in the process of being done again, and this time it’s taking online relationships into account, such a Facebook friends. The preliminary findings are out, and the interesting thing is that it appears nothing has changed…our brains are still only capable of maintaining 150 relationships- be it online or offline.

Data Privacy Day:

Yesterday, January 28, 2010, was International Data Privacy Day. Data Privacy Day is a day used to raise awareness and promote online privacy education. Many social media publications “celebrated” by providing a bit of privacy education. AllFacebook has an article on the 5 Facebook Privacy Tips You Need To Know Now, Wired has an article discussing the necessity of safe passwords, and a ReadWriteWeb wrote an article on some of the issues with privacy online.

LinkedIn’s Connection Browsing Updates:

It was announced this week that LinkedIn will soon be rolling out new ways to browse connections. LinkedIn is adding a panel that makes it easier to browse contacts by location, company, or industry. The social networking site  is also tagging connections with keywords, such as “colleague”, “classmate”, and “friend,” and has added an option to browse by recent activity.

-Anna (@alucas9)

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Jan
15

Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Week (01/15/10)

by Feedback

Do you have time to search the web everyday to find the newest and coolest social media tools? If the answer is no, then you have come to the right place. I have searched the World Wide Web for social media information all week, and stumbled upon a few favorites along the way. Here are my picks of the week:

Haiti Relief

Since disaster struck Haiti this Tuesday, with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, social media has become a huge mechanism for disaster relief. Here are some ways social media is involved in helping:

- There have been over $5 million in donations to the Red Cross for Haiti, via Text Message

- Facebook pages and groups have rallied support, such as Facebook’s new Global Relief Page

-Google donated $1 million to Haiti Ground Support

- Word of mouth spreading via Facebook and Twitter users

Google Considers Pulling out of China

In December, Google’s infrastructure was attacked. The attack, which originated in China, was an attempt to hack email accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Google has now decided to take a new approach to China. At the risk of having to pull out of China altogether, Google has made the decision to no longer censor results on Google.cn. Read the full Google Blog post here.

I’m with COCO

Last week was all about bra color on Facebook; this week, it’s all about CoCo. You may have heard the rumors that NBC was going to move The Jay Leno Show to later in the evening, pushing back the Tonight Show and The Late Night Show. Conan O’Brien wasn’t the only one upset by this decision- his fans have taken to social media to spread their disapproval. “I’m with CoCo” is a Facebook Page dedicated to supporting Conan regardless of what happens with the network…and it already has over 150,000 fans.

Growing Matters

Growth matters to Facebook, which is trying to expand our friend lists. This week, Facebook has made the automatic friend finder front and center on your news feed, showing three of your current friends who have used this feature, in attempt to get you to use it too. Growth also matters to Twitter, which is defending their growth. On Monday, Mashable posted an article showing stats on how Twitter hasn’t grown for several months. On Tuesday, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams tweeted about how usage is on the rise:

“Across all metrics that matter, yesterday was Twitter’s highest-usage day ever. (And today will be bigger.)”

Facebook Criminal Caught

In other social media news, the “Facebook criminal” has been caught. Craig “Lazie” Lynch escaped from a minimum security prison in September 2009, where he was serving a seven year sentence for burglary. After his escape, he taunted police on Facebook by posting pictures and status updates while on the run. It is not known whether Facebook lead to his arrest, but Lynch was apprehended in England on Tuesday night. When he escaped, he had 199 fans, and now has over 11,000 fans. He also had a Page, which has since taken down by Facebook, that had over 40,000 fans.

-Anna (@alucas9)

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Jan
08

Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Week- CES Edition

by Feedback

This week has been all about the Consumer Electronic Show & since technology marries so well with social media, my Picks of the Week are going to be all about CES. Taking a look at the latest and greatest gadgets gives us an idea of where the industry is heading, and gives us many more verticals to incorporate our love of social media into.

Social Circle:

See what’s generating buzz at #CES with social circle. This cool site shows tweets, photos, articles, and more- all relating to CES. There’s a dropdown tab on the site (upper left hand side) that has 4 different categories: Outlook, People, Images, and Timeline. It’s a great way to keep track of what people are seeing & saying about the Consumer Electronic Show.

The Best of CES:

Gizmodo is continuing to update this article on “The Best of CES.” The article highlights some of the best gadgets featured at the Pre-Pre-Pre Show (Monday), Day Zero (Tuesday), Day One (Wednesday), Day Two (Thursday), Day Three (Friday), and so on. With so many gadgets at CES, it’s nice to have highlights of some of the coolest all in one place. Also check out a photo album of the 10 best gadgets chosen by CNET.

Social Media is Big at CES:

Facebook & Twitter may not have an official presence at CES, but according to CNBC, social media has a large presence on the floor at CES 2010. Many of the TV’s, game consoles, and mobile phones that are being displayed are illustrating how social media works with their devices.

Trends at CES:

The show won’t be over until Sunday, but there are already some trends emerging from CES 2010. ReadWriteWeb’s article highlights trends in three categories: Televisions, Automobiles, and Augmented Reality. DigitalTrends.com has also highlighted their Five Top Tech and Gadget Trends at CES 2010:  3D, LED & Connected Television, Tablet PCs and Netbooks, Portable Projectors, eReaders/eBook Players, and Streaming Media Extenders.

Some of my favorite Gadgets:

- Slates- I’m looking forward to these tablets, ideal for travelers, because they can be used as a reading device, computer, or T.V.

-See through Screens- Transparent screens have garnered a lot of attention at this year’s CES- with computers, phones, and media players all sporting the see through look.

-Internet In Cars- A new trend at CES is the ability to access the web from your car dashboard. “My Ford Touch” is incorporating Twitter (and internet radio) into their dashboard. You can have tweets read aloud, as well as send tweets all via voice control.

-What are your favorite CES gadgets? Leave a comment with your picks!

-Anna (@alucas9)

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Dec
22

The Holidays at Feedback

by Feedback

The stockings were hung on the share-bar with care…

Feedback would like to say thank you to all of the incredible support we’ve had over our first few months. 2010 looks to be absolutely amazing and we look forward to the many projects, partnerships and paradigm shifts ahead.

We have lots coming up in the next couple of weeks on the blog as well: a three-part look at tourism and social media from the consumer-level view, more of Anna’s Picks and our December selection for our monthly charity.

For the most up-to-date look at significant social/new/emerging media news, become a Fan on Facebook and/or a Follower on Twitter.

We wish all of our friends, partners, fans, followers, readers and family the happiest of holidays and an amazing new year. We look forward to celebrating for the next twelve months with you!

Sincerely,
Feedback

- Dean (@dbrowell), Jeff (@ideaman) & Anna (@alucas9)

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Dec
18

Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Week (12/18/09)

by Feedback

Do you have time to search the web everyday to find the newest and coolest social media tools? If the answer is no, then you have come to the right place (& if the answer is yes, leave a comment with your favorites). I have searched the World Wide Web for social media information all week, and stumbled upon a few favorites along the way. Here are my picks of the week:

Nexus One:

Information about Google’s new smart phone has been spreading around the web this week. We now know that the name of the phone is “Nexus One,” have photos of what it looks like, and reviews from people who got to test it out. The overall consensus is positive, although the Nexus One does not have multi-touch capabilities.

Cable Online:

Comcast has been working to give their customers television shows on the web since late June. On Tuesday, Comcast successfully launched “TV Everywhere,” an initiative allowing subscribers to watch 27 channels (including HBO, Cinemax, and TNT) online. The best part: there is no additional charge for this additional feature.

Twitter Hacked:

On Thursday, something unusual happened on Twitter. The Screen turned back, and the twitter bird was red.  Twitter…was hacked. One of the world’s most popular websites… was hacked.  Images were changed, and then Twitter and the status blog were taken down. Who did this? A group calling themselves the “Iranian Cyber Army.” Read more about the records that were temporarily compromised here.

Foursquare for Facebook:

Foursquare is now on Facebook. On Tuesday, Foursquare released an app that allows people to check in to locations via Facebook’s mobile app. Having Foursquare on Facebook allows you to automatically share check-ins and gain mayorships and badges on Facebook. As of now, it is only available for Android and Blackberry’s. Expect it on the iPhone soon too, the app request has been submitted, and once Apple signs off on it, iPhone users will be able to use Foursquare on Facebook too.

Keeping Facebook Private:

A lot is changing on Facebook these days. From Facebook wanting users to be more public, to allowing easier updates to Twitter, to testing out Facebook replies via email. With all these changes, and this push towards being more public, I saw it fit to share a few resources on how to stay private. Fast Company has a guide for Three Ways to Keep Yourself Private on the New Facebook, and AllFacebook has a list of 10 New Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know.

-Anna (@alucas9)

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Nov
25

Positive Feedback – November Selection

by Feedback

Richmond, VA – November 25, 2009

Feedback LLC today announced its November ’09 charitable contribution has been sent to the Central Virginia Foodbank (CVFB), a non-profit organization that provides food to 31 counties and 5 cities in central Virginia, including the Richmond Metro area.

“We have been blessed in so many ways and are thankful to be living in Virginia,” said Jeff Thompson, President & CEO of Feedback, “and we want to make sure we are helping others who need a hand. This Thanksgiving, we encourage other businesses in Richmond to contribute to this outstanding organization.” Click here to make a donation. Find them on Twitter here: @cvfbfeedmore.

Each month, a portion of all revenues received by Feedback is donated to different charities around the United States, and the company welcomes suggestions for recipients of future donations.

Feedback LLC is a Richmond, VA-based company providing advanced social media services to leading advertising agencies and PR firms.

-Jeff (@ideaman)

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Nov
23

Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Week- Thanksgiving Edition

by Feedback

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday full of family, food, football…and in this case, social media. I have created a social media guide to Thanksgiving, with 5 picks to make sure you have a tech savvy, and of course, a Happy Thanksgiving.

Tweetsgiving

Bring social media and giving together this Thanksgiving- with Tweetsgiving (@Tweetsgiving). Tweetsgiving is a global celebration created by Epic Change that is scheduled for November 24- 26, 2009. The whole idea is to give thanks using social tools and give back to a common cause.

You can participate by attending a gratitude party, spreading gratitude on the web, or by hosting a house party: http://bit.ly/1VoyKS

Tweetsgiving in Richmond through Social Media Club: http://tweetsgivingrva.eventbrite.com/

Football

There are tons of free, pro football apps (the one I use is Pro Football Live) that you can get scores with- so you won’t have to miss a touchdown while at the table on Thanksgiving.

Also, NFL online has your Football guide for Thanksgiving day. Here’s the line-up:

Packers Vs. Lions
12:30 pm on Fox

Raiders Vs. Cowboys:
4:15 pm on CBS

Giants Vs. Broncos:
8:20 pm on NFL Network

Black Friday

If you love technology as much as I do, you’ll want to know what deals are out there on all the latest and greatest high tech gadgets…especially on Black Friday.

To find technology related deals, and any other deals on Black Friday, check out any of these websites:
Blackfriday.info
Crunchgear.com/bf09
bfads.net

Want to find deals via your iPhone? If so, you can download TGI Black Friday (free) or the Black Friday Wish App ($3.99).

Thanksgiving Recipes

I’m sure your Thanksgiving menu is almost complete, but if you find yourself in need of a last minute recipe, you can turn to Facebook or your iPhone for help.

The Food Network on Facebook has a whole page dedicated to recipes for Thanksgiving. You can even “attend” an event called “RSVP for Food Network Thanksgiving” and get special planning tips and recipes.

There are also tons of apps you can download for your iPhone, such as
Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List (Free) or iCooking American Celebrations ($0.99).

Embrace Thanksgiving, Socially.

Are you a fan of Thanksgiving? If so, literally become a fan…on Facebook.

Love Turkey? Follow @Butterball on Twitter.

Other ways to embrace social media on Thanksgiving:
• Send your friends and family special Thanksgiving wishes via Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace
• Post your favorite pictures from Thanksgiving on Flickr
• Check-in on FourSquare while running around on Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Anna (@alucas9)

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Nov
20

Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Week (11/20/09)

by Feedback

Do you have time to search the web everyday to find the newest and coolest social media tools? If the answer is no, then you have come to the right place. I have searched the World Wide Web for social media information all week, and stumbled upon a few favorites along the way. Here are my picks of the week:

Flip for WiFi

If you like taking short videos and uploading them onto YouTube or Facebook, you’ve probably heard of Flip Cameras. Heck, you probably own one. Well, hopefully you’ll Flip for this: their cameras just got even better. In early 2010, a new Flip, with built in WiFi, will go on the market. So, now when you don’t feel like plugging in to the computer to upload your videos, you won’t have to.

Upload with Ease

Find adding photos onto Facebook a hassle? Well, Facebook addressed this issue on Wednesday when they announced that they were rolling out a new and improved photo uploading process. The new photo upload tool, which is just a prototype for now, gives you a preview of the upcoming replacement.

If you’re not excited to upload an album onto Facebook, maybe you’ll be excited to upload a video onto YouTube. On Thursday, Google announced that everyone now has the option to add captions to their YouTube videos automatically.

The Google Phone

Google is in the process of creating the latest android phone. Although details are still slim, we do know that they are creating and manufacturing a phone that will compete with the likes of iPhone and Droid. & According to sources, it’s coming soon. For more “well-sourced rumors,” read this TechCrunch article.

Foursquare Adds Fifty

Foursquare is a social game/application that is gaining popularity. Mashable has even named it “The Twitter of 2010.” Another thing Foursquare is gaining: ground. On Thursday, Foursquare announced that the mobile application is now available for 50 new cities, all around the world.

Retweet

I heard the announcement that Twitter was incorporating a Retweet action (making it easier for users to Retweet), and saw friends tweeting about how they were using the new feature. But it wasn’t until this week that I finally got to test it out myself. & Now, everybody can try it. On Thursday, Twitter tweeted that the Retweet feature has gone live for all.

-Anna (@alucas9)

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