The social space online changes rapidly. Feedback stays on top of emerging media news so you don’t have to. Here are the must-read social media articles of the week for the week of October 16th.
Apr
14
14
LinkedIn’s Facebookization
Team Zuckerberg has received another shot across the bow at its ubiquitous “Like” button.
Jan
03
03
A foundation is laid for “Selective Connection”
Like any other member of the early-adopter subset of users out there (yes, I count myself as one), I try to get my name onto as many social networks I can just to get to know the latest up-and-coming technologies. I sign up, test ‘em, then continue on or throw them out after a few weeks. Each network – and there are dozens – gets a fair shot at earning my approval.
I’m presently putting a new social network, Quora, through its paces. So far, so good. It’s all part of my interest in seeing what works for people and businesses/clients -and what doesn’t.
I recently reviewed a social network called Path that bills itself as an “anti-social network” of sorts wherein it limits a user to 50 friends. I like it and continue to use it, and recommend you do, too. And after a few weeks of use, I’ve come to realize that digital services that require a user to selectively limit their friend list to a small number of connections must be getting the idea from other networks, where such friend-limiting activity happens naturally.
At Feedback, we call this phenomenon “Selective Connection.” Take LinkedIn, for example.
Where Facebook has now become the primary network that enables friends to find each other after losing touch with one another over time, LinkedIn has become a quiet network for business professionals.
Most users typically keep their personal profiles on other social networks separated from their LinkedIn profiles for good reason: it’s a professional network for the purpose of being professional. Nowhere on LinkedIn do you ever anticipate that photo of you doing a kegstand to appear. Instead, it’s the place where you can share your talent and skills, learn more about others, and make recommendations and engage in meaningful professional discussion.
The limitations that a user has come to expect on LinkedIn were welcomed in business world much faster than Facebook’s more casual usage and customs. Sure, LinkedIn has integration with Twitter accounts to allow for cross-posting of content that might have something to do with your job. But overall, LinkedIn is kept pretty civil.
So you might start to wonder, why hasn’t Facebook come in and taken command of the online business networking scene? Can’t Facebook flip a switch and do that?
Of course not. Well, not presently, anyway.
A recent conversation that I had on Twitter concluded with the revelation that the social graph online has been replicated from what has long existed outside of the Internet: Some people keep work at work, while some might want to keep home at home.
How Facebook operates right now on a fundamental level is drawn straight from the actions of promoting someone that you just met to a level of friendship. As Facebook continues to grow, the assumed action and reaction of sending and accepting a friend request is slowly solidified as the proper etiquette.
A separate network, LinkedIn, exists for those who feel that they don’t want to share what might appear on their Facebook profile with those at their workplace or potential employer. For those who don’t want to share every particular photo with all of their Facebook or Twitter followers, there is a network like Path.
And there will be more to come, as closed-circle networks and selective connection becomes one of the latest darlings of the new media industry. While it seems like a niche market, closed-circle social networks continue to grow and become successful. LinkedIn might be a closed or specialized network with the most amount of visibility, but smaller online venues could influence the direction that networks are taking in 2011 and beyond.
-Brad (@bcarr)
May
14
14
Anna and Heather’s Social Media Picks of the Week – Higher Education Edition (05/14/10)
Seth Godin, author, blogger and CEO of Squido.com, recently blogged about the “Coming Meltdown in Higher Education” (as Seen by a Marketer).” Some of his insights certainly provide food for thought:
- Most undergraduate college and university programs are organized to give an average education to average students
- Accreditation isn’t the solution, it’s the problem.
- One reason to go to college was to get access. Today, that access is worth a lot less.
His article has sparked lively conversation online and with those on both sides of the fence. The conversation has been, at the very least, interesting and entertaining to read.
OSU built a strategic social media presence on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn and multiple Twitter accounts. What’s “Powered By Orange?” Here’s the answer from the PBO website:
“It’s you – the network of alumni, students, faculty, staff, friends and fans connected to Oregon State University. It’s the positive impact you make every day in Portland and beyond – on the economy, the environment and the community. Use this Web site to tell your story and connect with the other practical idealists who are Powered by Orange.”
Since the campaign’s launch, enrollments have soared, first-time donations by alumni are up and visits to the OSU website have grown exponentially. Luanne Lawrence, OSU’s vice president of university advancement said that they are letting social media drive their decision making,
“We stripped our budget and rebuilt it. It was the hardest thing we had to do. Fifteen to twenty-five year-olds are rebuilding every aspect of the industry, and I’m listening to them.”
Watching the Web Watch the UVa Murder Case
In a time of tragedy and a lot of questions left unanswered regarding the death of UVa’s women’s lacrosse player, Yeardley Love, social media seems to have found a way to respond with patience and maturity. The sports blog, Deadspin, known at one time for its vindictive and unprofessional posts, proved a firm and respectful grasp of the situation by shutting off comments on the UVa story when they veered towards bad taste.
Editor, A.J. Daulerio said, “It was more a message to think a little bit more next time around.”
There also wasn’t a single negative comment to be found when a Facebook page was set up in Yeardley’s memory. Instead, there has been an outpouring of compassion towards Love. The number of likes on the Facebook page jumped from 4000 to 13,000 within 14 hours … and two weeks later, there are over 66,000 likes.
Social media addiction: Worse than you think
One student blogged the following: I started to feel isolated and lonely…By 2:00 pm I began to feel the urgent need to check my email, and even thought of a million ideas of why I had to. I felt like a person on a deserted island…. I noticed physically, that I began to fidget, as if I was addicted to my iPod and other media devices, and maybe I am.
Two hundred University of Maryland students agreed to live 24 hours without any social media – no cell phone, iPods, or computers. The results of this study actually found that students suffered from the same physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms as alcohol and drug addicts when they went without social media and their cell phones for 24 hours.
Self proclaimed middle-aged, balding college President learns valuable social media lessons
President Brian Rosenberg of Macalester College has never blogged, tweeted, and he’s not on Facebook. However, as he stated, he learned first-hand how new forms of social media “have more potential to connect audiences across both generational and geographic boundaries than do virtually all previous forms of communication.”
After a seemingly innocent, self-parodying video on YouTube, “President’s Day at Macalester College” initially designed to engage alumni reached over 40,000 viewers on YouTube and annual fund donations spiked, the self non-technology savvy college president has had a change of heart:
“I have begun to learn about the nature and power of the social media that are reshaping the way we communicate with one another and should be reshaping the way organizations of all kinds communicate.” – President Rosenberg
-Heather (@HMillar13) and Anna (@alucas9)
Nov
13
13
Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Week (11/13/09)
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:
Google’s Holiday Gift
Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure this holiday season, the Internet provides a great way to kill time at the airport, especially when it’s FREE. This holiday season, Google is giving the gift of wifi. On Tuesday, Google announced that they were offering free wifi in 47 airports across the nation, November 10, 2009 through January 15, 2010. View the full list of participating airports here.
Tweet on LinkedIn
Last week, LinkedIn was testing out a redesign. This week, they’ve forged a partnership with Twitter. Now you can update your LinkedIn status on Twitter, or update your Twitter status on LinkedIn. View some tips from Mashable on how to get more out of LinkedIn here.
Gaming Gets Social
We’ve heard news that social networking features were in the process of being integrated into Xbox Live. In fact, the new Facebook and Twitter feeds will be available for Xbox Live next Tuesday, November 17, 2009. View a preview video here. What we didn’t know until it was leaked this week was that social networking features are most likely coming to PlayStation 3 as well. Although Sony declined to comment, there are still claims that Facebook may soon be available on PlayStation 3.
Follow & Wave
What was a Twitter trending topic for part of Thursday has become one of my picks of the week. On Thursday, Google added a “follow” feature to Google Wave. Now, you can follow or unfollow public waves you’re interested in and receive updates as they happen. Learn more from the official Google Blog here.
Control Your Groups
I have a few issues with Facebook Groups. First off, deleting a group is a hassle. If you want to delete a group you created, you have to remove all admins other than yourself, delete every member of the group, and then leave the group. Second of all, if you are the only admin and you leave a group, anyone can swoop in and take over admin responsibilities. The second scenario was proved all to well when hundreds of Facebook groups were highjacked. Luckily, they were only temporarily taken over by Control Your Info. Their goal: to stress the importance of controlling your information on Facebook.
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Anna’s Social Media Picks of the Year – 2011
by FeedbackIt’s been quite a landmark year for connectivity, social media and technology. Here are my recommendations for the best of “the best of’s” for 2011:
Twitter Topics:
Numerous current events were discussed on Twitter this year, some of which even broke on there first (such as the Osama bin Laden announcement). Here are the news items that topped the Twitter trending list:
See Twitter’s year in review here.
IPO Mania:
This was the year of IPO buzz. Social media companies that went public in 2011:
Speculations circulate that the IPO trend will continue in 2012 with the likes of Facebook and Twitter.
Top Tech Stories:
CNN selected their top picks for tech stories in 2011. Here are their 10:
Click here to read the full article.
The 2011 Social Media Timeline:
Social Media Today put together a timeline that makes it easy to recap social media accomplishments throughout the year:
What’s next?
Tech Guru’s share their opinions on what they think the online future holds:
Next year – from CNN:
In 5 years – from IBM (Covered by techworldnews):
2011 has been an innovative year and 2012 looks as if it won’t disappoint. Happy New Year!
-Anna (@alucas9)