Facebored
It is the social networking phenomenon which has taken 2007 by storm but I have started getting a little bored with Facebook of late. Now that the thrill of connecting with old friends has passed and the days of logging in to a potful of notifications is behind me I’m struggling to get excited by it all. All I seem to get these days or invitations to join the latest application doing the rounds and numerous postings of those annoying chain letter style messages (for the last time, nothing bad is going to happen if you don’t pass it on, no-one is going to delete your profile and you aren’t going to come into any money!). There are a few friends who I contact through it which make the process of logging in worth while but aside from that its all a little dull for me now. Maybe I am alone in this feeling? I know for a fact many of my close friends are still wildly addicted to it and if they go a day without logging on they start breaking into cold sweats and having panic attacks. But I just don’t get that feeling of anticipation when logging in anymore. Sure, I still use it, but more out of habit than enjoyment and also the fact I use the internet all day everyday at work so have access all the time. I certainly wouldn’t be too worried if I had to go with access for a period of time though and can’t see Id miss it at all. Maybe this is the start of the great Facebook decline, where the casual user drifts away and only the hardcore remain, leaving thousands of redundant accounts. This is how I see Myspace’s current existence, I haven’t seen their take up figures recently but I would imagine they are in sharp decline, part due to the rise of Facebook but also because they are no longer the flavour of the month and only the hardcore survive. Facebook is a long way from this status as they are still in the stage of sign up growth but they need to keep one eye on the future and think about how to avoid the decline, either that or get out while the going is good. As they say, timing is everything, but I doubt they will ever be valued at more than the current $15 billion so it may be time to cash in.
Marks sets outs stall for Facebook
In last weeks media week Microsofts’s UK head of marketing, Alex Marks, discussed microsofts marketing strategy and attempted to justify the money they had pumped into Facebook. Denying it was a simple land grab and a chance to hold of a Yahoo or Google purchase Mark’s validated the purchase by speaking about how Facebook satisfies a basic human need to communicate and engage with fellow human beings. He also goes on to say how internet behaviour is becomingly increasingly commnuity based seemingly suggesting that the future of the internet lay in propoerties such as Facebook. Apparently we are no longer talking about social networking sites but social utility sites much more than quirky communication tool and are becoming a tool for managin offline relathionships online. With the sum totoal of its wares so far the exclusivitiy of banner advertising on Facebook Microsoft has a long way to go before they convince anybody that they got a bargain for their £118M stake.
Tags: facebook, microsoft, aquisition
Facebook remove the is
Its finally happened after a long period of speculation. Facebook have removed the “is” from the status option. I speculated a while ago about what they may replace it with and I have to say I’m disappointed they went for the easy option and just removed it all together. I would have liked to have seen some imagination used into what it could be replaced with they have gone for the safe option and simply removed it.
To "is” or not to “is”
It was reported on the social networking weblog today that Facebook is finally bowing to user pressure and using the “is” from the Facebook status function.
I have been wondering how long this would take to occur since the massively popular pressure group was set up within Facebook’s own network campaigning for it to be removed. It has not happened yet and there is no indication of when it will happen but it will be interesting to see what it will be replaced with.
An obvious option would be to remove the verb all together and allow the user to write whatever they want after their name. But another option could be to have a drop down list of verbs to choose from when setting your status so that there is one for every occasion. This way the Facebook traditionalists (if there are any!) can continue to use the “is” yet those wanting more flexibility should be able to construct whatevere status they wish.
Tags: facebook, social networking
To "is” or not to “is”
It was reported on the social networking weblog today that Facebook is finally bowing to user pressure and using the “is” from the Facebook status function.
I have been wondering how long this would take to occur since the massively popular pressure group was set up within Facebook’s own network campaigning for it to be removed. It has not happened yet and there is no indication of when it will happen but it will be interesting to see what it will be replaced with.
An obvious option would be to remove the verb all together and allow the user to write whatever they want after their name. But another option could be to have a drop down list of verbs to choose from when setting your status so that there is one for every occasion. This way the Facebook traditionalists (if there are any!) can continue to use the “is” yet those wanting more flexibility should be able to construct whatevere status they wish.
Tags: facebook, social networking
Kylie enters the social networking arena
It was reported today on the New Media Age website that Kylie Minogue is to launch her own social network KylieKonnect.com alowing her fans to interact with one another.
One KylieKonnect fans will be able to create personal profiles, make new friends and hold conversations with one another. ![]()
They will also be able to download Kylie tracks via 7digital and mobile ringtones of their favourite Kylie tunes. And on upon joining the site Kylie will be their first friend!
The article claimed Kylie is going head-to-head with Facebook and MySpace which is a little creative license from the author but it is an interesting development. I would be intrigued to find out about the additional functionality of the site above and beyond what can be found in message boards on other fan sites and it will be interesting to see how it is adopted by her fan base. It is certainly something which could be picked up on by other artists if it takes off could be the first of an influx of people trying to ride the social media wave. Im not sure I will be rushing off to sign up just yet though!
Engaging the social phenomenon – does it work for everybody
November 2, 2007, 11:14 am
Filed under:
bebo,
facebook,
myspace,
social media,
social media promotion,
social networking | Tags:
bebo,
facebook,
myspace,
social marketing,
social mediaSocial media and networking is the new buzz word in online marketing and everyone wants a slice of the action. It could be through blogging, customer discussion or other means businesses are sitting up and taking note of the power of the social internet community. But does it work for everybody?
This is a question I asked myself in the face of a company who were very keen to enter this sector and asking for guidance. The problem is that people take this buzz word, hear the hype around it and decide, “we need to be doing social”, without thinking about what that means to them as a company. I imagine what they think it means relates to myspace, facebook and bebo, but how do you engage these audiences when you are selling something which doesn’t fit, pensions maybe, of life insurance. That’s not to say that some of the audience would not be interested but the vast majority aren’t going to be.
The first question a company should ask itself is, “does my product fit with social media? What am I going to achieve by getting involved?” If the answer to the first question is no, then stop, look for other ways to achieve your goals.
This example relates directly to the common perception of what social media involves, i.e. social networking sites. When looking at the broader scope of social it may be you can find a small element which will work for you, customer discussion boards, integrated blogging, community engagement, they are all forms of social media and all have a use. Social media has a much broader reach than the websites people automatically quote when the phrase is uttered. So look further afield, engage an social media expert and take their advice on board. And at the end of the day, if social media isn’t for you, walk away. Just because something is the flavour of the moment, doesn’t mean its going to taste sweet to everybody.
Facebook to Integrate with Live Search?
October 25, 2007, 11:04 am
Filed under:
acquisition,
facebook,
microsoft,
msn,
purchases,
search engines,
social media,
social media promotion,
social networking | Tags:
facebook,
live search,
microsoft,
social networkingFollowing Microsoft’s $240 million investment in Facebook for a small slice of their pie rumours are rife about this deal paving the way for the integration of live search functionality within the social networking site. The inflated valuation of the small stake is undoubtedly an attempt by Microsoft to keep Google at bay but could also be an indication that there is elements of the deal which incorporate an agreement to have live search integration. If this is the case then it could be a good investment for Microsoft as they have struggled to achieve any significant share in the search market place and the volumes available through their paid search platform have disappointed advertisers since its release.
The benefits to Facebook come from the simple fact that users would no longer need to leave the site to perform a search and so would spend more of their timeon the site, thus increasing appeal to advertisers. Oh, and theyve probably negotiated a revenue share on the money generated from Facebook based searches too. The only question that remains is will people using Facebook actually want to perform a web search? Well Myspace and Bebo both have the functionality, powered by Google and Yahoo respectively, so logic would suggest there is something in it. Whether thats worth $240 million, only time will tell.
How the search function may look:
11 Guidelines to Social Media Success
Some top tips on Social Media from SEW. I think the message from these is pretty clear, if you want to engage the social audience then you need to be sociable. Don’t invade their space unless you plan on contributing to it.
- Know your audience / Pick the right social media site to target – This is first for a reason. You need to know what type of audience uses a given social media site. If you are interested in marketing to seniors it may not make sense to spend too much time on MySpace.
- Discover their needs – Study the site and learn what type of content prospers in their environment. This acts as a second check to tell you that you have targeted the right social media site, and it also tells you something about how to present your content within their environment.
- Learn the lingo and value system – This is just important. According to Rob Key, who spoke on Wednesday, each social media site begins to develop their own unique dialect. If you don’t understand the basic dialect, you will stick out like a sore thumb to the regular users of the site.
- Make friends – In particular, make friends with the influencers on the site. On a site like Digg, these are the top 100 users. The best way to do this is a corollary to the next point – add value to that power user. Comment on their stuff. Reference their stuff from your site, or in comments elsewhere. Suggest related things to them (that is not your own content).
- Add unique value to the community – Become a member. Social media, oddly enough, is social. People who take, and don’t give, are not popular in any social community. Note that adding value does not mean contribute your own stuff. Find other people’s great stuff and contribute that.
- Don’t self promote – There are almost no social media environments that are keen on self promotion. Even if the site terms of service say that self promotion is OK, the community itself tends to frown on it (this is true on Digg and Reddit, for example.
- Make sure the information you provide is accurate – Don’t be lazy about fact checking. Make sure your contributions will stand the examination of hundreds or thousands of people looking at it. You don’t want to be outed for providing lousy info.
- Be transparent – This is another biggee. If you are saying something about a company that you have some association with, be open about it. You definitely do not want to be outed for this either.
- Be patient – The big wins may well take some time to achieve. You are going to need to make up front investments to become a part of the community and figure out how to fit in. The right way to get the content you are trying to promote on the community site varies by social media site, but following the above guidelines will cause the people who come to know you to start following your stuff. You can also learn from them what is appropriate for that particular community.
- Be prepared to let go – Once some of your content is taken into the community, the community will begin to redefine it. This is one of the trickiest parts of social media. However, if you have created something of value, this metamorphosis is extremely powerful. Those who participate in these actions will begin to take ownership for what they have created – and they will drive the success of your content / brand for you.
- Don’t spam – The above points should already make this clear, but social media communities tend to be very fast in acting on spam. Just don’t go there.
The Rise of Social Media
June 27, 2007, 12:12 pm
Filed under:
bebo,
ebay. myspace,
facebook,
hitwise,
social media,
social media promotion,
social networking,
you tube,
youtube I anyone needed convincing of the rise in popularity of social media and the impact it has has on the web then the recent Hitwise news letter should provide it. Bebo has just overtaken ebay in the search term share rankings and the top 10 search terms contain 5 terms relating to social media sites, with two of them being youtube. This just goes to show the prominence this sector now has in the market and the opportunity it holds for those who can adopt it to suit their objectives, whether that be through advertising or participation.
The top ten search terms (as tracked by hitwise) for the 4 weeks ending 9/6/2007 are:
- bebo 1.14% share
- ebay 1.11% share
- youtube 0.52% share
- myspace 0.37% share
- argos 0.24% share
- facebook 0.23% share
- amazon 0.22% share
- bbc 0.17% share
- you tube 0.16% share
- bbc weather 0.15% share
