Good afternoon, one and all, and welcome to today’s edition of Five for Friday!
Pre-IPO Facebook buzz dominated our feeds this week – guess everyone’s getting excited (or not) about the “Big Day.”
As we head into the weekend, we thought we’d share a handful of headlines that caught our eye – please read on…
A new study conducted by the Harvard Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab suggests that using Social Media platforms to talk about oneself engages portions of the brain that are responsible for love, pleasure and rewards. Curiously enough, these are the same sections of the brain that are active when having sex or enjoying a good meal. The good feeling that is associated with posting about oneself explains why 80% of the average user’s posts consist of self-disclosure. It might also explain the growth and success of Social Media… (Source: TODAY Health).
Facebook has quietly resurrected their App Center, taking a second (or is it third?) crack at introducing an online marketplace in the mold of the iTunes App Store or Google Play. Expected to go launch in the weeks ahead, the App Center would feature a host of free and paid (!) apps designed for the Web, iOS and Android operating systems. For Facebook, the appeal of a centralized marketplace is clear: it give users more ways to stay on the Network for longer periods of time, it serves as an additional source of revenue AND it gives Facebook a new carrot to dangle in front of marketers… (Source: Facebook Developers Blog).
Young adults across the world are starting to feel the burn from maintaining their Social Media profiles, according to a new survey. Over 50% find it all “too time consuming” and concede that their activities on these channels have had a negative impact on their jobs and studies. Nearly half (47%) of the respondents said that managing their Social profiles felt more like a chore while a significant number admitted to logging on while on dates (13%), while in bed with their partners (11%) and even during intimate moments (7%)… (Source: TODAYonline).
In response to increased interest in cloud-based file-sharing, Facebook has introduced a new feature for members of Facebook Groups. First reported by Mashable, the service – which leverages technology and assets purchased from Drop.io in October 2010 – will facilitate the sharing of large files among an estimated 380 million users… (Source: LA Times).
In a bid to pull more users away from Google, Microsoft is rolling out the most significant revamp of its Bing tool since the service debuted in 2009. Leveraging its relationship with Facebook, Microsoft plans to introduce a slew of new features that will personalize the Search experience and make it even more relevant to users. The new format will incorporate three columns: search results on the far left, a snapshot of related services in the center and Facebook connections on the far right. The snapshot column is designed to help users take actions (like “RSVP” or “buy”) while the connections (or “friend”) column will allow users to post questions to their contacts while they’re conducting their searches… (Source: eWeek).
So what would you add to the above? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!
Happy Friday Star Wars Day, everyone, and welcome to Five for Friday! Our RSS feeds were glowing hotter than a lightsaber this week – lots of Social Media news to share! Followed are a few of the headlines that caught our eye:
A near majority of consumers – 93%, in fact – believe that companies fail to exceed their customer service expectations. According to American Express’ updated Global Customer Service Barometer, businesses would do well to over-service those who use Social Media to resolve issues: not only are these individuals more vocal when sharing their experiences, but they spend 21% more on Brands who deliver… (Source: American Express).
Before a committee of industry representatives, White House VIPs and members of the U.S. Senate, the Federal Bureau of Investigation put forth a controversial proposal that would require companies like Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo!, and Google to alter their code to ensure it’s “wiretap-friendly.” If approved, services affected would include Social Networking, VoIP, Instant Messaging and Web-based e-mail… (Source: CNET).
The results of a new study show that in-store messaging plays a significant role in driving impulse buys and impacting Brand decisions, particularly among Moms. Data shared by SymphonyIRI suggests that these consumers are more likely to be influenced by in-store kiosks (53%), signs or displays (68%) and in-store circulars (30%). Other high-ranking factors included product packaging, discounts offered through shopper loyalty cards and coupons downloaded from retailer or couponing websites (70%), manufacturer websites (65%) and Social Media channels (49%)… (Source: SymphonyIRI).
With so many companies focusing on eCommerce these days, it’s so important to know that the iPad accounts for nearly two-thirds of all mobile shopping sessions, and an impressive 89% of all mobile shopping revenue. With mobile’s share of total retail climbing to 4.6% in March 2012 (from 1.9% in April 2011), this means that the Apple’s game-changing device now accounts for more than 4% of total retail revenue… (Source: RichRelevance).
On Thursday, Facebook made a new feature available to local businesses: Facebook Offers. A self-serve tool that allows for the free and simple creation of downloadable coupons that can be shared via a Brand’s News Feed, Offers was first announced at the fMC back in February. In the time since, it’s been in private testing with a select group. Now open to all, Facebook is hoping Offers takes off for at least two reasons: (1.) it will prove that the Network has the power to drive fans to physical locations, and (2.) it will encourage Brands to spend more on Facebook advertising… (Source: Facebook).
Have a story to add to above? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!
Happy end-of-week, one and all, and welcome to the latest installment of Five for Friday! We thought we’d switch things up this time around and take a look at Social Media headlines in the world of pharma. Followed are a few caught our eye:
Data uncovered in a new survey has found that approximately 33% of consumers use Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to interact with health care providers. When it comes to sharing, age is the most significant factor: more than 80% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 would be likely to share information via Social platforms, while less than half (45%) of those between the ages of 45 and 64 would be willing to do the same… (Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Health Research Institute).
A recent blog post reminds marketers that Social Media can work for all companies and brands, even those who conduct business in highly-regulated industries like pharmaceuticals and financial services. Armed with regulatory knowledge and compliance protections, any client can safely engage in and reap the rewards of Social Media, so long as their agencies have a clear understanding of internal and external policies and build controls around their programs… (Source: Ad Age Blogs).
This week, we came across what we believe to be the first use of Pinterest by a major pharmaceutical company. Built around topics like Business, Sustainability, Innovation and Advertising, Bayer has launched their very own set of pinboards. While engagement with other users appears to be limited, the Company seem to be experimenting with the platform as a means of driving traffic to its other online properties… (Source: Pinterest).
Built around their “Parkinson’s More Than Motion” program, UCB has turned to Facebook to launch a new US community for patients and their families. Designed to help those affected learn more about the range of symptoms associated with the neurological condition, the campaign will feature what the company says is a unique series of reality videos showing real families living with the disease… (Source: Facebook).
Posted as an attempt to plead with the FDA to allow her to use a trial drug known as pertuzumab, a highly personal video proved to be a powerful tool for a mother dying of breast cancer. In the clip, bed-ridden subject Darlene Gant holds a letter to her son. Beside her are several others: one written for his 12th birthday, two more for his high school and college graduations and another for his wedding day. In the clip, Gant explains that she’s writing these letters now, because she doesn’t believe she’ll be around to mark these milestones. Within days of her post, the drug’s manufacturer reached out to her doctors to work out the details of a trial which would fall under the parameters of compassionate use. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Darlene… (Source: YouTube).
What stories made waves for you this week? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!
Welcome to this week’s edition of Five for Friday, everyone! For those of you who followed the world of Social Media these past few days, news of Instagram’s acquisition by Facebook was hard to miss. Whether or not the popular mobile app will be “ruined” in the process remains to be seen. For now, we’ve chalked it up to another smart move by everyone’s favorite Social Network and predict that more will follow. But we digress… followed are a some of the other stories that caught our eye:
In an effort to improve functionality, the engineers at Google+ have treated the growing service to a significant redesign. Unveiled via Google’s blog, this latest revamp was designed to make the tool easier to use. Among the changes, a tweaked navigation menu that lets users move or hide apps, conversation cards that allow users to highlight important discussions, a dedicated hub for Hangouts and an Explore page for finding trends within a one’s Network… (Source: Google | Official Blog).
A new Nielsen report has found that online consumers place the most amount of trust in earned media (92%) and the least in ads served via mobile devices (29%). Opinions posted online were also found to be popular (70%), outpacing traditional forms like editorial content in newspapers (58%) or branded websites (58%)… (Source: Nielsen).
Hot on the heels of that blockbuster purchase we mentioned above, Facebook’s board members are being grilled about their next targets for acquisition. According to insiders at SF Gate, the Network is said to be sitting on at least $4 billion, with a few more on the way, money they could easily spend on additional 3rd party apps and services… (Source: SF Gate).
A few weeks back, Tumblr made headlines when they released some rather impressive statistics: according to their data, the platform now hosts more than 20 billion posts and 50 million blogs. Many of these, says the Company, belong to brands and publishers who use the channel as a hub for Social content. This week, they upped their game by announcing a partnership with music service Spotify… (Source: Ad Age).
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson hit the wires this week, for reasons other than those you might imagine. In an attempt to reinvent himself, the one-time pugilist has turned to Social Media where he’s managed to attract some 4 million followers on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. He even posts photos onto Instagram and is among the growing number of athletes to embrace Social Games. Ha, who knew… (Source: Mashable).
So what stories hit your radar this week? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!
Welcome to Five for Friday, everyone – hope you all had an amazing week! Our RSS feeds were practically bursting at the seams with interesting stories this time around – followed are a handful that grabbed our attention:
According to a recent report from Pew Internet & American Life Project, the number of Social Media users in the US has doubled from 2008 to 2010. No longer a “guy’s game,” the population of male users has dropped by 3%, a finding that may present a threat to Facebook’s impending IPO. Related data from Pew has shown that women make up 58% of the Network’s 850 million users… (Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project).
In a bid to increase adoption of its Android operating system, Google is said to be readying plans to get into the tablet business. Hoping to steal share from Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle, the Search giant would likely offer an array of devices, each co-branded, from a range of manufacturers. Companies like Motorola, Samsung and Asus are thought to be among the possible partners… (Source: The Wall Street Journal).
While CPG companies have long embraced tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as new channels to engage customers, financial institutions have been reluctant. A new survey on the Social Media activities of 50 leading private banks found that most had developed “amateurish” strategies, were “hibernating” on Facebook and displaying “tokenism attitudes” to Twitter and YouTube… (Source: The New York Times).
As Pinterest and Instagram continue to burn up the buzz meter, another platform – Tumblr – continues to grow at a remarkable pace. According to the social sharing service, they just hit 20 billion posts, doubling in size in just 6 months. Tumblr’s main audience comes from the US (249 million), followed by Brazil (49 million) and the UK (34 million)… (Source: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/171356/tumblr-continues-rapid-growth.html#ixzz1qd1u1Az6)
Reaction across the Social Web over the murder of Trayvon Martin shows overwhelming support for the slain youth’s family and outrage over his killing, according to a new report. The study also shows that news on cable networks and talk radio displayed equal suspicion over Trayvon and killer, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman who fatally shot 17-year-old on February 26th in what he says was self-defense. Sad… (Source: Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism).
And that about does it for this week’s installment. Have a headline to share? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!
Until next time – have a great weekend!
Happy (almost) weekend everyone, and welcome to Five for Friday! As usual, we tracked lots of chatter in our digital world this week, from conversations about gadgets to discussions about interesting new start-ups and everywhere in between! While narrowing down headlines to just a handful is always a challenge, we tried our best to ID a few that we thought you might enjoy. Followed are this week’s picks:
A new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that 18% of teens send and receive more than 200 texts on an average day. 12% text between 101 and 200 times a day. The average number of texts sent or received each day grew 20% from 50 in 2009 to 60 in 2011, when the survey was conducted, with a large portion of the increase attributed to teen girls. Other demographics increasing their usage of texting include boys of all ages (from 30 texts per day in 2009 to 50 in 2011), African American teens (from 60 to 80 per day) and Hispanic teens who, as heavy users, were found to send and receive an average of 100 texts per day… (Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project).
Finnish multinational Nokia has applied for a patent on tattoos that would vibrate when your phone rings or your battery runs low. Made using ore-infused inks, the tattoos would detect magnetic fields and “sense” when your phone was ringing. To dismiss the alert – which the company says would feel like a “tingling sensation” – the user would simply have to scratch their arm. According to Nokia’s patent the tattoo would be inserted under the skin, meaning users would need to have a “minor surgical procedure” if the technology was upgraded. Hmmm, I’ll pass… (Source: InformationWeek).
The results of a new MocoSpace survey suggest that the term “mobile gaming” may be a bit of a misnomer. According to the report, it turns out that quite a lot of us are more than happy to game when we’re not on the go: 96% of the consumers polled were found to play mobile games at home at least once a day; among those, 53% in bed. More than 52% admitted to playing for more than an hour a day; 32% more than three. In related news, Rovio’s latest installment of the Angry Birds franchise – Angry Birds Space – was just released. There goes my weekend… (Source: MocoSpace).
According to several sources, the launch of Apple’s newest iPad contributed to the Company’s biggest sales weekend. In all, an estimated 3 million units were sold in just three days. Continued fervor around the device has led the Street to reconsider its predictions for the device’s market share growth: one firm is forecasting as many as 66 million units sold in 2012. By 2015, they expect that number to reach 176 million… (Source: Various).
In their efforts to better screen candidates for employment, some companies are taking more than a simple glance at the Social profiles of applicants and asking them to supply usernames and passwords for a closer look. Companies that aren’t after such details have taken other steps – like asking hopefuls to friend their human resource managers or to log in via a company computer during an interview. Reacting to the legality of the practice, a former federal prosecutor called the very idea “an egregious violation of privacy.” What do you think? (Source: CBS | MoneyWatch).
So what did we miss? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!
Happy Friday, everyone, and welcome to this week’s better-late-than-never edition of Five for Friday! On this, the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, we recognize that we’re probably standing in the way of your celebrating, so we’ll cut right to the chase with our picks for stories worth sharing:
This morning, Apple-addicts around the globe gathered to brave long lines in hopes of securing a new and highly-coveted iPad to call their own. The device, described as “more evolutionary than revolutionary,” boasts a number of improved specs including a larger screen, Retina display, a 5-megapixel camera, faster processor, iTunes/iCloud integration, support for nearly 600,000 apps and optional connectivity to 4G LTE networks… (Source: Various).
In an attempt to streamline the look of their profile pages, Pinterest has just undergone a significant makeover. The redesign – which Social-types had anticipated for some time now – is meant to help users better connect with each other and content more freely. The new layout bears more than a passing resemblance to Facebook’s new profile pages – coincidence? Hmm… (Source: Various).
According to BlogHer’s Women and Social Media in 2012 report, the influence blogs have on a woman’s purchase decisions is likely related to the amount of trust she places in the information and advice she encounters. Among those polled, 98% we found to trust the information they received from blogs, even ahead of Facebook (86%), Twitter (85%) and Pinterest (85%)… (Source: BlogHer).
CNN is reportedly in talks to buy Social Media news site – and personal favorite – Mashable. For those unfamiliar, Mashable tracks a wide range of topics related to the digital and emerging media space, covering companies that range from start-ups to key players… (Source: Various).
Findings from a new study suggest that sharing too much information via profiles on Facebook and Twitter is the number one way Social Media can cause stress in a relationship. The runner-up? Tagging your “ex” in a photo… (Source: FOX News).
So what headlines grabbed your attention this week? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss! In the meantime, Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!
