Five for Friday

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Five for Friday! What a week in the world of Social Media – without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the stories that captured our attention:

Despite harboring doubts over the trustworthiness of information found on Social Media sites, a vast majority of US adults believes that their participation in said spaces makes them more informed and influential as both consumers and citizens. According to a recent survey conducted by insurance giant Allstate and National Journal, active Social Mediaphiles tend to display significantly higher levels of political and community activism (69% versus 49% for non-users); they are also more likely to consult others before buying a product (79% vs. 60%) or change their minds based on the opinions of others (64% vs. 47%)… (Source: Allstate).

Faced with continued economic uncertainty and the increasing popularity of Social Media in the world of small business, a growing number of women owners (50%) are using sites like Facebook  and Twitter to engage customers and prospects. The uptick is extraordinary: prior to the recession, a mere 4% admitted to being “Socially active”… (Source: National Federation of Independent Business).

Reacting to news that Facebook would soon invite users under the age of thirteen to join their Network, a number of online privacy and child protection groups have initiated a lively debate. Though the move has yet to be absolutely confirmed, Facebook did issue a statement stating that use of their service would hinge on a series of “high-level parental controls.” Based on a “continuous dialogue with stakeholders, regulators and other policymakers,” the following options are said to be among those under consideration: connecting these new accounts to those held by parents and giving Moms and Dads the power to decide what their children can and cannot do while on the site… (Source: Various).

Seeking to extend their offering beyond location-based check-ins, Foursquare unveiled a significant redesign complete with a host of new features. According to a company statement, version five of the tool aims to drastically alter the app experience by facilitating deeper connections and interactions. Most obvious is the addition of a “like” button and the ability to aggregate daily check-ins so users can track where they’ve been. User Profiles got a bit of a makeover as well: in addition to hosting user photos and locations, these now include short bios, contact info and links to a user’s other Social Media channels… (Source: About Foursquare).

Following news of a security breach that affected 6.5 million LinkedIn accounts, online dating site eHarmony confirmed that it too had suffered a hack on its password database. In an official blog post, the company said the attack was limited to a “small fraction” of its files and assured all that appropriate steps were being taken to protect member privacy. According to Ars Technica, the passwords were most likely leaked by the same Russian hacker who compromised LinkedIn’s servers. – and it may not end there… (Source: Various).

Have a headline we missed? Share it in the comments below and let’s discuss!