Weekly Wrap Up #16 – It’s all about Facebook
This week in Facebook!
Yes, that’s right. This week’s wrap up is all about Facebook. The mega-awesome, all-inspiring, IPO-releasing (eventually…), Facebook.
Weekly Wrap Up #9
1. Purchasing funnel for the ‘New Social Consumer’
Social media has infiltrated the purchasing funnel, helping consumers make informed decisions, from what to have for lunch to where to go on vacation. Depending on the decision, sometimes you turn to your social graph, and sometimes you turn to Google. What online channels should you be targeting in order to reach the perfect audience for your product? M Booth and Beyond took a look inside the “new social consumer” to find out how they research products and services online. Check out the full infographic at Mashable.
More »
HM&P Speaks at NCTA Meeting
Our own Scott Piggott, Shavette Purvis and Mariana Pinner recently spoke at a North Carolina Technology Association luncheon. The audience was comprised of marketing professionals who work in the technology sector.
Scott opened up by talking about the marketing funnel – influence, engagement and transition – and how social media is apparent at every part of that funnel. Mariana provided a primer on social media, providing tips as well as real-life examples of companies using different social media techniques successfully. Shavette gave an overview of digital analytics, as well as how and when put tools in place to be able to properly measure online the activity and impact of online efforts. It is important not to forget to track the effectiveness of social media and other digital tactics.
It was a great session where everyone seemed to walk away learning something new about the ever-changing on-line world, which relies so heavily on social media and digital analytics.
Weekly Wrap #8
1. Like-Gating: The Art of Reaching the Facebook Masses
Businesses already utilizing Facebook as a key player in their advertising strategy have one more technique to add to their list. “Like-gating” is Facebook’s way of allowing a business to hide content on their page, with the promise that the simple click of the “Like” button will unveil precious incentives and exclusive content. The problem critics see: how will a consumer know if you “like” the business without getting all of the information upfront? See if you would “like” Hubspot Blog’s 5 examples of successful “Like-Gating”.
2. Personal Smart Phones Join the Workplace
Not long ago was the use of an employee’s personal cell at the workplace a taboo. A recent trend brought on by the recommendation of the CTIA shows that this may be happening more often than not. Ragan.com reports that “According to research from 451 Group, more than 70 percent of companies surveyed already allow their employees to use their own mobile devices for work.” With concerns of plan payment and protection of both company and employee privacy, the erasing of phone boundary between work and home may not be as convenient as many want to believe. Although the idea of using your own phone in and out of the office sounds tempting, would you want both areas of your life joined under one number?
Read more here.
3. Do Women Unintentionally Harm Their Own Careers?
As a woman entering the beginning stages of my career, my initial response to the Harvard Business Review article was “Impossible.” Yet with the accompaniment of this week’s discussion on the Today Show, the topic of women standing up for their worth in the workplace, or lack there of, seems to be on of heightened interest. The HBR article looks at a study that cites four “specific low-confidence behaviors” as contributing factors to the unintentional stunt to a woman’s career:
- Being overly modest
- Not asking
- Blending in
- Remaining Silent
For further detail and to see if you agree with the findings of the study, visit the Harvard Business Review blog.
4. Moms Enter the Facebook Mix
I’ve noticed that the majority of my friends have had to face the same dilemma at some point in their social networking lifetime: To friend, or not to friend, your mother on Facebook. Emarketer takes a deeper look into the logistics of mothers using Facebook on a regula
r basis, and estimate that 23 million US moms are on the site this year. With mothers, fathers, and other relatives entering the Facebook world, many users are forced to look at what they post and respond to with more care. Could this social networking mom overload help members finally pay attention to advice social media experts have been preaching for years? With the graphics to prove the mother-to-Facebook rise, lets hope so.
5. Who Is This Siri?
With the recent launch of Apple’s new iPhone 4S has come non-stop discussion of its most coveted feature; Siri. Siri acts as a personal assistant to those operating the phone, answering voice-activated commands and questions. VentureBeat’s review of the new software explains it as “More than a smarter version of the iPhone’s previous voice command feature, Siri represents the first step towards widespread adoption of consumer artificial intelligence (AI). It’s the beginning of something that will fundamentally change the way we live with our computing devices over the coming years.”
See more of what Siri can do here.
Image via - S**t That Siri Says
Spotify In The Battle Of The Music Service
All too often 
I find myself turning to Pandora for a brief mood elevator during my mid-day work crunch. I find what seems to be the perfect channel to suit my exact state of mind at that time, a collection of similar artists ready to be my personal stress- fighting support system. Then, it happens. I’m deep in my music zone when Pandora throws in that one random song you just so happen to despise. No Pandora, if I enjoyed Rhianna’s new drinking anthem, I would have just turned on my radio.
Many users share the same complaint; Pandora’s Music Genome Project – the brain behind deciding what music suits your taste – is often far off. And worse, the same tracks have a tendency to repeat at an obnoxiously high rate. Where is the lover of music and free streaming to turn?
Enter Spotify. An increasingly popular alternative to music sites like Pandora, the downloadable program is made up of a 15 million track database. The free version allows users to listen to any song in their database for up to 20 hours per month for the first six months. Additionally, users can connect to Spotify using Facebook, allowing for easy music sharing between friends. Teaming up with Spotify, Facebook now offers a “Music” tab that enables account holders to see playlists created using Spotify on their profile pages. The music program also lets users post what they are listening to at that exact moment via Facebook ticker. Friends who post their songs to Facebook enable others to open the same song in their Spotify application by simply quickly clicking “play” on any friends’ post.
Twitter also serves as a venue for Spotify music sharing. Right-clicking the track you are listening to opens up a list of options. You can copy the track URL, allowing you to insert it to your twitter feed, or send it to other users. Spotify also gives you the option to directly insert it to your Twitter feed along with a personal comment.
With other sites like Grooveshark, Rdio, and Rhapsody becoming contenders, which free music-streaming site do you go to for your daily escape? Will this open the door for more music sharing via social media outlets? Only time will tell.
Weekly Wrap Up #4
1. Is the iPhone 5 release date just around the corner?
After months of speculation the rumor mills are turning again but this time more credibility seems to loom as an actual date has been set for the highly anticipated iPhone 5 launch. Could it be Tuesday, October 4? According to sources close to the situation, this date has been reserved for Apple’s next big “media event”. While Apple remains silent, per usual, on all accounts regarding a new iPhone launch, these latest details seem to allude to an impending launch. Are you planning on upgrading to the iPhone 5 whenever it’s finally available?
2. Facebook put a Facebook in the upper right of your Facebook so you can Facebook while you Facebook – And now, how to get rid of the annoying new feature…
In its latest set of upgrades, Facebook has rolled out a feature resembling a “Ticker” update box at the top right of the News Feed. The Ticker essentially functions like a Twitter stream, allowing users to see short, real-time updates from those they subscribe to, as well as from friends. Unfortunately, the new feature was not well received as hostile tweets started flying once the public learned of the updates. Notably, the free Chrome extension Facebook Ticker Remover completely does away with the Ticker. If you’re one of the many users annoyed by this update, find out how to remove the Ticker at The Next Web.
3. We’re #1!
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Raleigh, N.C. ranks as America’s best city in the U.S. when it comes to offering a wealth of culture, entertainment, good schools, low crime and plenty of green space. In addition to our 867 restaurants, 110 bars and 51 museums, our city was commended on its “cultural graces” in anchoring three major universities, pro sports teams, Research Triangle Park and a thriving social scene. Learn more reasons why Raleigh was ranked number one as America’s best city at Bloomberg Businessweek.
4. What to do with the Company Follow feature on LinkedIn
Want to know the inside scoop on your favorite companies and their latest updates? You can with the “Company Follow” feature on LinkedIn. Not only does this feature serve as a feed for status and business updates it also serves as a tool to monitor competition for brands and customers. With up-to-date info at the click of a button you can also use this feature as a hiring tool by keeping in touch with employees through open communication.
5. Do you feel like you’re getting duped into spending more at the grocery store on items you don’t need?
Unfortunately, you probably are. Not only have grocery stores been doing this for a while (putting milk and meats at the very back of the store so customers must walk through the entire store to get to necessity items likely picking up non-necessities on the way) but some stores in particular have become even more crafty in their approach to encourage you to buy more. At the forefront of this issue is Whole Foods, a market chain priding itself on selling the highest quality, freshest, and most environmentally sound produce. Learn more about Whole Foods’ multiple deceiving strategies throughout their stores.
Image Credit – BellaBim
Facebook – Trimming The Fat
The trend with Facebook for a while was to connect with as many people as possible. Boost your friend count by keeping up with networking connections, spying on past high school friends, and Facebook stalking random hotties you met at the bar. I first got my Facebook account in college, and at the time it was a great way to keep up with friends and acquaintances because lets be real, in college you never know when you’ll need a ride, find a friendly face in a new class, or a party connection for a Friday night out. But after graduating and joining the real world those needs change, along with the people you Facebook friend.
Recently I’ve trimmed the fat on my Facebook friend’s list. It started when I was closing in on 1,000 friends. I thought, “There’s no possible way I can remember all of these people.” So I started to delete the ones that I couldn’t. This became a once of month, when I’m bored kind of adventure. That is until I posted the following status:
“As I add new friends to Facebook… I feel it justified to delete old ones as it’s almost impossible for one to keep up with 800+ people at one time. Please don’t hate me if you find yourself removed…”
18 comments and 6 likes later, I had been challenged to trim my Facebook friend’s list to 333 people. I received comments that it was inspiring… that it would be liberating… friends encouraged me. But I don’t think most people thought I’d actually accomplish it.
So the epic adventure of unfriending 500+ people within a week began. In three hours I had removed 100 friends, which I posted about on my Facebook wall. This resulted in 17 comments of friends rejoicing that they had made the cut. The first cut wasn’t too hard, I just removed old friends that I had lost touch with, no biggie. The next day, I managed to get down to 564 friends. With each success I had friends begin to take the challenge themselves. By that night I was down to 483, which I had reached after going through all my high school connections and past college friends who I no longer talk to. That’s when it really became tough.
Some may think… who really needs to keep up with 500 people? But I have a lot of friends, coworkers, networking connections, a big family, and all of them are important! Right? I had to sit down on multiple occasions and focus on what friends I’d probably never speak to again. Some people had friend status because I hoped we’d reconnect one day, but the likelihood of that happening was slim to none, so they were removed. Then I focused on my coworkers… do I really want to be friends with my current coworkers? I decided I preferred to keep the relationships professional and they were all removed. I did however, keeppast coworkers as they served as networking connections. Networking connections were prioritized based on what types of jobs I’d like in the future and which connections were in that field. If you weren’t where I was headed…. You were removed. Then I looked at family. Only close family members who I actually spoke to were saved. Random long lost cousins, aunts I’d never met, and people who claimed we were family because we shared the same last name… all unfriended. Hey… if you’re really family, you can figure out another way to get in touch with me.
Alas, I only had another 100 more friends to remove in order to reach my goal. Nobody was safe. Some friends started to offer bribes for safety from the impending removal and I began sweating the next cuts. It took a couple more days but after combing through my remaining friends I somehow managed to cut my list down to 382 friends. I was so close to my goal that I forced myself to make some hard decisions… and cut people who most likely would realize they’d been cut over the next couple weeks in which bitterness will ensue (And it did.) But after all the nail biting, the following status was posted to my Facebook account:
“Take that (friend who challenged me)!!! Not only did I delete enough people to reach the 333 goal… I got it down to 330 Facebook friends!!! For all of you who can read this… You are the cream of the crop. I don’t know why… either you’re a good friend, have funny photos, post things that make me laugh, or are an intellectual equal. But congratulations for making the HUGE cut from almost 1,000 friends to the ELITE 330!”
21 likes and 16 comments from friends breathing a sigh of relief as they realized their spots on my friends list were secure. Other friends were well on their way to reaching the 333 goal for their own Facebook friends list. And I was basking in the glory of my triumph!
So what did I learn from all of this? Manage your resources. Sure it’s great to have 1,000 connections. But hoarding isn’t just keeping random junk in your house until it’s unlivable, it can also be keeping random friends on Facebook until you realize you don’t even remember who half of them are anymore. I don’t miss being friends with many of the people I’ve deleted yet. And if I really need to find some missing link, I can look them up again later on Facebook or Linked-in. A couple people have been asked to be added back, some are taking things personally even though we hadn’t spoke in a year, and I’ve addressed each of them as they come. No incredibly hard feelings yet. You may wonder how I’ll keep my list at 333 as I meet new people. The answer to that was posted in response on my Facebook wall:
“I will issue personalized “You’ve been cut” messages to those who must be unfriended in order to keep the 333 alive.”
Why don’t you take the challenge and trim your friend list down to 333?
Image Credit: Geekosystem
Safety and the Check-In Feature on Social Media
Don’t get me wrong; I play my part in the social media check-in craze. I enjoy the occasional restaurant or venue display linked to my Facebook and Twitter accounts, even more so when I score a deal or promotion. However, when you become a serial “check-in” user, not only are you bombarding our mini-feeds, you’re broadcasting your every move via Foursquare or Facebook Places [Ed. Note - Facebook recently changed their location-based tagging.] for the entire social networking world to see. Not only are these social media overloads exhausting to watch, they are extremely unsafe for those participating.
Checking in and out of places allows a large audience of people – some you may or may not know – to not only figure out your physical location, but also learn your every day routine. Patterns can allow for an easy crime target. Since the launch of these types of networks, there have been a number of reported burglaries associated with the information victims projected into the social media atmosphere.
For instance, John tweeting about his upcoming vacation and then checking in at his local airport, allows every follower he has to know exactly when he has left his home. Those checking into other people’s houses could also put their friends and family at risk. A simple click on your Foursquare app sends out a detailed map of exactly where “Mom’s House” is, allowing her to potentially fall victim as well.
So, the next time you’re mentioning your next moves, keep in mind the risks associated. Privacy settings can only restrict so much – do you really know those 1,423 friends? For information on Foursquare privacy loopholes, check out an article from ZDNet.com.
A PR Lesson Learned
We pride ourselves on trying to always do the right thing for our clients and for the agency. That means being smart, strategic and ethical. And, I am proud to say, we have nothing to be ashamed about.
With that said, it has been very interesting to read about how one of the largest and respected public relations agency’s in the world, Burson-Marsteller, made some very poor choices in an effort to meet its client’s goals and objectives of fighting Google. According to USA Today, Burson consultants “approached top-tier media companies and high-profile technologists, on behalf of an unnamed client, to seed largely unfounded allegations about privacy shortcomings in Google’s Social Circle service.”
But the word got out, and one blogger posted his email exchanges with Burson asking him to put his byline on an op-ed that the agency had ghost written.
And, most recently, Burson’s unnamed client was revealed — Facebook. Now spokespeople from Google, Facebook and Burson are in the news along with any one else connected to this PR effort gone bad.
There will be many discussions about this incident and what can be learned…as there should be. We will certainly talk about it here at our agency. What do you think?
Earthquakes, Revolutions and Social Media
In a world where social media is becoming second nature, it makes sense that sites we use to keep up with friends and family prove useful for organization and support in a time of crisis.
After the most recent earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan, the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office launched an English-language twitter account (@JPN_PMO) to update the world about the earthquake and its horrifying aftermath. The account duplicates the Japanese-language disaster information account (@Kantei_Saigai) but is translated into English. In only eight hours, the account had close to 9,000 followers.
Social media was also recently used to inspire organization in countries experiencing political turmoil. Throughout the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, activists turned to social media to organize protests, and many credit social media for the success of the revolution. According to an article on Miller-McCune.com, a protester in Cairo commented on the phenomenon stating, “We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world”.
By providing new ways to communicate, social media has changed our approach to civic action in a dramatic way and its role will continue to increase as future events occur.
