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Facebook buys Push Pop Press: Facebooks?

August 11, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Facebook has announced this week the purchase of Push Pop Press, a fact that raised eyebrows and posed questions about where is the company going next.

Push Pop Press, started by two former Apple employees, Mike Matas and Kinon Tsubteris, aimed to change how the future books will be read. They presented their innovation at a TED conference in  Sept. 2009  by using their first published book, Al Gore’s “Our Choice”. The book provides an interactive experience that has not yet been seen. You can read the book like a traditional book, flip pages in real time. You can tap on the pictures and they will enfold to a full screen, and pinch them down to size. You can watch the pictures turn into videos about what you read, photographed in the actual locations, and you can see statistical information. Not only that,  you can play interactive games with the book, by blowing on the screen to see how fast the wind turbines move in the picture. AND you can do it all instantaneously without waiting for it to download. The book, readable on iPad and iPhone won Apple’s Design Awards.

Now people are wondering what is up Facebook’s sleeve? Are they branching out to new business that is not social media? Are they planning to start making and publishing books? Selling them through their site and competing with Apple, Amazon and Google?

On Push Pop Press’s website it says: “Although Facebook isn’t planning to start publishing digital books, the ideas and technology behind Push Pop Press will be integrated with Facebook, giving people even richer ways to share their stories. With millions of people publishing to Facebook each day, we think it’s going to be a great home for Push Pop Press.”

Some experts say the move to buy the company’s technology might be linked to Facebook’s entertainment platform. After all, for years Facebook has been saying they are not only a social network but an entertainment distributor. Facebook has a very robust gaming platform with hundred of million of users playing video games. Earlier this year, Facebook has started testing streaming movies in partnership with WB.

Or it might be that the purchase was to swoop up the talented engineers behind the company who clearly understand the tablet market better than Facebook.

Be it as it may, the Push Pop Press team will cease publishing books but the Al Gore book is still available for sale on their site with the proceeding going to charity.

People are lamenting the loss of such an innovative idea, but I have a feeling we haven’t seen the end of it yet. Facebook, which was started in college and for college students, might have a plan to revolutionize future education, by working on the future of school textbooks. Electronic books which can be updated and improved without having to print any single copy.

And all the books a student needs, from kindergarten to post graduate, can be seen on one, easily carried, tablet.

Sources:

  • DBMEi: Publishing A New E Book Revolution
  • NY Times: Why did Facebook by an ebook publisher?
  • Push Pop Press
  • Techcrunch: Facebook Buys Digital Bookmaking Service Push Pop Press

XY Do: Facebook buys e-book maker Push Pop Press Plans to Integrate its Tech

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Conferences & Education, Digital & Internet Marketing, General, Mobile & Technology, PR & Writing, Social Media Topics Tagged With: business, digital books, ebook, facebook, publishing

New Facebook Features

July 26, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Facebook seems to be well intent on stepping up their game in the world of social networking. Whether a knee-jerk reaction to Google +, or a long planned idea, following a recent press conference at their headquarters, Facebook launched their newest options for their users.

Skype

One of the newest features includes Skype powered video chat, for single or group chat connections. Many users have already lauded the ease in which a user can initiate first a solo chat, and then simply initiate another to create an instant video conference call.

From an unbiased point of view this does offer awesome capabilities to those who would not have been able to communicate this easily before. Soldiers and others abroad can quickly strike up a video chat with Mom and their spouse when time is short and connections are vital. Students traveling countries away from their homes can do much the same.

This is what the internet is about and it does feel good to know the great connections that can be made here now with not much hassle, but just as with anything else, this already leaves a hole open for those who abuse such things to begin doing so. If you have an incredibly huge network on Facebook, you may find yourself the recipient of unwanted phone calls. This could quickly become another source of frustration for those who use Facebook who may not be entirely fond of their privacy policies.

Group Chat

Although the new group chat is certainly more user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and in general, so far, less buggy and annoying, it does seem to offer then unwanted possibility of Skype calling as well. However, though there may be a few annoying folks who may choose you to test the new capabilities on, drawing you into chats you may never enter willingly, the novelty of this too will wear off soon, just as it has on many other chat or instant messaging network.

The new features will be integrated into the usage of Facebook fans in over 70 different languages in the coming weeks, no small feat regardless of the digital wizard behind the curtain. This entire work over is what Facebook developers say was a part of the plan since the $240 million dollar investment that Microsoft made in them back in 2007.

Currently, these options are only available in the Windows platform. When asked about other operating system options in the future, Zuckerberg would only respond with, “We’ll see.”

Sources:

  • New Facebook Options
  • New Features for Facebook
  • Features Increase Facebook/Skype Options

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Branding & Marketing, General, Social Media Topics Tagged With: brand, facebook, local, Mobile & Technology, Visibility

Lujure: A Fundamental Shift in Facebook Marketing for Small Business

July 15, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Lujure’s Assembly Line represents the most profound shift in advertising and marketing that one hopes to continue to see in social media. The power of Facebook cannot be ignored; it represents a marketing tool that has changed the way that we do business and is the pinnacle representation of web 2.0.

It is with great conflict that I prepare this article.

It is not easy to balance the role of entrepreneur and founder of a nonprofit, at least not in a case like this. You see, the entrepreneur loves having been on the ground floor getting insight to one of the most profound business and social tools to ever hit facebook, the opportunity for profit is endless…

However, the conflict comes to an imbalance once I think about the legacy I wish to leave in social media, business and my desire to make a difference. This article displays my commitment to the mission statement of DBMEi.

Like everything else in this publication, I share it with the hope that it finds its way into the hands of others who can use it to better not just their own lives and business, but that of others as well. – Basil C. Puglisi

Web 1.0 was ‘here I am, come to me’. Web 3.0 hopes to be ‘bring your “whatever” with you anywhere at any time’ and I believe that history will show that both pale in comparison to web 2.0’s ability to bring a product, concept, message and dream into the crowd.

The most profound part of web 2.0 is still lost on most and for those that do get it, Lujure is tearing down the barriers that once prevented great ideas, products and causes from reaching the world.

Erik Qualman used the term “World of Mouth” when talking about the Social Media Revolution, and while I believe his claim that social media was “here” may have been mostly accurate, it is only with the help of companies like Lujure that one can truly understand the power of social media.

While there will always be a place for those that master an art or develop a skill for advertising and marketing, technology like Lujure’s Assembly Line is empowering novices into professionals.

While it is now supported by many professionals that social media is an important tool in business, it was still plagued with the class system. While marketers, designers and coders still have an advantage, for some, Lujure just made the gap a whole lot smaller.

Lujure’s product is a drag-and-drop application that allows novice business owners to prepare a custom facebook tab for their business pages.

With little more than the average smart phone, a young entrepreneur can take their idea, concept, or belief and share it with the world. Advances in cell phone technology provided the hardware and social media provided the stage, along with an endless supply of leads. The missing keystone for most was the ability to present professionally and convert leads to sales, supporters, voters, etc… Lujure has done just that.

It is not just the product that has been impressive, Nathan Latka, a co-founder and CEO shows the type of commitment to innovation and quality that resembles the impact that Steve Jobs had for Apple. I noticed this the first time at the Likeable Conference during Internet Week and found it reinforced in a recent Facebook wall post:

“It really comes down to business owners staying focused on giving value to their communities. Master this and everything else falls in place. Cheers!” Nathan Latka to Basil Puglisi July 14 1:33AM.

Nathan’s selflessness is exemplified where in private communications he takes the time to share:

I couldn’t have done this without my incredibly bright co-founders, Josh Gunter and Brian Putt.

I was fortunate to get some (off the record) insight from Nathan Latka as to his ambitions for Lujure and I see promise for the future of this company and its products. If Lujure remains a service solution based company it should innovate with the world even if Facebook does not.

Lujure draws upon the best that Social Media has to offer, enabling facebook pages as viral marketing tools to connect via LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, YouTube and more. It also offers ecommerce tools to help navigate successful conversions.

What makes Lujure’s Assembly Line platform so impressive is the ease with which the average person can use it. While I support the argument that designers, marketers, and coders are still an advantage, Lujure has given the playing field a big tilt back towards center for entrepreneurs and small business owners lacking these skills.

This product is and will continue to be a key part of how I help businesses, organizations, and political candidates reach and share with their communities and the world. I believe that Lujure has captured the very essence of the “World of Mouth” concept that makes the social media revolution a reality. Lujure made room at the table for anyone with the inspiration and courage to create on their own.

To Nathan and his team, congrats on making small business owners your priority and building a business and platform around solutions, not just a trend.

To those who have a cause, dream, believed or created something but didn’t know how, or could not afford to spread the word to the world… meet Lujure!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHwUih6dLCk]

Sources:

  • Basil C. Puglisi
  • Erik Qualman
  • Lujure

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Branding & Marketing, Digital & Internet Marketing, Mobile & Technology, Social Media Topics Tagged With: advertising, brand, facebook, internet marketing, Marketing, pages, Social Brand, Social Media, Visibility, Visibility Marketing

How is Social Media Changing Higher Education?

July 7, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Many teachers have adopted an everyday practice of incorporating digital technologies in the classroom and extending learning beyond the traditional boundaries of the Institution.

Distance education is high on the agenda of most higher education institutes and a great deal of effort and time has been invested into staff development to ensure that teachers are up to date and aware of how to teach remotely using new technologies.

It’s not only the role of the teacher that has changed. The embedding of digital technology into everyday study has also changed the way students learn. Now students can assume more responsibility for their own learning and design their own study trajectories. They are able to access a vast pool of knowledge through access to the World Wide Web. They can learn anywhere, anytime.

Since the web has become more social, students today share experiences and knowledge; they can communicate with their teachers after hours, they communicate with peers and enhance their learning experience.

Today’s students are multi-tasking, possessing the ability to access and decipher information. Students are more at ease with changing technologies. Social media enables them to be heard and provide feedback. Studying is no longer a one way street from teacher to student but a two way collaborative effort. Social media gave the students a voice in their learning process.

In many higher learning institutions blogs, wikis and social media tools ease the way to create collaboration between students. Social media tools support sharing and building of knowledge.  Projects given to students as a group are now easier to perform since the geographical restrictions have been removed. Blogs are used for learning another language, projects can be posted on Youtube for the whole class (and the world) to see and project descriptions are posted online with due dates. Social bookmarking is used by professors to list the reading requirements of the course and giving students the key to resources online.

Experts in any field are more accessible today through social media. An expert’s tweets about his experiences can provide a learning experience and insight into the professional world never possible before. A question can be posted for an expert on his social page or his blog and a dialogue started that would have taken weeks to arrange in the pre-social media world.

And it starts even before the learning begins. Some institutions, for example, use Facebook pages to reach out to student before they first arrive on campus. With many of them leaving home for the first time, knowing some of their classmates before they arrive can support them in this time of transition.

Social media and Skype enable face-time with a teacher for a one on one session. When there’s no time during school hours, it can be done during evening hours and across time zones. . Schools today use cloud storage that enables their students the use of an expensive program from home, for a limited time. They provide space for storage of group projects where all the group members can enter and make changes.

As part of Walden University’s Doctorate in Education program I was amazed and shocked at the learning process. While it was exciting to be able to work at a unique pace and have access to classmates and instructors at different times of the day, from the comfort of my home. I also found that the use of such technology was lead by those who struggle to understand it. Having academics try to lead topics citing the internet and multiple intelligence theory was horrifying because most could not relate or lacked an understanding of the base.

One of the most foolish policies I ever heard started from Michigan State University, repeated at Stony Brook University and then echoed in the Walden University’s DC residency, “Wikipedia is not a source and should never be used”.  

The shock and awe was outstanding, it was as if the professors just repeated something that they were told and never actually took the time to do any research for themselves. While you might not directly cite Wikipedia as a source, this collaborative site for knowledge has been found by research to be more accurate then the Encyclopedia Britannica. In research, a process that requires a starting point and is benefited by diverse experiences and information, it is hard to truly argue that there is a better source then Wikipedia.

Other uses for the new technology include text messaging and social media alerts are a relatively new ways for schools in the US to alert the whole student body to an emergency situation.

What new challenges does this pose?

Keeping teachers ahead of the curve with continued education regarding technological possibilities and with so much information, educating the students to know what is credible and what not, what is important and what not, and be able to figure out the source of the information they come in contact with.

Students were given the virtual key to the library and a group study doesn’t have to be done in one physical location or with just classmates. The digital era and social media revolution is in full swing, all they need now is guidance.

Sources:

  • Ed Tech Toolbox: InfoGraph
  • Higher Education Mentor
  • Slideshare: All Changing the Social Web and the Future of Higher Education Presentation
  • Social Bits: Social Media is Changing Learning

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Conferences & Education, General Tagged With: education, facebook, internet marketing education, local, Mobile & Technology, Social Media, social media education, twitter

Google Throws Down the Gauntlet at Facebook in Social Network Struggle

June 29, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Google’s last two shots at storming the social networks, Google Buzz and Google Wave, met an early, and not entirely unexpected, demise. However, +1 may contain a few vital elements that make it far less likely to go unnoticed.

Custom Filtering

Being able to filter your contacts into groups and determine who can and cannot see your specific +1 preferences provides users with a bit more privacy than a Facebook ‘Like’ since Facebook currently only offers very basic privacy options, Friends or Everyone.

Huddles and Hangouts

Group instant messaging and multi-users video conferencing could make Google quite the competitor in more than just the social network industry. Users who have long bemoaned some of Skype’s capabilities, or lack of, may find themselves fans of Google Hangouts soon. Huddle can also be used on mobile devices via an app for the Android platform.

Google +1 Limited

The current version of the Google +1 system has only been released to a limited number of users but Google reps have stated that it hopes to make the entire scale of social network options available to the millions of consumers who use many of their other features every day.

Google denies that plus is a competitor with Facebook and emphasizes in so many words that they are not ‘out to get’ Zuckerberg’s social network, but rather focusing on what their users need to ease any element of their digital requirements, one of which has definitely become social networking.

More on Google +1

Google +1 Goes Live with Adwords

Google Search goes social with +1

Trending Companies: Google innovates?

Sources:

  • Google Challenges Facebook
  • Hands on Plus

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Branding & Marketing, General, SEO Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Topics Tagged With: facebook, google, SEO, Social Media, Visibility

The PR State of Facebook

May 17, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

In a few days in Silicon Valley there were some rather unusual ideas, stories, and news articles, pitched that insinuated that Google was invading their users’ privacy. PR agency Burson-Marsteller, even offered to assist a highly influential blogger write an Anti-Google op-ed, promising him it would be posted in places like The Huffington Post or The Washington Post.

Not ignorant of their own share of privacy or security shortcomings, they were likely none-too-happy when Burson’s offer fell apart as the blogger turned him down, then publicly posted the emails in which Burton had asked him for assistance in publicly maligning Google. Subsequently, this failure to communicate was compounded as USA Today latched onto the story and accused Burton of launching a “whisper campaign” about Google on the behalf of a client that was unnamed.

In a world of instant coverage on any type of event, those very elements on which Facebook thrives upon, it is quite difficult to understand how anyone at Facebook thought that it would be a remotely good idea, or one that was kept a tight secret. Is this a sure sign that Facebook executives are worried about recent Google social marketing elements such as the +1 system? Will their willingness to execute black hat behaviors cost them enough users to matter? Unlikely, but it has likely done irreparable damage to their reputation, at least for now.

Google?

Since many users may actually have seen or suffered from privacy issues from Google themselves. As usual, in most situations, the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle of both sides. The problem is, Google has said very little about the incident and as of yet has made no public comment about the failed campaign. In a way, this could also lend the some weight to the original plan by bringing Google privacy issues even more into the public eye.

The real problem is that now that Facebook has made such an irrational and hasty decision that will likely cause them to suffer from some form of back lash, and any real issues that Google may need to address, could have been brought to light a bit more properly, will fall to the wayside as most publicity outlets and news releases will report it and spin it as the story in which Facebook failed in an underhanded campaign to publicly bash another company.

Love-Hate Relationship

Facebook’s most recent PR plan to smear Google was an embarrassment and failure on more than a public relations scale.

In the internet advertising world, Facebook seems to be on the losing end in effective marketing and product branding. If you monitor Facebook regularly, you know it is not uncommon to see someone ranting, raving, and railing at Facebook for some imagined, or even a realistic slight. A week or two later they are back, having forgiven and forgotten their source of displeasure, or at least enough to continue to use Facebook.

As Facebook has begun to integrate itself into everything from daily deal websites to major retail chain, we have largely come to depend on it as our go-to log-in integration of choice. This is predominately because Facebook integration sites will auto-complete most of the information that will commonly be required to complete a new registration for a website’s products or services. Users would certainly be frustrated and disappointed if Facebooks PR flog affected their Facebook experience.

Will Users Boycott Facebook?

Many groups openly boycott websites that make immoral or illegal decisions. However, just as many points above prove, it would be quite difficult to boycott a large interactive element of our social media usage, most certainly Facebook that so many now use for advertising, entertainment, social network, or even just chatting with long distance relatives.

 Of course there are a few obvious boycotting methods, anything from ceasing to use Facebook, refusal to integrate other programs and remove already integrated applications from your Facebook account, and even simply deleting your account.

PR on Facebook

Facebook has already proven to be an effective method of PR for a few businesses.

  • AT&T
  • Microsoft
  • WordPress
  • Coca-Cola
  • The New York Times

Although likely the best representation of the shortlist, many other smaller businesses have also found great advantage to applying Facebook capabilities for better consumer interaction.

Business Promotion

Facebook has proven a very handy tool in managing membership relationships for fans of your products, or even groups related to your business. This is a very cost effective tool for group, member, or fan management that will allow users to create events calendars, or even just supply other leads and information that could provide additional networking benefits for those same consumers.

Facebook Connect

Adding this handy tool allows users to quickly register with your website by allowing them to approve Facebook integration. This easy option is highly encouraging for those who may not want to spend time filling out many fields, even those who have interest in your brand.

Brand Affinity

One of the most important public relations elements that can be satisfied via Facebook. If you have a product or service that directly, or even indirectly meets a need and connects a user to their Facebook presence. With the text and visuals you have the ability to provide for easy viewing, this can be a great beginning in building the brand awareness that can be invaluable to your business.

 

 Sources:

  • Google vs Facebook Revenue
  • Facebook Creates its Own Drama
  • Facebook Busted in Smear Plot
  • Facebook’s Dirty Little Secret
  • Facebook Admits Foul Play
  • PR with Facebook

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Branding & Marketing, Conferences & Education, Digital & Internet Marketing, Social Media Topics, Traditional Marketing Tagged With: advertising, blog, blogger, brand, facebook, google, PR, Press Releases, Social Brand, Social Media, Visibility

How Online Customer Preferences and Feedback Has Changed

May 9, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

It has only been a couple of years since integrated log-ins began to creep into our everyday tasks online. Although it began on a smaller scale, such as the 2008 integration of Yahoo and Google ID’s with Zoho, from this small test in integration preferences, an entirely new beast grew.

Logging in via third party is no longer a delightful surprise in most cases, indeed, the lack of integrated log in can actually deter visitors from signing up, or logging into your site, especially when there are like options elsewhere that have the nifty one-click integration option. This type of log in integration is referred to as a type of social log-in service. Although Google came out strongly by quickly adding early integration for all of their available applications, it seems that the wind in Google’s social log-in services sails may have shifted.

Facebook Takes the Lead

Janrain, a web company that tracks social web data, states that since the first time they began reporting on these statistics in January 2010, Google has been overtaken. During the first quarter of 2011, 35% of users chose to use Facebook as a log-in option over all others. In the last quarter of 2010, the number hung around 27%.

However, this may not be indicative of overall users. When given the option on 350,000 different sites, users will choose not to integrate their Facebook account, but will choose other methods, or manual log-in instead, at a rate of 65%.

How is This Changing the Consumer Voice for Business

It may be difficult to determine who benefits the most, even though this new aspect of social media marketing seems to have perks for all. Social log-ins are appealing to businesses as they can help to personalize content, interactions, and brand awareness. Social log-ins are an attractive option for users who seem to love the feel of interacting with those of whom they make regular, or significant purchases from.

While Urban city guide sites like Yelp give consumers the ability to review products or services of any company on site, it seems most users these days prefer to simply Facebook ‘Like’ a fan page to show their loyalty to brands they enjoy, as well as to gain benefit by keeping more up-to-date on sales, or enjoy social chatter on the latest in the industry.

A recent study showed that while 20% of people claim they prefer to click a Facebook Fan pages ‘Like’ button to show their preference for local businesses, only 13% report being willing to write a review for the same business.

Turning the Tide

Although this may indeed turn the tide a bit on how users will begin to review local businesses, this is certainly not now nor likely to be the end all spot to find all of the pertinent information that users may be searching for.

The same study also showed that 52% of adult users under 35 will still check three or more websites when researching products or services locally or online. The main site still searched is Google at 63%.

At this point, the type of business will still rank high on the users list of what sites need to be searched. While those considering larger purchases may prefer the interaction that Facebook provides, users who may just want to check out how good a restaurants’ dishes are may still prefer the detailed review style of Yelp.

Sources:

  • Janrain
  • ‘Like’ Button Preferred Over Common Reviews
  • Most Prefer to ‘Like’ Their Favorite Products
  • One Log-in Catches On
  • Yahoo and Google Integrate with Zoho

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Branding & Marketing, Conferences & Education, Digital & Internet Marketing, Social Media Topics Tagged With: brand, Business Consulting, facebook, google, internet marketing, PR, Social Brand, Social Media, Visibility, Visibility Marketing

Innovative ways Professional PR People are Using Social Media

May 3, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Social Media has become part of every serious advertising campaign, and most PR people have been using it on a daily basis; following and engaging in conversations on different media platforms, checking what the competition is doing and sharing news and information about their products.

Besides the usual advice of how to engage your followers on Twitter: use a friendly tone, answer quickly, make Twitter a place where you give prizes and announce competitions, it is interesting to see what the professionals do to take advantage of what the market has to offer.  What causes their blood pressure to go up and what can we, small business owners, learn from them?

Here are a few tips: –

  • Pay attention to the news. Events happening around the world might trigger some reaction and connection in your mind. Try to tie these events to your product or service. Examples? A celebrity (Elizabeth Taylor) passes away. Is there a way you can tie it in to your clothes line? Jewelry? Make Up? Look at what the New York Public Library is doing, which makes it the number one library on Twitter and Facebook. When JD Salinger passed away, they tweeted many of his quotes and linked them to the corresponding books in the library. Newsweek, NPR Fresh Air and other news sites used the Library tweets and mentioned them as the source.

 

  • Find Freelancers to Tweet for you. Use social Media to find the right people. Example: the tourism department of Rwanda wanted people to tweet for them to increase their visibility as a vacation destination. They started a contest on Twitter for people to get an all-paid visit to Rwanda in exchange for tweets about their visit. More than 80 people joined the contest and 3 won. They posted 448 tweets which were visible to 1.5 million people.

 

  • Create an influencer network. Some PR agencies are using social media to deliver a complete network of influencers as a package deal to their clients – A group of bloggers, opinionated and media savvy who use the product and write about it. They can also be used as a test group for new products. Look at what Child’s Play PR did with a network of Moms.

 

  • The immediacy of social media offers PR people an opportunity to insert themselves when news somehow related to them is posted, just like it happened in SXSW Interactive Festival. They secured coverage on behalf of their clients by showing up at events via Twitter. They have abandoned e mail or phone calls as a favorite means of communication.

 

  • Use mainstay advertisement to increase twitter visibility. Freed Maxick, an accounting firm, used billboards in late 2009 to display updates from the company’s tweets in real time. In 2010 they did it with Facebook as well. That drove many people to follow them on Twitter and made them a reputable company that gives up to date, accurate information.

Sources:

  • Childs Play PR
  • Hartford Business
  • Mashable: Innovative PR Social Media
  • Social Media Today: Why PR Professionals need to understand Social Media

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Branding & Marketing, Conferences & Education, Digital & Internet Marketing, Traditional Marketing Tagged With: brand, facebook, internet marketing, Marketing, PR, twitter, Visibility, Visibility Marketing

Facebook Questions Re-Launch

April 6, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Earlier this week Facebook re-launched a previously tested aspect of social networking known as Questions. Questions, although similar to the idea of Yahoo answers actually provides quite a bit more personalized Q & A experiences.

Users can simply head to Facebook Questions and opt in if the account isn’t already enabled. Head to Facebook questions and check out the format. Set like polling questions and answers you should be able to immediately see any questions that any of your friends have posted, or replied to.

Although the last version allowed users to reach out to friends and strangers on Facebook, the new release goes completely against that original grain. This time the design is more geared towards targeting Facebook friends to get their questions answered. Those who have used the new format already can definitely attest to the fact that this system is what makes the Facebook Q & A stand apart from other available services.

Many random users were given beta access to Facebook Questions a year ago, so those same users are the first to gain access to the upgrade, however, once a friend post an answer to one of your questions, or one viewable on your wall, they too will receive an invitation to join the Q & A option.

Like Life

Like life when a question needs to be answered, most often an individual will seek out those who they feel may have a bit of knowledge in that area. Most do this because they feel their chances of getting a question answered on a topic obscure to them, will be much easier if they head to an expert. Even then, we hope if our knowledgeable friend cannot answer it, they will be knowledgeable enough to know someone who can. This is the manner in which the newest Questions upgrade intends to function.

Of course, the new version is also created to take full advantage of the viral nature of mass social networking by allowing users to easily share their own questions, or answers, with their full social graph. This system of take a question, answer it, or pass it on, may very well be far more likely to garner the results Facebook developers were looking for in the first release.

Says Product Manager Adrian Graham, users have many formats where they can go to ask perfect strangers for the answers to their questions, but Facebook Questions may be the first format where users can quickly go, if they aren’t there already, to a format that allows them to ask those questions of their friends.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfPA15Ur8do]

Sources:

  • All Things Digital
  • Facebook
  • GigaOm
  • Mashable
  • TechCrunch

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Branding & Marketing, Conferences & Education, Digital & Internet Marketing, Social Media Topics Tagged With: analytics, blog, facebook, Social Brand, Social Media, Visibility, Visibility Marketing

Facebook Marketing Tool: Involver.com

March 11, 2011 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Noah Horton and Rahim Fazal founded Involver.com in 2007 in efforts to provide a startup that can help brands begin to get a grip on managing their social media channels. Having grown from a company of a dozen employees to over sixty with many offices in areas such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Austin, and with more coming soon, it looks like Involver, is in fact, fully involved, with no plans of leaving any time soon.

Involver has four main ways in which they help companies and organizations create rich and helpful experiences all across the social web.

  1. Involver helps to generate earned media by attracting attention from influential sources.
  2. Involver helps to get prospective customers engaged with your products and services through social networks.
  3. Involver can help to reduce marketing cost through a series of fully automated social networking services.
  4. Involver helps to maintain constant and consistent branding and advertisement for your products and services.

This kind of brand management can be critical to a company and its ultimate success online. Those who use Involver will also want to take advantage of the features offered in the applications area.

Flickr

You can bring all of your Flickr photos to Facebook with the Flickr App from Involver. This will allow users to stream their Flickr photos displaying their entire album, or allows users to choose sub albums to categorize their photo streams.

YouTube Channels

You can set your video to directly deliver to your social networks upon uploading. This will help incorporate your YouTube videos into your active marketing campaigns.

With so many more applications available there are bound to be at least a handful of ways to improve your social media interactions in Involvers many apps.

  • Facebook Stories
  • Social Catalog
  • RSS Feed
  • Promotion Galleries
  • Music Player
  • Polls
  • Coupons
  • Static HTML for Pages

Many more apps available make this attractive and professional option in social media marketing and product or service branding an invaluable tool in the likely already full bag of marketers tricks of the trade.

Get 10,000 Fans on Facebook

“It was in November of 2010 that my train baseball fan page had reached 10,000 fans and I decided that I would finally start a business that aimed at helping other small businesses like you get off the ground using tools like Facebook. So this is where things sit today. I’m 24 years old, and get a pretty neat opportunity to help out small businesses make better use of facebook.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mFBa3QVD2Q]

Sources:

  • Get 10,000 Fans
  • Involver
  • Venturebeat

Filed Under: Basil's Blog #AIa, Branding & Marketing, Conferences & Education, Digital & Internet Marketing, Mobile & Technology, Social Brand Visibility, Social Media Topics Tagged With: brand, Business Coach, Business Consulting, facebook, internet marketing, Social Brand, Social Media, video, Video Marketing, Visibility, Visibility Marketing

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