Posted by Augie Ray

Source: http://blogs.forrester.com

Google has said nothing about its rumored social networking offering, but it may be that the company has just revealed its secret weapon to take on Facebook.  The new Priority Inbox feature in Gmail hints at social media’s next great battleground: Relevance!

Facebook itself inadvertently demonstrated the value of relevance and what is most wrong with the current Facebook user experience.  The Facebook Places announcement event two weeks ago was the geeky event you’d expect, but there was an unexpected moment of clarity and beauty in the midst of the typical discussion of APIs, partners and functionality.  Facebook VP Chris Cox told a story set in the future that defines the true promise that social networking has yet to fulfill:

“In 20 years our children will go to Ocean Beach and their phone will tell them this is the place their parents had their first kiss, and here’s the picture they took afterward, and here’s what their friends had to say.”

It’s a great story, isn’t it?  But today’s Facebook experience offers no chance this experience could actually occur.  Instead, here’s what would happen based on the current Facebook functionality:  Those kids will visit that beach and their parents’ precious story will be nowhere to be found on the Ocean Beach Places page.  That wonderful 20-year-old status update and picture will be buried under 500 pages of less meaningful messages such as “Don’t buy a hot dog from the snack bar,” “Here’s a picture of some hot babes I took here,” and “Beach kegger party this Saturday night, dudes!”

The noise in social media is getting deafening.  In addition to the hundreds of friends we follow in Facebook, brands are putting the full-court press to capture user attention and “likes” in Facebook.  Not only can you “Like” JCPenney on Facebook, but you can also “like” their stores, JCPenney-sponsored concerts, a weekly store ad application, and a pair of Faux Leopard Fur Socks (plus every other item in their online catalog).

It used to be that only social media professionals complained about the “drinking from social media firehouse”;  today, I am hearing more and more “Facebook fatigue” from average users.  Of course, few are turning away from social media; no behavior within Forrester’s Social Technographics ladder has grown as substantially in the past two years as that of “Joiners” — people who maintain a profile on a social network.

More people, more apps, more Facebook-enabled sites, more places, more status updates — it all adds up to a cacophony of voices vying for our attention.  I recently missed a friend’s announcement of the birth of his child on Facebook — that important news was lost in an ocean of viral videos, places check-ins and summer vacation photo albums.

This is why the new Gmail feature may provide a hint at what is up Google’s social sleeve.  According to Google’s blog post, it launched Priority Inbox because people are “getting more and more mail and often feel overwhelmed by it.” (Sound familiar?)  Google adds, “Our inboxes are slammed with hundreds, sometimes thousands of messages a day…. It’s time-consuming to figure out what needs to be read and what needs a reply.”  (This isn’t a problem you have on Facebook and Twitter, is it?)

Gmail’s Priority Inbox doesn’t require users to set complex rules.  Instead, Gmail intuits what is important to users.  It can predict what you care about by observing the people you email the most, which messages you open, and to whom you reply. You can also click buttons to mark a conversation as important or not important. The new Gmail feature is meeting with great interest and approval — “Priority Inbox” became a Twitter trending topic within a day of Google’s announcement.

Will Google tackle the problem (and opportunity) of relevance in social media?  If Google can make our inboxes more relevant, why not our Facebook and Twitter feeds? (Back in February, I predicted that Google Buzz would be a Relevance Filtering tool;  perhaps I wasn’t so much incorrect as I was premature.)  And make no mistake — Facebook understands that social tools need relevance to attract and retain users.  I expect 2011 to be the year of relevance in social media, and the winners will be the social applications that make our lives richer, not noisier.

What does this mean to marketers who are seeding millions of messages into social media every time someone uses a loyalty program, enters a Twitter hashtag sweepstakes, makes a purchase or “likes” a pair of JCPenney socks?  If a status update reaches a social network but no one sees it, does it exist?  My friend and associate Nate Elliot is working on a report about how marketers can overcome social media clutter. I’m anxious to see his recommendations, but this much is clear: In a future where being relevant will be vital, marketers must get people to have authentic conversations about products and services and not merely to click “Like” buttons or tweet hashtags.

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We recently helped out the home automation specialists, Savant Systems, build a brand new website! Check out this blurb from our case study below, or click here to read the full account!

In under four months, Savant Systems increased their website visits by 400%.  On average, Google linked 13,179 more visitors a week to the Savant pages, and pages viewed by visitors increased measurably.  These statistics seem as rapid and revolutionary as the introduction of the iPod to the music market.

Savant’s secret to Internet success is just as probable and accessible—they contracted Single Throw Internet Marketing, a talented and proficient group of Internet marketing consultants with a plethora of services the size of your mp3 library.

Savant Systems provides the height of technological chic by offering a luxury home automation system that works with Apple technology bringing your home into the future.  Savant provides services for individual homeowners and corporations.  Single Throw Internet Marketing unified this image of Savant with its web presence.

While the Internet is an indisputably powerful—some might even say marvelous—tool, it is also an unwieldy thing to manage.  Many businesses’ experience with the Internet is akin to the proverbial child laying a hand on the hot stove—they get burned, so they don’t try it again. As such, their websites are old fashioned and out of date; they do a poor job of reflecting their product or service.  They target the wrong clientele, and they don’t show up in a typical Google search.

If the Internet is a hot stove, the experts at Single Throw are wearing flame retardant suits.  They build websites from years of experience and research, and they’re quite eager to share their suits with you.  They did with Savant.

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Written by Katy Saulpaugh

Source: http://www.executivegov.com

In a move signaling the pervasiveness of social media, the Department of Defense has recently allowed service members to use social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter at work.

While DoD monitors individuals’ use, it is also using them to ensure consistency in organizations’ online footprint.

The new policy requires organizations to register their Facebook pages as an “official external presence” with the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs on a list maintained on www.Defense.gov (linked under “social media”). A military organization page must use official logos, official website links and adhere to a list of directives and regulations.

Even though the new DoD social-media policy does not require organizations to use social media, it has an entire hub dedicated to them. The U.S. Army alone has hundreds of official Facebook pages, and thousands more comprise the collection of military pages, mostly on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.

Even the Army’s Installation Management Command, who oversees Army communities worldwide, makes it clear in its terms of reference that public affairs offices are responsible for telling the Army and IMCOM story “through all communication venues inclusive of press releases, Internet, newspapers and social media.”

Being registered enables users, whether soldiers, family members or the public media, to confirm a site is official and a reliable source of information. Sites on the DoD Social Media registry must operate under guidance from commanders, officers-in-charge, or service component and the information posted complies with DoD policy, existing regulations and official public affairs guidance.

Now that social-media sites are accessible both at home and work and their use is officially encouraged, users must consider how to manage their “brand” while safeguarding privacy.

“One way to protect against identity theft is to sign up and register your Facebook page (or other popular social-media account) before someone else does. Own your space,” said Steve Dalby, an Army Europe Information Technology training specialist who teaches a Social Networking Systems and Site Awareness course.

He adds that servicemen and woman should always obtain approval before starting a new official Facebook page, and keep in mind that the principle of “need to know” applies to military conversations just as much as it does to private conversations. Instead of posting comments on a friend’s Facebook page, maybe a private message is better idea.

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Interview by Christopher Burgess

Source: http://huffingtonpost.com

It’s that time of the year again. Summer vacations wind to a close and a return to school moves once again to the forefront. For many families, schools are identified; students enrolled; and supplies purchased. In 2010, those preparations no doubt will include a technology component, often times more than one technology. So here are a few safety tips to help your student stay safe as they prepare and use their electronic media devices back at school.

Social Media

One of the first steps a student takes in any academic setting involves determining who they are going to be interacting with for the next nine months and the attendant peer interaction. As much as one wants to be social, let’s keep some social media do’s and don’ts in mind. Educate your student in being prudent in adding new “friends” to their social networks. They wouldn’t invite their whole class, be it kindergarten, middle school, secondary school or university to their homes and pull out the family photo albums, the last year’s online-exchanges, etc, so why be in a hurry to allow those same folks to see into one’s social network pages, online photo albums, notes and stream of thoughts by the act of “friending.”

As your student signs up for the various online networks associated with their educational level, please make sure all the privacy settings begin at “opt-out” then selectively “opt-in” for those which you need or desire to access. In addition, be cautious about over sharing of activities and locations. With respect to the use of location based services (Foursquare, GoWalla, and Facebook Places) be circumspect in posting about where one is or might be. This also applies to parents using carpools and the pick-up and drop-off of younger students.

Device Security and Configuration

Will your student be taking a device to school, be it laptop, smart phone, iPad, or other device to access the Internet? Make sure your student is able to physically lock down those devices which won’t fit into their pocket should it have to be left unattended. These devices can be locked down to a non-movable object (desk, commode, sink, etc.). One might also wish to invest in a “screen filter” which will cut down on the opportunity and capabilities of any “shoulder surfers.”

Data backup is also crucial for the student, especially the student whose entire life is contained in the hard drive of a laptop. Daily data backup will ensure schoolwork is not irretrievably lost. Available options include portable hard drives (lock and store separate from your primary device) or online backup services or virtual disks. Any of these options will help keep the stress level down should a hard drive fail or a device go missing.

Malware Contagion

With respect to your device security, always ensure your antivirus/antispyware software is installed and up-to-date. You will want to set your privacy filters within your browser with respect to your web-history and “auto-fill” capabilities to a level that you are comfortable. Configure your device to never “auto-run” anything — be it a USB, Smartcard or CD. This allows you to run your security software against the file(s) prior to their executing for the presence of malicious software. This inspection should occur on all media that is new to your device or has been out of your direct control (even if from the school or a friend, you just don’t know if their device is corrupt and contains malware. Data hand carried between devices is one of the leading methodologies of having an otherwise clean machine become infected — the truth is, your machine may be very secure, but your neighbor’s, school’s or friend’s machines might not be kept as secure as your own.

The above tips should serve you well to ensure your students heading back to school do so safely.

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Interview by Max Chafkin

Source: INC Magazine

Three years ago, Twitter was barely known outside the geeky confines of San Francisco. Today, it’s a marketer’s dream: a free service with an audience of nearly 125 million people, who use it to keep tabs on friends, celebrities — and their favorite companies. Co-founder Biz Stone explains what’s happening, where it’s headed, and how entrepreneurs can take advantage.

Which approaches to social media work especially well?

There are straightforward uses. A New York City bakery uses Twitter to tell customers when the cookies are coming out of the oven and Dell uses it to tell people about deals on refurbished computers. And then there are companies that are blending together marketing and customer support and using it to build their brands. I once sent a tweet that said, “I’m getting on a JetBlue flight,” and I got a reply from JetBlue’s Twitter account that said, “You should try the smoked almonds.” That’s customer service, but, because our conversation happened in public, it’s also branding.

You have 1.6 million Twitter followers. How can a normal business develop that kind of following?

You just have to start slowly and react to what people are already saying about your company. You might try to offer a coupon or post pictures of your offices or give a sneak peek of a new product. You don’t need a million followers to be successful. If you have 3,000 people who really care about your company and are interested in what you have to say, they’ll share it with their followers, and you’ll gain a much bigger audience.

Don’t businesses with a presence on Twitter run a risk of appearing overly opportunistic or unseemly?

You have to walk a line between making announcements, as you would in a press release, and talking directly with your Twitter followers, the way JetBlue did with me. If you mix it up and keep it authentic, you’ll build a personality around your company and your brand.

Lots of businesses now use Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites to market themselves and even to sell products. Should companies making money on Tiwtter be worried that you eventually will try a piece of that revenue?

We’ve tried to be clear that our advertising platform, Promoted Tweets, is the main way we’re going to make money. If a business wants advertise in the Twitter timeline, it has to split the revenue with us 50-50. That’s our business model. But there are lots of other ways to make money that we are never going into. For instance, a company called Co-Tweet built a system for businesses to use Twitter to improve their customer service. They went from having the idea to being acquired in 16 months.

How pervasive will social media be five years from now?

I hope it’s less pervasive. I hope we can get sophisticated enough so that people aren’t hunched over computers, spending hours looking at their friends’ photos. Instead of doing that, the information you want will come to you, allowing you to save money, save time, or serendipitously meet up with a friend. Companies like Netflix and Amazon are already doing this by giving people recommendations for products.

When Twitter came out, a lot of people said, “I already have Facebook, LinkedIn, and a blog. Why on earth do I need another social media site?” Is there still room for start-up in this space?

There’s always room for something that delivers value in a new way. Someone once asked me, “What new technology will allow entrepreneurs to create the next big thing?” But the Next Big Thing already exists. It’s just a matter of thinking like an artist — of trying to take something that already exists and repurposing it for something it wasn’t intended for.

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