Sean’s Week On Twitter
A week in which Facebook promised to change the face of Social Media, Google+ opened the platform to all comers, and my eldest daughter got her first Saturday job.
Where does the Online World go from here; Facebook has truly drawn a line in the sand, challenging others to cross it. Frankly I don’t believe Twitter need worry; the platforms are diversely different, and unlikely to have an impact. The most friction is going to be created between Facebook and Google, but here’s the issue.
In a household survey of two teenage girls and one wife who, though they find the Facebook changes annoying, just want to communicate with friends and family, Google+ offers no appeal. My daughters can’t join due to age restrictions and not enough of my wife’s friends have even heard of Google+, let alone use it.
So is there any real competition here? Or do the platforms appeal to a different audience?
My belief is that they can, and probably will, co-exist with no detrimental effect on each other. Sure the big names in Social Media will take sides and promote what they see as the preferred platform. These will in no way represent the masses; more importantly it is those masses that advertising spend is aimed at.
Facebook is likely to remain the “peoples” favourite for some time and therefore garner most of the revenue; Google+ will appeal to the Technorati whilst it, like Twitter will look to apply strong enough revenue models to justify their existence.
So whilst you ponder the Future of Social, once again I have put together Sean’s Week On Twitter; some of the best links I have shared this week.
The Most Comprehensive Twitter App List You’ll Ever Need
I’m a sucker for a list, and a list of Twitter tools always peaks my interest. This one from SimplyZesty is quite comprehensive with many new applications I have neither seen or used before. MentionMap was one of my particular favourites.
Shaking Things Up at Coca-Cola
With more than 33 milion fans on Facebook Coca-Cola is getting serious about Social. If they are, then many smaller brands should sit up and listen when CEO Muhtar Kent tells us that Coca-Cola now allocate 20% of their total media spend to Social.
How to Enable the New Facebook Timeline NOW
Okay, so you can’t wait! A step-by-step guide to enabling Facebook’s new Timeline feature on your profile. It certainly dug up some content I thought was truly buried when I enabled it; you have been warned.
Twitter now supports posting photos through text messaging
I really liked this. Texting to Twitter is sometimes the only viable option with the variance in connectivity we see in my part of the world. The ability to now send images by text is an added bonus, and really defines Twitters mobile capabilities.
Google+ Now Available to Everyone & Adds Search Functionality
Come on down! The doors are open and you’re all welcome. Google+ is now available to everyone over 18, as long as you use a real name. No business functionality just yet, but it’s sure not to take long. There was some bonus functionality added too like Search and mobile Huddles.
Preview the redesigned BBC website
I added this as I think it highlights something important, a focus on mobile and tablets. At first the new design looks okay, nice and clean with an iPlayer feel. When I tested it out on an iPad it was a perfect fit! The page navigation was a bit “iffy”, but then it’s still in beta. Regardless of this to see one of the world’s most popular news web sites design for tablet format certainly highlights something about the future of news online.
What do you think?