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| Why Pinterest Aligns Perfectly With The Today Show's Content Strategy | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 10:25 PM | Stephanie Buck |
|  If you've skimmed the TODAY Show's website recently, you may have noticed something familiar. It looks a heck of a lot like Pinterest. In fact, Pinterest is influencing website design all over the place. Companies are favoring intensely visual, accessible design elements similar to the pins on Pinterest. TODAY has found that a similar site concept resonates with its Pinterest users. "There's something about the mindset of Pinterest that is similar to whatlove about TODAY.com -- and that's discovery," says TODAY's digital director, Jen Brown. "Sometimes I go to Pinterest and I'm not sure what exactly I want, but I know I'm going to find something fun. That's really how we try to program our site." SEE ALSO: How Pinterest Is Changing Website Design Forever Brown explains that, similar to Pinterest, TODAY.com provides people with five minutes-worth of entertaining, interesting content that they can discuss at their happy hours or mommy groups. She says that both Pinterest and TODAY.com give users "a little moment that they can take away with them when they have a chance." Those "moments" also originate from the TODAY Show broadcast itself, Brown says. The show lends itself well to visual snapshots, which incidentally, work well on Pinterest. For instance, when a Rockefeller Plaza fan brought a picture of Matt Lauer as Rosie the Riveter, TODAY's digital team recognized that the occasion would pin well to Pinterest. "You have to grab that one moment and put it out there," says Brown. Other content that does well on the TODAY Show Pinterest? Food, animals, travel and aspirational messages, says Brown. And we're not talking complicated, gourmet dishes, but rather, accessible meals that anyone can tackle. That mindset has a lot to do with TODAY's family-centric, female demographic. And while many would argue that Pinterest's 82% female user base and the TODAY Show's audience couldn't be a better fit, "TODAY means different things on different platforms, so I don't think it's a one-to-one correlation," says Brown. "But we try to be mindful thata very specific audience with specific behaviors and specific interests." Brown suggests that users embrace a similar brand of specificity in their own Pinterest activities. She advises that pinners use the platform with targeted goals in mind -- her first boards organized ideas and inspiration for redecorating her living room. "That really gave me a reason to look for various rugs that go with my weird green couch," she says. "When you have a purpose, it becomes really fun to search and explore, and you find the people who are talking about the same things." How do you see Pinterest affecting the social media presences of media and entertainment organizations in the future? Let us know your thoughts about TODAY's strategy in the comments below. |
| Is Social Media Actually Making Us Less Connected? | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 9:36 PM | Adam Ostrow |
|  LONG BEACH, Calif. - Checking email during meetings. Shopping on your smartphone in the middle of class. Texting at funerals. These are a few of the examples that MIT professor Sherry Turkle offered during her TEDTalk on Thursday, in which she argued that "technology is taking us places we don't want to go." Turkle, a psychologist who leads MIT's Initiative on Technology and Self, believes that while our constant communication and social media engagement does make us more connected, it's coming at the sacrifice of real conversation. And she thinks that will have some serious consequences for our relationships, our self-perceptions and our emotions. One major issue, she said, is that when we text, email or post to a social networking site, we're able to project ourselves as we want to be seen. "We get to edit, we get to delete, and that means we get to retouch." Inversely, Turkle notes that a face-to-face conversation "takes place in real time and you can't control what you're going to say." Further, with our phones at our constant disposal, Turkle says we're only paying attention to the things we want to pay attention to. And that leaves us increasingly disconnected from our friends, family and co-workers as we simply turn to our devices when a conversation no longer interests us. This creates a situation that Turkle said makes us, "expect more from technology and less from each other." In the long run, she thinks technology is ultimately headed towards creating a Siri-like program that can offer "companionship without the demands of friendship." There's certainly plenty of data that supports Turkle's argument. Surveys showing that we're increasingly texting and social networking during meal time or in the bedroom have become commonplace. But what's to be done about it? Turkle isn't calling for a return to the dark ages of pre-smartphone life. Rather, she says it's time for us to have a more self-aware relationship with technology. And in turn, we should do things like create sacred places at home and at work where we leave the devices out. Turkle's remarks drew an emphatic standing ovation from the TED crowd. But we want to know what you think: Does technology threaten the quality of our relationships and personal development, or are such fears an overblown perception of a generation that didn't grow up with digital? Let us know in the comments. |
| Justin Bieber Fans Break Social Media World Record | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 8:54 PM | Brian Anthony Hernandez |
|  While Justin Bieber rallied fans Thursday to donate to charity: water for his 18th birthday, his fans were also busy trying to break the Guinness World Records mark for most social media messages sent in a 24-hour period. Early results from AgencyNet, the creators of Bieber's official website, show the fans' attempt appears to have already broken the previous record of 209,771 mentions set by the Beat Cancer Everywhere campaign in 2009. Twitter account @JBworldrecord tweeted that Bieber fans reached 214,900 mentions at 12:53 p.m. ET with 11 hours to go at the time. The tally at 7:27 p.m. was 292,069 mentions, which included this phrase that was first sent when the clock struck midnight on March 1: Please RT: Setting a world record for @justinbieber! #leggo bit.ly/jb18th— JB World Record (@JBWorldRecord) March 1, 2012 Pattie Mallette -- Bieber's mother who inadvertently catapulted his music career into super stardom in 2007 after uploading a video of her son performing Ne-Yo's "So Sick"-- even got in on the action. Please RT: Setting a world record for @justinbieber! #leggo bit.ly/jb18th— Pattie Mallette (@studiomama) March 1, 2012 AgencyNet organized more than 40,000 Bieber Fever victims through a birthday landing page, which lets them RSVP via their Facebook accounts. The event description instructed participants to tweet or retweet on Twitter, or post to Facebook the above message. Guinness World Records still has the verify the messages after March 1 ends before a new record is set. Until that confirmation surfaces, the official record still belongs to Everywhere for its #BeatCancer campaign, which raised $70,000 for cancer charities. "I'm pleased and frankly shocked that our record stood for nearly two-and-a-half years, given the rapid evolution of social media," Everywhere managing partner and cancer survivor Tamara Knechtel told Mashable. "We really set a precedent in proving that social media could be used for social good and we raised $70,000 along the way for cancer-serving non-profits." SEE ALSO: Justin Bieber Turns Birthdays Into Social Good Holidays Bieber has built a massive fan base across social networks -- particularly on Facebook and Twitter -- so it should come as no surprise that his fans assembled to give him a world record as a birthday gift. Bieber has 17.8 million Twitter followers and 40.8 million Facebook "Likes." BONUS: The Road to Bieber Fever In January, Bieber celebrated his fifth YouTube anniversary. His official YouTube channel has 2.3 billion views. For a quick glimpse at Bieber's high-profile YouTube ride, check out the fun tidbits below thanks to Danish social media agency Crisp Social, that created the infographic for Mashable in January. |
| Facebook's Time Travel Problem: Timeline Only Goes Back To 1800 | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 7:38 PM | Alex Fitzpatrick |
|  Facebook Timeline has a time problem: Profiles using the new design can only go back as far as the year 1800. Facebook Timeline pages for brands launched Wednesday, and some more elderly brands -- such as Princeton and the U.S. Army -- are starting to notice they predate Facebook's 1800 barrier. That's not a problem for personal Facebook users, unless there are some time travelers, vampires or Highlanders among us. So far, brands that have been around longer than two centuries are making do with the limitation. They've got no choice -- brands that make the switch can't go back to the old profile design. All brand pages will be forcibly changed by the end of March. "At this time, this page only allows us to go back to 1800," reads the U.S. Army's earliest milestone marker. "However, we were 'founded' in 1775." Princeton University's social media coordinator noted a similar issue in a tweet: @mashable Interesting issue with brand pages. I'm doing the history for @Princeton, and FB's timeline ends at 1800. We go back to 1746 #oops— Ian Cahir (@iancahir) March 1, 2012 The U.S. Navy has the same problem, but its "birth" post doesn't directly mention Facebook's 1800 limitation. "On Friday, October 13, 1775, meeting in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress voted to fit out two sailing vessels, armed with ten carriage guns, as well as swivel guns, and manned by crews of eighty, and to send them out on a cruise of three months to intercept transports carrying munitions and stores to the British army in America," reads the Navy's post. "This was the original legislation out of which the Continental Navy grew and as such constitutes the birth certificate of the navy." SEE ALSO: Facebook Timeline Brand Pages Are Here/a> Will Facebook change the seemingly arbitrary year 1800 limit? We contacted the company for comment, and will let you know if we get a response. |
| Twitter Reacts to Snooki Pregnancy Rumor [PICS] | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 4:14 PM | Samantha Murphy |
|  If we've learned anything from the record number of tweets sent surrounding Beyonce's pregnancy announcement last September, it's that social media users love baby news. E! News reported earlier this week that Jersey Shore cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, 24, is expecting a child with her boyfriend Jionni, despite denying it to various media outlets last month. You may argue that no one cares about the personal life of Snooki; search trends suggest otherwise. Not only did the pregnancy rumors start trending on Twitter -- with hashtags such as #mamasnooks -- it also dominated Google search trends. "Snooki pregnant" made the top 10 most-searched list. Although Snooki is usually active on Twitter, she hasn't tweeted much since the E! report -- and has yet to address it. However, actors Steve Carrell and Zach Braff shared their reactions via the site. "I hope Snooki doesn't have problems delivering her baby. She'd hate to hear the doctor say, "we have a little Situation here," @SteveCarell tweeted. Carrell's tweet has since been removed without explanation. Some users on Twitter said that Snooki's alleged due date is December 21, 2012 -- coincidentally, the last day of the Mayan calendar. But since some reports indicate that she is already a few months pregnant, this seems unlikely. Although Twitter hasn't released numbers yet regarding the number of tweets surrounding the rumors, the site has said that Beyonce's baby news announcement at the 2011 MTV Music Video Awards received more mentions for each second than the Women's World Cup, Japan's New Year and Osama bin Laden's death. Thumbnail via Twitter, @Snooki |
| Facebook Timeline for Brands: The Complete Guide | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 4:03 PM | Christine Erickson |
|  Now that Facebook Timeline has finally rolled out for brands, companies have endless opportunities to refresh their social media strategy. Sounds overwhelming, doesn't it? Let's break it down. As of Wednesday, brands can opt in on the new features. If you're not familiar them, be sure to review them here before you dive into this project. Some of the prominent changes include a new layout with cover photo, highlighting features and the ability to edit and update without navigating to a separate page. Timeline will automatically go live for all brand pages Mar. 30. SEE ALSO: Timeline For Brands: How to Prepare for Your Company's New Facebook Page As predicted, these new features will be a huge opportunity for brands that want to tell a more engaging and authentic story. Even the President has jumped on board with Timeline. Some feel that this could be a potential downfall for companies that do not excel at providing engaging content or brands with various operations compared to those who concisely define themselves under one umbrella. Regardless, it gives all companies the opportunity to get creative with cover photos, and their overall presence on social media, as we've already begun to see with early adopters. With spring right around the corner, consider Timeline your chance to do a little housekeeping. The features require you to tidy up a bit, as well as do some research on your company's history -- but the results could be quite beneficial. At Mashable, our community team updated our own brand page to Timeline on Wednesday, and took a walk down memory lane. It's an easy way to look back on our milestones, and rediscover what we've learned from past Facebook posts throughout the years. Will you be an early adopter of Facebook Timeline for brand pages, or wait for the inevitable switch on Mar. 30? Let us know in the comments. |
| 20 Infamous Crimes Committed and Solved on Facebook [INFOGRAPHIC] | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 3:24 PM | Alissa Skelton |
|  Criminals might be taking to the web, but police are meeting them there. Facebook has proved to be a powerful tool for law enforcement to locate criminal activity. All Facebook communication leaves a trail, which can come in handy when police need to solve a crime. UK police have reported a 540% increase in Facebook crimes over the past three years, according to the Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. Crimes have taken a different form on Facebook, requiring the creation of new laws or reinterpretation of existing laws. With more than 100,000 UK crimes linked to Facebook over the past five years, it's no wonder police are looking for suspects or evidence on the site. Some law enforcement, such as Sheriff Al Lamberti, have found great success using Facebook to find criminals. Lamberti arrested the criminals who stole air conditioners in Florida after he posted photos of suspects on Facebook, which led to a tip. SEE ALSO: 5 Ways Twitter Is Changing Media Law The infographic below, created by the Criminal Justice Degrees Guide, shows 20 crimes that Facebook assisted or helped solve. The criminals either posted photo evidence or statuses about the criminal acts, or used Facebook to communicate about the criminal activity. The infographic shows several incidents in which Facebook cyberbullying, cyberstalking and relationship disputes have led to death. Infographic courtesy of Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, carlballou |
| Twitter Users Help Plan a Wedding After Hired Planners Folded [VIDEO] | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 2:39 PM | Alissa Skelton |
|  Twitter came to the rescue for an engaged UK couple whose hired wedding event company folded just six weeks before their big day. Lauren Lane and Daniel Welch lost their nearly $7,000 deposit and all of the details that had been planned. Lane tweeted: "Help needed with aspects of our wedding after venue goes bust with 6 weeks 2 go & with our £4.5k!" Floods of people who saw the tweet offered to help. Twitter users offered a three-tier cake, jewelery and clothes. A make-up artist, photographer, wedding planner and a magician offered their services free or at a discounted price. Celebrities Davina McCall and Dannii Minogue, with more than 1 million followers, retweeted Lane's tweet to draw more attention to the couple's website campaign. The couple received about £10,000 free services and gifts. They pitched in £5,000 of their own money. In the end, the wedding came together. Lane and Welch wed on Feb. 25. Lane told the Guardian: "It was a lovely wedding and I cannot believe how many people and businesses came forward to help us - it was amazing. I had gone on Twitter on the off-chance that someone might be able to help us but it just went mad." Photo courtesy of Lauren Lane and Daniel Welch. |
| How to Animate Your Google+ Profile | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 2:11 PM | Amy-Mae Elliott |
|  We have previously highlighted some really striking animated Google+ profile pages. Now we're showing you how you can make your own animated profile with a simple online tool. While some Google+ users have highlighted their methodology, and InMotion Hosting offers an awesome, advanced Photoshop tutorial for professionals, our walkthrough can be followed by anyone with a few spare JPEGs and an Internet connection! SEE ALSO: Trick Out Your Pinterest Boards With This Simple Hack Hop into our gallery for a step-by-step guide to getting your Google+ profile moving. Link us in the comments to what you create with either this super-simple method, or the other tutorials we've linked to above. |
| Facebook Introduces Real-Time Analytics for Pages | | Thursday, March 01, 2012 1:58 PM | Todd Wasserman |
|  Facebook plans to roll out analytics that will for the first time give Page administrators visibility about real-time activity on the site. The addition to Pages Insights is expected to roll out over the next few weeks, a rep from the company says. The analytics will be available to all Page administrators globally. Such administrators will have instant access to real time results for People Talking About This, and Page post metrics including Reach (Organic, Paid, Viral) and Engaged Users. The upshot for marketers, media outlets, public figures and organizations is that they can now see what's going on on their Pages and tweak their content and advertising. They can also see if a post is performing poorly and then replace it if that's the case. The real-time Insights comes after Facebook overhauled Pages Insights in October with new metrics including People Talking About This, Friends of Fans and Weekly Total Reach. In addition, Facebook began offering a deeper dive into data around specific updates. Pages Insights now shows your last 500 posts (going back to last July) and tallies the total number of engaged users, People Talking About it and virality. The latter measures the percentage of users who commented on the post, though sentiment isn't taken into account. Facebook, which is prepping for its $5 billion IPO, has expanded its analytics in an attempt to curry favor with marketers with a range of new ad products and the addition of the long-awaited Timeline for Brand Pages this week. Researcher eMarketer last week issued a report stating that Google will outpace Facebook in display advertising revenues next year. Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst with eMarketer, told Bloomberg that Facebook still has to win over much of Corporate America. "It really comes down to brand advertisers," she said. "They just need to do a better job of convincing the big advertisers that ads are effective and that they perform." Google also beat Facebook to the punch on real-time analytics, with the introduction of Google Analytics Real-Time in September. |
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