The Web Uncovered

Four months ago Mashable asked it’s readers to vote in for their preferred social network between the two current giants: Twitter versus Facebook. The results were pretty close, although Facebook edged out Twitter in a 48% to 40% victory. Now, there’s a whole new game in town (google buzz).

Google Buzz is now the new shiny, and represents Google’s big push into social networking meets mobile social meets location services. We know it’s still the early days for Buzz, but it seems like a good time to gauge the opinion of our readers thus far.

Have you had a chance to spend some quality time with Buzz? Do you like the service? Are there parts about it you don’t like? Does it draw you away from other social networks or complement them? Let us know your vote for best social service in the poll below, and be sure to let us know why you picked your favored winner.

2010 is here and with a new year comes new expectations, especially when it comes to social media.  Anyone who has been immersed in social media for the past few years have witnessed social media’s transformation from a richer form of harmless online chatter to one of the most powerful marketing channels today!  Marketers are seeing the masses spend less time on traditional media and more time playing Farmville on Facebook (I’m referring to the black sheep on your Newsfeed  phenomenon).  So if 2009 was there year where social media social media got some double takes from the the usual critics than 2010 is the year social media reels in that critic and seals the deal (whatever that means to you).

Some of the emerging trends in 2010:

Top Trends for Businesses

• The most apprehensive and most traditional companies will start dipping their toes in the water (cause everyone else will have already dove in).
• Each business will begin to set metrics for measuring ROI instead of measuring obscure levels of engagement.
• Companies will begin enforce social  media policies (like the NBA).
• Small business will begin to emerge in the space (via apps like FourSquare).
• Media agencies will begin to expand their offering or partner-up with others who got the skill set they need.

Don’t just take my word for it…check out what the experts have to say!

Ann Smarty over at Search Engine Journal has a great post on how to grow your fanbase on Facebook. One of the most frequent questions on the Web Uncovered is about the most effective ways to promote a Facebook fan page. Here is her Top 5 List; the most effective, not really difficult to implement and quite obvious ways to promote your fan page:
Click here to read more about growing Facebook Fans with screen-shots along the way.

1: Create fresh content for people to want to join
2: Invite your friends to join
3: Try social ads
4: Promote on Twitter
5: Leverage your email contacts

A phenomenal achievement by Social Media experts Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas, The Conversation Prism (V2.0 recently released) is a visual representation of the various categories and associated websites that make up the Social Media landscape. By their own admission, the creators recognize that the constatant evolution of online conversations and communities makes this a snapshot at best. Far be it for any one of us, expert or not, to define social media in such specific terms. However, we should be so lucky that Solis and Thomas have made such an attempt! A clear and crisp image of of the Conversation Prism and it’s many details is difficult to come by online. However it should be noted that a full size 18″x24″ poster is available for purchase at www.theconversationprism.com. (Click to view V1.0 | V2.0)

When you are hiring a techie to develop your website or another online marketing tool on your behalf, they have a tendency to use a lot of jargon that will make very little sense without a background in computer science (or Star Trek).  One of the first of these terms that you will hear often is “RSS Feeds.”  

No, they are not photon generators from the Klingons.  An RSS Feed (Really Simple Syndication), is format used to publish frequently updated works – such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video.  Blogs, online publications, and status updates from social networks generally all have RSS Feeds.  Where do these feeds go?  That depends on where you want them to go.

Feeds can be used in an aggregator to show several feeds in one location.  Sounds technical, but it really is simple.  For instance, you can make your homepage an aggregator of three sources:  your best friend’s blog, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal.  In this regard, RSS Feeds are a time saver, as you can get up-to-the-minute updates in one place rather than three (or 20).  

But RSS Feeds can also be utilized as a tool for your online marketing campaign.  For instance, you can have your company blog automatically update your Facebook Notes, Your Twitter status, and even have an aggregator on your homepage of your website, so viewers can see new content, making your online presence consistently fresh.  Setting up an RSS has become increasingly easy, up to the point where now many aggregators and social networks accept RSS  in the form of a URL (web address).

The Takeaway:

Not only can RSS Feeds save you time as an information consumer, but they can increase your reach as a content provider online.  By posting content in places that contain RSS feeds, you can invite your target audience to subscribe to your content updates.  Furthermore, you can utilize RSS feeds to update your content across platforms, such as blogs, social networks, and more.

While the Facebook vote on terms of use are not specifically highly technical, they reveal an interesting tension point for subscriber-based websites who are dependent on advertising revenue.  Who are you loyal to?  Subscribers, Advertisers, or Shareholders?

As always, the answer lies somewhere in between.  In this case, Facebook treads murky water, as their subscription base’s information is what gives advertisers the ability to ultra-segment and target with their ads.  In other words, Facebook has the win the trust of the people who they exploit for advertising sales.  

The takeaway:

Unfamiliar challenges require unprecedented solutions.  Facebook creating a democratic vote on their terms of use are barely short of revolutionary.  Even if both the choices of pre-approved, and it requires a 30% turnout, it is still beyond what any large-scale social network or site has done before.  Consider what other ways you can maintain profitability while retaining subscriber trust.