I’m still trying to ignore the Facebook IPO. I’m no expert in finance so find it hard to comment on what’s happening. What has caught my eye this week is some interesting marketing from the ‘Alien’ prequal Prometheus, that amazing moog Google Doodle, Microsoft’s new social network and how one print magazine is incorporating Pinterest.
So.cl Microsoft’s social network
Microsoft so.cl a new social sharing site
So.cl was launched this week. According to PC World it’s not exactly a social network. I’ve had a quick sniff around but not enough of one to have a fully informed opinion yet. has helped me understand it more. Some of the features do look interesting, it seems users will congregate around interests and that makes sense, we’re doing more of this on Facebook with groups and interest lists and Google+ with circles. The big question has to be is it different enough and compelling enough to compete against the big boys?
Official Twitter guide for small businesses based in the UK
Twitter have always had a small business guide but this week saw them release one specifically for the UK. As you have probably noticed the language and style of social media varies between America and the UK. I’ve always felt that Ireland sits somewhere between the two. The Irish version isn’t out (yet) but you can . And if you’re a little annoyed that they haven’t launched one for us in Ireland yet you will probably smirk when you read that they have upset most of the UK by using the tag #LDNlocal. Read more here.
Magazine allows pinning from print
This is a fascinating story, it really caught my eye this week. Print magazine House Beautiful has devised a way to allow users to pin content from their paper magazine onto Pinterest. Readers just need to use a mobile app connected to their Pinterest account to share images from the magazine. Without trying it for myself I can’t see how easy it is to use but it’s definitely clever thinking.
Guide to Twitter abbreviations
When you have been using Twitter for a while it can be easy to forget how confusing it can be for a newbie. I was asked whilst running a course this week was it written in another language. In a way it is. What with RT, MT, HT, HTT, #tags, @replies not to mention text language it must seem quite confusing for someone who is brand new to the site. Luckily .
Websites with seamless social media integration
One of the beautiful sites with great social media integration
I’m always in the midst of redesigning my website in my head, one day it will happen in real life. Obviously a big part of the design is the social media links. Should you have buttons or Like boxes and Twitter streams. Just when I was convinced the Like box was the way to go I saw . Of course I’d have to make the rest of the website beautiful enough to work any of these ideas in. For a bit of inspiration alone have a look at these examples.
Clever viral marketing from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus
I have to admit that sometimes I can be a bit of a geek and the movie Prometheus turns me to full on geek mode. The film, a prequal to ‘Alien’ is released next week and I’m pretty sure that it won’t be able to live up to the marketing hype. We’ve seen Twitter used in conventional advertising, great viral videos and the latest are personal messages from ‘Wayland Corporation’ (the business featured in the film) to Linkedin users. This is creativity at it’s best. and see a faux TED video that has been doing the rounds as well.
Moog Google Doodle inspires geeks
Now that I’ve admitted my geekhood you might understand why I like these. On Wednesday the Google Doodle was a playable Moog Synthesiser, a massive time suck and it looks like some people spent an inordinate amount of time creating their masterpieces. . Below is my personal favourite, a rendition of the Dr. Who theme.
And from Spiderworking.com this week
New mobile app for Facebook pages
Facebook have launched a stand alone mobile app for page managers. As I’m writing this it still seems to be only available for iPhone but Android is on the way. I had a quick look around, here’s how it works. I’ve been using it for a week now and I’ve found it a great way to keep on top of comments when I’m on the move. I also love that I can see insights for the entire page or individual posts directly from the app.
What happens to your social media and blog when you are gone?
We are encouraged to make a will so that our physical assets can be split up as we wish when we are gone, we include our wishes for our funeral and our burial but should we be including what we want to happen to our digital life when we are gone? I looked at how social networks deal with death and looked at how we can ensure our blogs live on. Not a cheery topic but one we should all be thinking about. Read the full article here.
Google+ Case Study – The Reluctant Speakers Club
This week sees a return of my videocast. I spoke to Eammon from the Reluctant Speakers Club about his success with Google+. In just one month Google+ has become a significant driver of quality traffic with 6% coming from the network. More here.
Have a great weekend and don’t forget to share any stories you enjoy reading this week with us on Facebook.
