How Facebook eclipsed Google in 2010 Facebook beat out Google as the No. 1 most-visited site in the United States in 2010, according to the web analytics firm Hitwise. Facebook surpasses Google as the most-visited website in the U.S., according to Hitwise Websites can opt to use your Facebook account for one-click signup Google, owner of YouTube, still serves up the vast majority of online video views Editor's note: Pete Cashmore is founder and CEO of Mashable, a popular blog about social media. He writes a weekly column about social networking and tech for CNN.com. (CNN) -- Facebook beat out Google as the No. 1 most-visited site in the United States in 2010, according to Internet analytics firm Hitwise. How was Facebook able to outplay the former Web champion? Let's begin by admitting that the Hitwise data doesn't represent the whole truth. Nonetheless, there's a tectonic shift at work here: Facebook, once easily dismissed as the next social networking fad, has seemingly discovered Google's weak spots. Identity Wars
What Is Facebook, Really? - Jeffrey F. Rayport - The Conversation by Jeffrey F. Rayport | 1:38 PM February 2, 2011 Last month in New Orleans, the Online Publishers Association held its Annual Member Summit. But there was a curious absence. By any conventional measure, Facebook could easily rank as the largest online publisher in the world. Three remarkable realities account for the logic (and irony) of Facebook’s absence: First, Facebook is not really a website anymore. Second, Facebook is preternaturally addictive. Third, Facebook is magnetic as a function of its social engagement. In short, Facebook is not, in any sense, an online publisher. Jeffrey F.
As Net Stocks Sizzle, Zynga Aims High for Its I.P.O. Jim Wilson/The New York TimesMark Pincus, Zynga’s founder and chief executive. 9 p.m. | Updated With a real-world profit and an inexhaustible supply of virtual cows, Zynga on Friday filed for what is expected to be one of the biggest Internet stock offerings ever, a debut whose fate is tied largely to that of Facebook’s. Zynga, the online gaming company behind the Facebook hits FarmVille and CityVille, said on Friday that it expected to raise about $1 billion in an initial public offering, a figure used to calculate the registration fee. For some of the biggest Web start-ups, there is a growing sense of urgency to capitalize on the booming investor interest in new Internet stocks — as evidenced by the blockbuster debut of the professional social network LinkedIn in May. Groupon, the giant daily deals site, filed last month for its offering. Some clues to Facebook’s business model may be found in Zynga’s performance. The model has become a powerful cash machine.
Beyond social media buzzwords: It's your business that matters and how you think and what you believe that really matter This article from AttentionMax struck me. Its premise is simple: most agencies and media publishers still don't get social media right. In terms of coming up with social-media solutions, most are found wanting - and too "buzz-wordy", rather than really actionable. To be sure, there are a lot of promising attempts on both the media and agency sides. It seems that I am not the only one who is beginning to be frustrated by the buzz-wordy, ambiguous words and phrases that pepper most ad and media companies and publishers' presentations. I believe that social media is important: but how exactly do you manage it? I believe that you can't manage something that you cannot control - and you cannot control what you cannot measure. But social media is chaotically organized. And yet, we know that social media needs to be considered because of its sheer power in influencing others. How then? Here are my suggestions: Go beyond the marketing plan. OK.
Social media for business 101 « eskimon Social Media have been attracting significant attention thanks to their explosive growth all over the world. Figures suggest that well in excess of 1 billion people around the globe already use social networks, and that millions more join them every week. Facebook and China’s QZone report more than half a billion users each. With such huge audience potential, it’s easy to understand why companies are rushing to establish a social media presence of their own. However, effective use of social networks entails much more than creating a Facebook page or Twitter account for your brand – especially if you hope to see a meaningful return on your investment. The Evolution of Social Networks The current excitement surrounding digital social media might suggest that they are a recent phenomenon, but their roots go back more than 30 years. So what can social media do for your brand? Debunking Social Media Myths Social media will replace all other advertising media Social media are free Do It For A Reason
Twitter used to track moods Goodbye mood rings and hello Twitter. A recent study by sociologists at Cornell University shows posts on social media websites can actually predict moods. The study collected Twitter messages from more than 2 million people in 84 countries. Using a technique called “sentiment analysis,” the sociologists found messages seemed to follow a consistent pattern. [media-credit name="Chris Bunker" align="alignleft" width="300"] [/media-credit] A recent study shows that subject of tweets and mood correlate. In a typical day, one might remember waking up grumpy, getting happier as lunch break approaches, feeling like the day dragged on in the afternoon, and then picking up speed near bedtime. But what is the value of such a study? Dr. Social media trends has even prompted the Information Technology program at BYU to create a whole new emphasis to study social computing. Coleman Scholz, an accounting student from Ashburn, Va., said he is excited to see people’s online activity analyzed.
What is Social Media Research? You know, this seems to be a simple question that ought to have a simple answer. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. I’ve been to a number of conferences and conference sessions which have focused solely on social media research and every time, I am taken by surprise when few of the talks are actually about social media research. That is, social media research as I’ve come to understand it. Some of the talks have been about: Focus groups that take place in the online space Surveys that are conducted on the internet Sampling techniques that collect responders from the online space Qualitative groups that incorporate digital photos and videos uploaded into online research communities Perhaps I’m a little biased since I’ve been so heavily focused in my little corner of the research space but I don’t think any of those are social media research. These are all traditional research methods that take place online instead of offline. On the other hand, at the heart of social media research is social media.
Klout to update algorithm, launch score insights tomorrow Like them or not, Klout has been around for three years and is continuing its quest to become the standard of influence online. Competitors have been announced, but have not yet launched. Today I sat down with Klout CEO Joe Fernandez to discuss the future of Klout, and what the company has learned along the way. Fernandez would love to see Klout scores rolling along the screen with Tweets on networks like CNN one day. Fernandez simply told me: TV, Radio, and News are measured. Since sites like Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, Tumblr, and YouTube let us become “broadcasters”, Fernandez feels that people should be measured as well. Do we really need a score to validate ourselves? The problem that I’ve had with Klout is how the loudest users have talked it up and beat it down. Fernandez shares that the company receives emails and calls all of the time arguing that a person should be more influential in one thing rather than another, or that their score is completely off. He shared:
Why Groupon Must Change Its Business Model for Long-Term Success I needed sunglasses, the prescription kind. I hadn't owned a pair in years, but this past summer I finally became fed up with squinting and wincing while daytime driving. Lo and behold, a few days after I decided to invest in some new shades, a Groupon for a local optical shop appeared. That was in July, and a couple of weeks ago, I finally found some free time to head downtown and cash in my coupon. It turned out that the Groupon promotion had been much more popular than the tiny shop had anticipated. Sometimes Good, Sometimes Bad That's long been a popular refrain from small businesses who have tried Groupon. Yet, Groupon reports in its IPO prospectus that it featured on its site over 45,000 merchants in North America in the first two quarters of 2011 compared to just over 27,000 in 2010 — small businesses keep signing up. For some businesses, Groupon makes sense. But why did a boutique optical shop run a promotion? Businesses Won't Always Need Groupon So who wins? This is the future.
Data Analysis | Analytical-Solution.com What can your data tell you, that you don’t already know? Data Mining is about explaining the past and predicting the future by means of data analysis. We are collecting more data than ever before, yet many organizations are still looking for better ways to obtain value from their data and compete in the marketplace. How old are my customers, did they go to college, do they have children, where do they live, where do they shop, what is their annual income, etc? The stocking layout in a grocery store has been designed to increase the dollar amount you purchase. How can my data save or make me money? By only marketing to those customers that have a higher propensity to respond. Consumers pursue good value over lowest prices when it comes to retailer choice – A Nielsen Report October 2011. Enterprise Data Warehouse: Need to create a large database? Learn how to build Cubes in SSAS (click here) (registration required) Bill Inmon vs. Check it out
slideshare Klout Doesn't Really Measure Influence [STUDY] A new study about digital influence says Klout and other social media measurement tools don't really define how users influence their networks. All too commonly, sites like Klout and PeerIndex claim to measure influence — and maybe they do measure influence. But what does digital influence really mean? Brian Solis, author of The Altimeter Group report, says social websites that rank users' social media influence don't measure influence like they claim to do. Rather, Solis says a user's social media score measures the "capacity to influence." "Scores can be measures of social capital, but not true influence," he said. Solis came up with his own definition of digital influence: "the ability to cause effect, change behavior, and drive measurable outcomes online." He also says brands don't really understand influence. Klout said it was well aware of Solis's report before it was published — the company even had an advanced copy. How Klout Found Success by Focusing on Users
Social Media Analytics – How to Engage With The Data Of Social Media A couple of days ago, I gave a guest lecture at the Danish IT-University on the subject of Social Media Analytics. Social Media Analytics has an increasing audience with a lot of people discussing the subject around the world. From the very beginning of using Social Media Analytics strategically, the focus has been on analyzing things like buzz tracking, performance measurement as well as discussing ROI. The fierce growth of data and insights on the web has by no means lessened the interest for Social Media Analytics, making the hot topic of today “Big Data”. My presentation below is yours for the reading. Slide 1-6: The introduction of Mindjumpers Slide 7: The simple definition of Social Media or let’s just call it “Online Social Technologies That Facilitate Interaction Between People” Slide 8: What is “Big Data”? Slide 9: Social Data – it’s a revolution or at least a high growth evolution Slide 10: Discussing the buzz words on the way to defining Social Analytics That’s about it!
For Brands, Social Media Shows Returns but Measurement Hurdles Remain C-suite executives are increasingly convinced of the benefits of engaging with their customers on social media platforms. A February 2012 survey of 329 senior executives in North America by management and digital consulting firm PulsePoint Group and the Economist Intelligence Unit found that the vast majority of companies who had invested in social media saw a positive shift in their bottom line as a result. Executives who said their companies had established an extensive social media presence reported a return on investment that was more than four times that of companies with little or no social network engagement activity. The benefits of social media were especially pronounced in a few select areas. Companies should use social media to create spaces for consumers to have meaningful conversations with employees and other stakeholders. Despite these positive signs for social media campaigns, assessments of their effectiveness remain largely subjective.