Last week, Digg launched a new version of itself. Many of the changes will remind you of Facebook and Twitter and can definitely be seen as improvements. But, there’s still considerable debate about whether these updates are enough to change the course of this struggling platform. According to Mashable’s article “New Digg is Live: What It Means For Digg and For You,” “What Digg may benefit from is the new seamlessness of the submission and consumption processes. The majority of Digg’s userbase will likely find the new design refreshing and it very well may gain some traction among users that feel overwhelmed with the real-time news stream or the pontifications in their news feed… Better yet, Digg may attract a whole new audience looking for a place to discover news through curated sources.”
Here’s a list of some things that have changed in the new version of Digg, so you can decide for yourself:
- Added the ability to “follow” your friends as well as brands/publishers
- Connected with Facebook, Twitter and Google so it’s easy for you to find your friends
- Included a suggested user list that makes it easier to find brands/publishers you want to follow
- Added a “My News” stream that shows the stories users you’re following digg
- Put a “Digg It” submission bar at the top of your homepage to make it easy to submit content
- Included new tools to make it easier to share content via Twitter, Facebook and email
- Added some new features, including one that lets you save a story for later
Plus, Digg is also working to improve its content by recruiting big brands, promising to “help publishers drive traffic and revenue, including improved analytics and reporting, additional incoming feed capabilities, and improving the discovery process to ensure all publishers are being found and followed on Digg.”
So, what’s the verdict? Will you use Digg more? Less? Do you think Digg will be more successful overall?
A couple weeks ago, I was at a Royals game with my son and we were waiting for the cotton candy guy to come by. We saw a lot of peanut guys, and a whole lot of beer guys, but no cotton candy guy. We were tempted by the $1 dollar candy bar guy, but we held out for our ritualistic cotton candy.
During our wait, it occurred to me that we needed some kind of app with a cotton candy button. When we press the cotton candy button, we’re prompted to enter our section and seat number. The app would alert the cotton candy guy who is also logged into the same app, but viewing a graphic of the stadium seating chart. When our call for cotton candy comes through, a blip on his radar appears and he can start heading our way. He could even send us a quick message that he’s on his way, maybe even an estimated time of arrival. This way, we won’t get weak and settle for the $1 dollar candy bar instead of the $5 cotton candy.
Of course, such an app could be used for hot dogs and nachos too, and it may even change the way the vendors work together. Who knows, maybe more $5 cotton candy would be sold – bringing in higher revenues for the vending company.
Until then, my son and I will just have to wait for the elusive cotton candy man. What? I could get out of my seat and get my own cotton candy? No, sorry, couldn’t possibly do that. I might miss some exciting Royals action.
According to the New York Times article, “Making Lunch a Social Networking Game,” 4food, a new “healthy fast food” restaurant in NYC, is using social media to make fast food fun and reward their customers with delicious discounts.
First, customers go to 4food.c
om and select ingredients to make their custom burger. Next, they share their creation on Twitter and Facebook. (Remind anyone else of the Wonder-izer?!) When their friends see their creations, they can’t help but get hungry. They make their own burger on 4food.com or order their friend’s creation which earns him or her 25 cents off his or her lunch. Smart, right?! And that’s not even the only way customers can rack up serious discounts. 4food also has an in-restaurant leader board “menu” which features the most popular burgers and helps their creators get even closer to those free lunches.
Image: 4food.com as cited by The New York Times
Tonight, Facebook announced the launch of Places. This is another step in providing functionality that allows Facebook users to share stuff relevant to their location. This need has been enabled by the growing number of Facebook users who own GPS enabled smartphones and use these devices to access Facebook regularly. Innovation is this space has been driven by services such as Foursquare, BrightKite and Gowalla. At launch the key new feature that users will see is the ability to “Check-In”, which means you’re saying “Hey I’m at this location”, this will be broadcast much the same as a status update.
A number of key themes are emerging in the reaction to the launch.
- Privacy – this feature, and its perceived privacy issues add to the continued discussion and concern around Facebook and its handling of privacy
- Local – local is big, its a growing source of discussion, technologies and investment. Facebook with its massive audience, is the 500lb gorilla in the room in many digital arenas, local is no different. Its entry is going to help bring Gowalla & Foursquare type functionality and usefulness to a much broader audience. How other players sit alongside Facebook will be interesting to watch.* Importantly for marketers this will bring this exciting space to maturity faster.
*Gowalla & Foursquare where present at Facebook HQ for the announcement and are partnering with Facebook in the Places product.
Features Include:
- Check into a location
- Tag a friend at a location
- See people who are at the same location (people are displayed for a limited time period)
- Read comments from friends who have been to a location before
Lots of great data in below infographic from Website Monitoring Blog about Facebook. Key points relevant for marketers include:
- More than 400 million active users, 50% who login each day
- Average user hases 130 friends
- Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook
- Average user becomes a fan of 4 pages per month
- Average user “Likes”9 pieces of content per month
What are we trying to do on Social Media? Is it to reach the masses through new communication channels, only to dilute marketing messages by using Traditional Messaging in such an open communicated environment? Or is it something more?
We’ve been given the extreme opportunity to actually talk with our community
From my vantage point we, as marketers, need to embrace what it is we’ve been given… We’ve been given the extreme opportunity to actually talk with our community, converse with our customers, and build solid relationships that, if nurtured correctly, can turn into passionate advocates about our company, brand and products. This amazing phenomena doesn’t come without a pricetag. Not a monetary figure but one of time, understanding, and effort. We must pay this price to build the trust needed to develop lasting relationships and bonds that will only continue to grow stronger with each interaction.
Now that many companies are “dipping a toe” in social media, we continually hear, “How do I build trust within my community?”
eMarketer recently released some amazing facts and figures about what and how people trust in social media.
As we see above, trust from consumers depends on several variables; some that you may have control of, some that you may not. There is no magic charm for success in social media; however there is a simple formula to building passionate supporters:
1. Build Trust
2. Drive Loyalty
3. Empower Advocates
One of the scariest things about social media is opening your brand up to negative comments. They happen. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to have your fans come to your rescue and settle the dispute for you. Other times, you have to deal with the issues yourself. And, that can be difficult to do in 140 characters or less. If you’re dealing with complaints on Twitter, check out these suggestions from Mashable’s “5 Tips for Dealing with Complaints on Twitter.”
- A quick response can go a long way
- You may have to respond as you, not your company
- Give yourself more than 140 characters to respond
- Let someone else respond for you (your fans for instance)
- Know when to let it go
The most amazing use of multitouch I’ce seen to date.
More insights coming out of Facebook’s Advertising data.
Microsoft and RIM, two of the big hitters in the mobile OS space, are set to release new versions of their mobile operating system this year. We’re no strangers to articles and blog posts on the matter, as both anticipated OS releases have created quite the media buzz. In fact, we’ve never watched the smartphone space so closely. Today, smartphones encompass nearly a quarter of the mobile phone market in the U.S, a number that continues to grow at an astonishing pace from year to year. That reach and accessibility has created a battle of the Titans. It has become a race to supremacy, and everyone wants to sit at the cool kids’ table.
As both RIM and Microsoft prepare (and hope) to dazzle consumers with their platforms new features and interfaces, we observe examples of two completely different strategies. Although both companies ideally wish to deliver a superior product and increase their market share in the smartphone space, their current position is the key to their differing approaches. RIM’s early lead in the space puts them in the unique position of having to watch their back. It’s all about what the other guys are doing. On the flipside, Microsoft’s fourth place position in the smartphone sales race (after RIM, Android, and Apple) forces the platform to differentiate itself from the pack. In either case, it’s imitation versus innovation.
RIM may be the current frontrunner in the smartphone market, but its Goliath status in the space has slowly diminished as competing OS platforms have snatched up chunks of Blackberry’s once-held market share. In fact, recent numbers published by the NPD Group show Android (33%) beating out RIM (28%) in Q2 smartphone sales. A Nielsen report published earlier this week contradicted NPD’s figures (reporting that RIM accounted for 33% versus Android’s 27%); either way, the numbers are getting too close for comfort at RIM. However, their established presence limits their mobility as a platform. RIM must walk a thin line – don’t let the other players completely outdo you in regards to innovation, while staying true to the form and utility that originally attracted your established user base.
For a while, RIM stuck to their guns and remained true to form, while Android and Apple’s platforms made strides in the mobile OS space. This stagnation on RIM’s part did cost them dearly; before they knew it, the other cool kids were stepping all over their turf. RIM evenly lost some of its executive-exclusive appeal. Five to ten years ago, having a Blackberry was a status symbol – it meant you were somebody. As the smartphone space evolved (smartphone plans became more consumer friendly, unlimited plans came into play, and the price point of handsets dropped), smartphones weren’t exclusive to c-level execs anymore. Now, any teenager that can convince mom and dad that BBM saves them money on texting has one. This shift has been a double-edged sword for RIM. So what now? Does Blackberry target the smartphone mass market or try to zero-in on the niche that got them their business-focused reputation.
From the looks of the upcoming Blackberry OS 6 platform, RIM has decided to appeal to the mass market by playing the “me too” game. Universal search, “enhanced” media interface (think coverflow), richer web browser, and multitouch would all be innovative if the cool kids haven’t already been doing all of that for a year or two now. They also incorporate social feeds into the package – yeah, there’s an app for that (like 500 of them)!
On the other hand, we have Microsoft, who is also geared to release a new mobile OS this year – Windows Phone 7. Sure, it’s not the sexiest name on the market, but it may very well be the sexiest interface and user experience combination to hit the space in years. This platform has already made quite the splash, and I feel that as an industry, we’ve only touched the surface. Up until this point, it has been a game of “we can do that too/we can do that better” among the major platforms. Microsoft is, in essence, rewriting the smartphone experience through their upcoming OS.
Windows Phone 7 is changing the way we navigate through our smartphone devices with the introduction of Hubs. On Windows Phone 7, our entire user experience revolves around what we use our smartphones for most. Windows has identified these factors and created hubs around each one, these are: people, pictures, music + video, games, marketplace, and office. By regrouping in this manner, Microsoft has managed to recreate the smartphone experience in a minimalist fashion. All of a sudden, we do not need to speak geek to understand our way around smartphone devices. Microsoft simplifies the experience and interface, without compromising utility. Let’s not forget that Microsoft is a major player in the smartphone space with huge offerings across plenty of other channels. Beyond simplifying and recreating the smartphone experience, Microsoft is stepping it up with brand synergy – essentially bringing many of its services (Bing, X-Box Live, Zune, etc.) into one cohesive package. This synergy goes further when you consider the wireless syncing capabilities of Windows Phone 7. It syncs wirelessly to Zune software and the upcoming Windows Phone Live website.
One of the perks of fourth place is that you can go beyond imitation because innovation has been force upon you. Not necessarily a bad thing, as Microsoft proves. Fourth place gives you the freedom to veer off the path, and try the new and exciting things that might be too risky for first or second. Windows Phone 7 is already receiving support from a wide array handset manufacturers eager to develop devices for the platform, including: Asus, Dell, HTC, Samsung, and LG.
Imitation versus innovation is the name of the development game. We’ll have to wait and see which pans out in the long run.
