Timeline Will Tell - From Facebook Chat, To Social Immersion

Five important facts about myself and the "new" Facebook rolled out yesterday at f8:

#1 - No, I am not a geek

#2 - Yes, I watched the entire f8 Developers Conference Keynote speech

#3 - Even I know this is a watershed moment in the evolution of Social Media

#4 - We are about to experience a great & genuine divide among Facebook users

#5 - How we manage & market social media just changed dramatically

Facebook is the 800 pound Gorilla in the room that is Social Media, with 800 million users to prove it. Like it or not, trust them or not...Facebook is the foundation upon which everything else that happens in this brave new social media world is built. It's the portal to much of our current human interaction, it's the biggest opportunity for new voices & businesses to be heard, and it's the most important target for new media marketers. In this case size matters, but so does the vision & ability to create what others can't even imagine. Complaints are many, and there are other social media platforms...but Facebook is good at being Facebook.

No need to get into the details of what the Timeline is, why Open Graph is going to be even stronger, why the new class of Apps will be game changers, or why Graph Rank will work well. That's all been detailed in many places in the past 24 hours across the web. If you're interested & aware, you understand the changes resulting in the "new" Facebook. But, how do you think the average user will embrace it? If you are a Digital Marketer, how will you continue to leverage it?

Here are my very uncomplicated observations.

Facebook has been a simple chat platform that made it easy for users to participate & share with others about all things important & insignificant. A platform that marketers were able to tap into and utilize for various levels of exposure, branding & engagement.

Facebook will now become a comprehensive portal for social sharing & personal expression by its users. A portal that  allows them to submit to its systems & data tracking capabilities, with a more genuine & targeted experience in return. A portal that will change the marketing goal from "like" me, to include me in your life!

This is where the great Facebook user divide will occur. Those who used it as a chat platform to share with others will pull back from Timeline, and look for alternatives. Those users who are truly social individuals & open to a broader experience will embrace Timeline.

For marketers, the chat platform had a pretty easy door to stick your foot into so you could "sell" something. The new portal is going to be a much tougher challenge, with engaging content key to success. True branding through distribution of content that matters to users. sounds easy.

As a user, I fall into the category of fearless adoption & immersion into a evolving web that understands me due to the data & feedback I provide it. A web that creates an experience presented to me with things that matter to me, and avoids things that don't. The "new" Facebook is another step into that reality I'm looking forward to taking, wishing well to those that choose not to come along.

As a marketer, I'm prepared to generate highly targeted content eliciting an even higher level of engagement...even though I still want you to "like" me.

Tim Satterfield

President/CEO

Buzzology, LLC

A Bad Tipper & Tweeter

Have you ever Tweeted about the about the service or quality of the place where you were dining, drinking, or shopping? Be aware, someone may see it and take offense!

Prime example is the lady in Houston who was kicked out of a restaurant over making a crack about the Bartender.


Allison Matsu went to the Down House on Sunday to drink with friends. But she told the Houston Press, while they were there they overheard other employees talking bad about another bartender. Matsu was quoted as saying, "He looked like he was about 16, so I called him a twerp". Seems pretty tame to most, but not the manager.


Because he has any Tweets that mention the bar pop up on his device, he saw it at home...and was not pleased. He also seems to have over reacted, because he called the staff, told them to hand her the phone, screamed at her, and told her to get out! It's one think to get kicked out of a bar for being rude or unruly, but for calling someone a "Twerp"? 


The manager says he sets the tone and can tell anyone to leave for any reason, Matsu says she has a right to say what she wants "on-line". There is also the small issue of the two already knowing each other, so that may have had a little to do with it too. The lesson is simple; be aware that anyone you tag in a tweet, even a business, will see what you tweet...and may react. 


But I don't think that should keep you from saying anything in a Tweet that you wouldn't say in person. I often Tweet about bad service, and will keep doing it...even when they are escorting me out the door!

Transfer Your Facebook Friends To Google+ All At Once

Facebook has been blocking and shutting down extensions that allow you to export your Facebook contacts over to Goggle+...but there is still a way. Here's a step-by-step work around by using your Yahoo account:

1. Open you Yahoo account (takes a few minutes to sign up for one if you don't have one) and go to the "Contacts" tab
2. Go to "Import Contacts", and you'll see the Facebook logo. Click it and say "OK". You'll see all your FB contacts
3. "Select all" contacts, go to "Actions", "Export all", and choose "Yahoo CSV file". File will download to computer
4. Switch over to your Gmail account associated with Google+ account
5. Go to "Contacts" tab, go to "New Group", and create a group called "Facebook"
6. Go to new "Facebook" group tab in left column, choose "More Actions", choose "Import", "Choose file", select the Yahoo CSV file you downloaded, select the "Facebook" label in the drop down, and hit "Import", click "OK"
7. Switch over to your Google+ profile and click "Circles", you should now see all of the contacts on your Google+ account!   (If not, you can also click the "Yahoo" icon next to "find friends", click "agree" to force a download, which may take a few "retry" clicks)

Requires a Yahoo account and a few minutes of your time, but if you plan on using Google+ as part of your personal social networking...this makes migrating contacts from Facebook easy, even if they don't want you too :)

What Time Is Prime Time For Mobile?

One of the most asked questions by anyone just getting started blogging, posting, sharing, and doing any type of content distributions is; when is the best time to do it? Over time the best days of the week and times of the day have become a little more clear, although your target audience can impact what is optimum. But research used to derive those results has always surveyed all traffic, regardless of OS or device.


A new study published by Ad Age Digital says that the highest use of mobile web and apps happens between 7-9pm. Google also backs this up with their numbers on mobile search in the evening. Another incredible stat was that 86% of TV watchers had their mobile device in hand while doing it! The survey also found that ad click throughs were highest on iDevices, with the slowly dying Blackberry coming in last.  


What does this info mean to you? 

1. Make sure you are pushing content in this prime window to increase potential click throughs and engagement
2. Make sure that your digital marketing strategy includes the super-fast growing mobile platform
3. If you're lucky enough to have Television as part of your Marketing plan, include a call to action
4. If you can only afford to do one mobile app, make sure it's for Apple devices
5. Throw your Blackberry away

In the new America it's desktop by day, and mobile by night.


Source: Ad Age Digital

Does Google+ Matter?

It's been very interesting to see how much "buzz" Goggle+ has generated in the past few weeks. (an ironic choice of words) So now that we have seen and used it, and as people migrate to it as an alternative to Facebook...it begs the questions; does Google+ matter?

• A new social network is added to the interweb almost every day, but not by Google...so that matters.
• Buzz was a complete failure, launched by Google...so that matters.
• Facebook is the 800-pound Gorilla, but evil to some...so that matters.
• Facebook is the 800-pound Gorilla, and works fine for most...so that matters.
• Social has been more important than sharing, so far...so that that matters.
• Video chat isn't new, but simple group video chat is...so that matters.
• A Circle is just a Group, but easier to use...so that matters.
• You already have too many social media profiles...so that matters.

Look, Google+ is fun, but far from proving itself as the "next big thing" in social media. The buzz around it will last for some time, and the early adopters will be in for a bumpy ride. We'll stay on top of it as it evolves to maximize its potential because it's Google...and that means it does matter.