The first video uploaded to YouTube is titled “Me at the zoo.” It features the user at the San Diego Zoo talked for 19 seconds about elephant tusks. Although the content is not the most interesting, the video led millions of others to upload their content to the site making it the most popular video sharing website.

How are you using YouTube these days? Are you using YouTube differently in 2010 than you were in 2005? Tell us everything.

I am curious how this will be received by other LinkedIn users. What do you think about the feature?

]]> http://451heat.com/2010/04/21/linkedin-becomes-more-like-facebook/feed/ 4 http://451heat.com/2010/04/07/what-social-media-cannot-do%e2%80%a6/ http://451heat.com/2010/04/07/what-social-media-cannot-do%e2%80%a6/#comments Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:47:24 +0000 ajgerritson http://451heat.com/?p=1206 Fact # 1 – I heart social media.

Fact # 2 – I am a Partner at an agency that hearts social media. We effectively leverage it every day for our clients.

Fact # 3 – I am writing this piece knowing that it will be posted to our company’s blog and hope it will be spread quickly through social media.

Fact # 4 – Social media cannot do everything. As much as people in our circles think it can, I think it’s important to remember what it cannot do for us.

For example, social media cannot…

Shake someone’s hand.
Kiss you.
Sell to you.
Go on vacation with you.
Be ignored.
Replace your home life.
Be summed up in one sentence.
Be taught in a classroom (it must be practiced).
Mow your lawn.
Drink a shot with you.
Write its content.
Stop traffic.
Have lunch.
Call your mother.
Pick up your child.
Taste amazing.
Play 1st base on the company softball team.
Drive you to work.
Get your back.
Keep you warm.
Hold a door.
Help someone cross the street.
Give you a hug.
Smile.
Date your sister.

What do you think it can’t do?

-AJ Gerritson

If the location feature integrates Facebook Fan Pages it could have very interesting results for businesses on the social networking site. The feature could make Fan Pages for businesses (i.e. restaurants, salons, bars, etc.) more valuable in terms of generating awareness, driving more engagement and appearing more frequently in Google’s Place Pages or Yelp’s listings.

Tagging an update or post with a venue that has a Fan Page, may also allow a user to attach comments/reviews and photos to the venue’s Fan Page. Location-based posts will drive more traffic to Fan Pages and create more engagement between businesses and clients. If the feature is designed to include Fan Pages, I think we’ll see a huge increase in the amount of Fan Pages on the site.

It’s rumored that Facebook will make the official announcement regarding the location feature at the annual f8 conference on April 21st.

How do you think Facebook plans to integrate locations into status updates? How is Facebook going to make its location-based feature different? Tell us what you think Facebook should do!

The weekly reports detail the amount of Facebook Fans a Fan Page gains, the amount of wall posts on the Fan Page and the total amount of visitors to the Page per week. The best part of the weekly reports is that it aggregates into one email all of the Facebook Pages I administer.

Facebook Fan Page reports make reporting for clients much easier and more time efficient. Social media reporting can be extremely time consuming and tedious, but these updates are very helpful in moving the process along. It would be great if Twitter started sending weekly reports of RTs, mentions and amount of tweets in a week, don’t you think? LinkedIn should send out weekly reports to managers of Events and Groups too.

What do you think? Is Facebook missing anything in these weekly reports? Give us your feedback!

Research firm Hitwise said that the two sites accounted for 14% of all US internet visits last week. Facebook’s home page recorded 7.07% of traffic and Google’s home page recorded 7.03%.

Although the difference is small, the implications are HUGE. This takeover is a sign that the web is becoming more sociable than searchable, and Facebook’s popularity is going to continue to grow rapidly. Do you agree? Do you think Facebook will soar ahead of Google.com in the coming months?

What are the reasons behind this drop in ratings? Well, one of the main reasons is the lack of social media use in past years. Until last year’s telecast, a lack of social media tie-ins thwarted the Academy from achieving higher ratings. The Academy wasn’t harnessing the power of Oscar pools on online channels, using social networking sites (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) to keep viewers engaged in real-time, streaming videos backstage at the awards ceremony, or utilizing mobile technology.

This year, the Academy used social media to boost ratings and connect with the Gen Y Audience. Here are some of the ways the Academy used social media to gain viewers and engage with the audience:

• Streamed nominations live online at Oscars.org, and on the Academy’s Facebook page.
• Revamped website by hosting video and exclusive content from nominees, as well as widgets for Oscar pools and predictions.
• Oscars iPhone application launched in late February. Fans use the app to see how their Oscar predictions faired against others.
• The Academy will release behind-the-scenes footage from the preparations and rehearsals leading up to the 2010 telecast. The videos will also be syndicated to online video sites and digital out-of-home networks.

Do you think these social media tactics helped boost ratings for the 2010 Academy Awards show? Next year, you can expect to see Facebook and Twitter integration for real-time engagement with viewers.  What are some other tactics you think would help in 2011?

I remember when I updated my Interests at least once per month, was invited to events by non-promoters, didn’t have to sort through twelve page suggestions every day and could write on someone’s wall without worrying about it showing up on mutual friends’ news feeds. Those are definitely some things I miss, but I enjoy some of the new features as well. Now, the design is more user-friendly and search results are far more comprehensive. I can comment on other people’s wall posts and I can block certain parts of my profile from certain people. The site is certainly different.

I think it’s interesting how much social networking sites change in a short period of time and I’m excited to see what comes next. I’d assume a lot of the social networking sites will focus on mobile integration in 2010. What do you think? What’s next for social networking sites like Facebook?

-@cristinalepore