Two social media platforms have been involved in controversy this week. One of them has done the right thing. Read →
This weekend Toyota came under fire for using LocalResponse to send automated tweets responding to hashtags, in a way that was perceived as spam. Now Walgreens is planning on using the same technology that Toyota used in its campaign to send messages to customers using mobile apps to check in at its stores. Will the Walgreens campaign be more successful? Read →
Thanks to a small group of power users, the average Facebook user gets more than he or she gives. According to a new study released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, these power users represent between 20% and 30% of users depending on the type of activity, and they contribute far more than the typical user does. Read →
Like other advertisers, Toyota spent millions on its Superbowl commercial this weekend. But instead of enjoying positive word of mouth about the new Camry, the brand is dealing with backlash against a Twitter campaign that sent unsolicited @ reply messages to users who were tweeting with Superbowl-related hashtags, inviting them to enter a contest to win a 2012 Camry. What’s worse, the tweets were sent from a series of accounts that had been verified by Twitter, provoking additional backlash against Twitter for appearing to endorse the spam campaign. Read →
HootSuite and PeopleBrowsr have a new competitor: Gremln formally launched its social media management platform this week, and it includes several unusual features that you may want to check out. In addition to being a feature-rich, user-friendly integrated management, scheduling and collaboration platform, Gremln offers some unique analytics features that let you track your social media activity directly to a web site landing page. Read →
According to Facebook’s SEC filings this week, the site now has over 845 million active monthly users. Analysts are estimating that the company’s IPO could value the social network at between $75 and $100 billion. At the high end, that means the market would place the value of the content and other interactions produced by the average Facebook user at $118. Read →
Most marketers agree that social media provides business value and helps increase brand awareness, according to a fall 2011 survey of 700 marketers worldwide by social media marketing software company Wildfire Interactive. Read →
There’s a lot of talk about first-mover advantage among social media pioneers. But sometimes it’s better to take your time, according to the folks at Vestas, the big Danish wind energy company. Read →
According to the latest research on mobile shopping from Pew, more than half of adult cell phone owners used their cell phones while they were in a store to get help with a purchase decision during the 2011 holiday season. Read →
A recent study measured tweets throughout the African continent to create the first comprehensive report on Twitter use in the region. Reviewing more than 11.5 million location-tagged tweets and conducting a survey of the region’s 500 most active Twitter users, “How Africa Tweets” revealed that South Africa has the most prolific tweeting on the continent, with more than 5 million tweets posted in the last quarter of 2011. Read →
