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Facebook Announces New Groups Feature

posted on October 6, 2010

I talked and Facebook listened. How amazing is that? Just the other day I was saying that I had a link I wanted to share but I didn’t want to spam my whole list of Facebook friends when only a few of them would be interested.

Today, I wake up and find that Facebook has solved this problem for me. They have a new version of Groups that allows me (and you and anyone else who wants to) to create a group, invite friends and only post messages to the people in that group.

I know what you’re saying, hey, Cynthia, couldn’t I do that before with the friend labeling system? Well, yes, you could but it was a pain in the neck, wasn’t it? Not at all user friendly but this system is easy-peasy. It’s so easy that it’s already causing a problem.

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Android to Become PayPal’s Pal

posted on October 6, 2010

One of the larger issues around the Android platform for mobile has been the payment system. Unlike Apple’s easy to do iTunes pay system for apps, Android users have had to go a few extra steps in order to buy apps. Of course, while it’s not the end of the world, for people who are never satisfied it’s a point of contention.

According to TheStreet Android users are getting close to having a similar experience to pay for apps as Apple users do except it will be done through PayPal

Google has finally enlisted eBay’s PayPal service and is preparing to launch the payment system on its Android Market later this month.

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Google Goggles for iPhone Released

posted on October 6, 2010

Google and Apple may be sparring a bit but that doesn’t mean that iPhone users won’t have a chance to play with all of Google’s toys.

Yesterday, Google introduced its Google Goggles for the iPhone as a part of the GoogleMobile App for iPhone. The video below from the Google Mobile blog does a great job of showing just how cool this tool is. Of course, Google is quick to say that visual search is in its infancy and there is work to be done but honestly, even in its early stages visual search shows some serious promise.

Have you used Google Goggles? What’s your take?

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Twitter Launches Promoted Accounts

posted on October 6, 2010

“Promoted” seems to be Twitters favorite word as they graduate from Promoted Tweets to Promoted Trends to the newest item, Promoted Accounts.

Promoted Accounts will appear in the Suggested For You space in your Twitter sidebar.  The algorithm is set to compare your followers with the followers of people you follow, then suggest an applicable Promoted Account that you aren’t already following.

Who’s on first, What’s on second and I Don’t Know is definitely on third. Twitter simplifies it with this example:

“A lot of people who follow several gaming-related accounts also follow @xbox. If someone follows gaming-related accounts, but not @xbox, Twitter may recommend @xbox to that person.”

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Want a Vegas Upgrade? Get Klout

posted on October 5, 2010

The world is full of leader and followers and no where is this more evident than in social media. For marketers, connecting with one leader, that one influential voice in a given niche, is worth a 1,000 followers. That’s where Klout comes in. Kout was originally imagined as another internet badge of honor that you could wave in the faces of your friends. Founders Joe Fernandez and Binh Tran soon found that the system was a gold mine for marketers looking to locate the whales in a sea of little fish.

Klout uses a complex ranking system that rates a person’s worth in the social media world. It looks at not only how many followers you have, but who they are and what content you and they post, click on, retweet, etc. Originally the system was devoted mostly to Twitter use, but they’ve now added Facebook data and according to an article in AdAge, YouTube, Linkedin, MySpace and Digg aren’t far behind. The more data, the merrier, right?

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What’s A Marketer to Do? Android Making Advances

posted on October 5, 2010

It’s hard enough being a marketer these days with all of the options and all of the things that you are supposed to already know. By the way, you are an expert in traditional offline media, all forms of online new media, all digital out of home options, every aspect of social media including all geo-location options, paid search and search engine optimization, right? If not, you are certainly a slacker and should not be part of the new world order of marketing ;-) .

Now add to the mix the real mobile landscape that is shaping up. At this time last year it is doubtful that the many would have anticipated the following chart from Nielsen (if you claim you did then congrats, you are obviously better than the rest of us). So far in 2010 Android is the leading mobile OS among recent US smartphone acquirers.

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Mobile Marketing Association Names New CEO

posted on October 5, 2010

In a sign that mobile is more important than ever, the Mobile Marketing Association has chosen Internet evangelist Greg Stuart as its CEO after having a 9 month vacancy for the post. Normally association hirings can be important but not necessarily news but due to the rapid growth of the mobile space this one merits attention.

Mobile Marketer reports

The Mobile Marketing Association filled a nine-month vacancy in the president/CEO’s post with the appointment of Greg Stuart, an executive who once evangelized the Internet in its salad days.

Mr. Stuart’s appointment to the top position at the MMA is meant to stabilize an institution that has struggled to find a voice among its peers even as mobile is becoming the fastest-growing technology and marketing medium in history. As president/CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Mr. Stuart faced the identical challenges in his 2001-07 tenure convincing marketers and ad agencies to include the Internet in the marketing mix.