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DataSift Asks Marketers What They Would Do With Two Years Of Twitter Data

posted on February 29, 2012

Twitter search is a frustrating thing. It sticks to the overall mantra of the social media outlet which is to manage what is current. What is now is now and what has passed is, well, in the past. Having historical access to Twitter data has simply been elusive.

Now Twitter has partnered with a UK firm, DataSift to provide marketers with Twitter historical data going back to January of 2010. The BBC reports

Companies are now able to search and analyse up to two years of Twitter updates for market research purposes.

Firms can search tweets back to January 2010 in order to plan marketing campaigns, target influential users or even try to predict certain events.

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Is TechCrunch Following the Aol Way Into Oblivion?

posted on February 29, 2012

I rarely, if ever, write about other blogs. As you know, if it weren’t for those blogs we wouldn’t have much to write about so for that I am very grateful.

What is interesting though is watching TechCrunch as it goes from Silicon Valley powerhouse to an era of the great exodus of familiar faces. The latest change is at the top (yet again) as Erick Schonfeld is gone as editor-in-chief and replaced by Eric Eldon. Maybe the Eric without the “k” will be more quick and nimble sans one consonant? I don’t know.

TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington laments the continued musical chairs at his former baby. Over at his uncrunched blog he writes

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Firefox Add-on Tracks Who Is Tracking You

posted on February 29, 2012

Ok, this one comes from the “I know, that you know, that I know” file. We are all pretty much aware that we are being tracked online. What we don’t fully know is just how much information different online and offline entities have and what their intentions are with that data. I believe that in the vast majority of cases the tracking is INTENDED to be completely harmless and is used for marketing purposes. I say intended only because all of that personal data could end up in the wrong hands as well if it is not being guarded well etc etc.

That said the folks at Mozilla have created a Firefox browser add-on called Collusion. Nice job naming it something that immediately conjures up a negative feeling. But hey, negativity sells in the online world.

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All Facebook Business Pages Will Go to Timeline on March 30

posted on February 29, 2012

If you have a business page on Facebook you have been officially put on the clock to make sure it presents well in the new Timeline format that all personal pages now have. Facebook has set a March 30th deadline for all business pages going live in the Timeline format.

TechCrunch reports

Overall, Timeline should inspire users to spend more time browsing Pages and reading their feed stories. However, it removes the ability to set an app as a default landing page, which could reduce engagement with signup widgets and contests. All Pages can upgrade to Timeline today, and but also have an optional 30 day period to curate before Timeline is forcibly pushed to them on March 30th.

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LinkedIn Adds Follow Button for Companies

posted on February 29, 2012

If you’re in the Business to Business business, then you need a new LinkedIn Follow Button on your company website.

The new button makes it simple for people to follow your company updates and news through their LinkedIn feed.

To add it to your website or blog, visit the LinkedIn developer page and get the code in two clicks. You can get an “In Follow” button with or without a follower count.

LinkedIn has also made the company follow button accessible throughout the social media site. You’ll find it on any company profile page, in a pop-up from any company employee, or straight from the search results page.

Remember, the follow button works both ways. Click it to stay in touch with companies you do business with (or would like to do business with) or use it to keep tabs on your competitors.

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IAB Rewards Mobile Ad Unit Innovation

posted on February 28, 2012

A smartphone is not a small computer. A tablet is not flat laptop. And yet, many advertisers and content producers think in these terms when creating mobile materials. Many, but not all.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently invited developers and designers to submit new ideas for mobile ads and the winners have been selected. Here they are:

Two of these ads jump out at me, the Filmstrip and the Full Page.

The Filmstrip appeals to the movie lover in me, but that’s not the only reason I like it. It feels new and since it’s graphical, it’s eye-catching. It’s scrollable, so that means hands on (a good thing) and it doesn’t take up too much room even when activated.

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My Kingdom for a ReTweet [Infographic]

posted on February 28, 2012

On Twitter, a ReTweet is like currency. Some people generously spread it around. Some are stingy with it and some use it as a bargaining chip for an alternate reward.

For marketers, ReTweets are particularly important because they’re the best way of growing your Twitter following, and in turn, your customer base.

Here’s part of an infographic from Infographic Labs (no confusion about what they do!).

The good news is that only a small portion of people care about celebrity status, or ReTweet rewards. Also, even though Twitter wisdom says you should always ask for the RT, only 26% of Twitter users will follow through on the suggestion.