Will Facebook Graph Search turns us more authentic?

A Different Incentive For Sharing

by Adam Cahill (Adage)

One of the real turn-offs about social media in general – and Facebook in particular – is that sharing has become so selfish.

As I think lots of us feel as we thumb down through the feed, the pictures we see and the clever quips we read bear very little resemblance to life as it's actually lived.

Because, of course, the feed doesn't present life as it's actually lived. It presents a version of life that we imagine others will look upon favorably. A life in which us Gen X-ers lovingly and one-thousand percent engagingly create crafts with our children on a Saturday afternoon, and one in which the Millenials apparently only eat appetizers that have been sculpted into museum-ready formats.

In the context that's come to dominate Facebook, sharing is no longer a word that suggests I'm doing something for you. When I share, it's only about you in that it's about what I think you're going to think of me.

And that's why I'm actually optimistic about how Graph Search could change Facebook (and by extension all social spaces) for the better, creating a new rationale for sharing that truly is about you.

If I'm interpreting Facebook's teaser video about Graph Search correctly than you should be able to do a search like "books my friends have read in the last year."

Now if you're a friend of mine and you did that search today (assuming Graph Search was up and running) you'd see nothing from me, even though I'd be happy to give you a recommendation.

Looking for a great novel? Try Capital, by John Lanchester. Kind of reminded of Bonfire of the Vanities in that it captures the essence of a city (London as opposed to New York) at a moment in time by bringing to life a sprawling cast of characters into one coherent, fascinating story.

Maybe you're a work friend and want some inspiration for the office? Well you should read The Art of the Pitch by Peter Coughter. It'll change the way you present for the better if you do what the man says.

My point is that even though I love these books, I wouldn't share that on Facebook today because I'm censoring myself.

The first thought I have is, what would people think if I posted this? That I'm pretentious? A snob? The kind of person who wants the filtered, curated version of my life to say "this guys is well-read?"

It's all too exhausting, to think about the me I want you to see, and so I just don't share it all.

But with Graph Search what I can see is a new rationale for sharing. One that is much more authentic. Much more human. One that actually is about you.

You see, if I thought that my friends were likely to turn to Graph Search as a way to get book recommendations, I actually would take the time to go and Like the books I'd recommend. Might even write up a little synopsis and review while I'm at it.

I wouldn't feel self-conscious about it, either, because my motivation would actually be to help, not promote myself.

If we all started to share (at least some of the time) with the notion of helping our friends find an answer they're looking for, that would certainly make Facebook a more authentically human environment than it is today.

It would be a place I'd want to spend more time, and contribute more of myself to. Which for Facebook makes it the best kind of product development possible: one that is commercially attractive, and also helps people get more out of the service than they did before.

Engage With the Superfans

Most of Your Fans Are Dormant, but Active Ones Can Spread a Message Virally
By: Riley Gibson(adage)

Brands work hard to accumulate fans and connect with a large fan base on Facebook, but studies reveal that only a tiny fraction of those fans are engaging with the product. This is discouraging news. And it raises the question: What should a brand do next?

Brands should be focusing on identifying and activating their top advocates on Facebook, the superfans. These are a powerful species, masters of spreading content virally to households around the globe. Brand evangelists with a fervor, they can motivate into action even those who are typically dormant.

Here are the most important tips for getting the most our of your brand's superfans :

Reward loyalty. Superfans are a brand's most loyal fans. Most brands understand the importance of rewarding repeat customers, and this principle holds true on Facebook. Just as a store might reward loyal customers with early access to sales, brands should reward superfans. Surprising superfans with discount codes or branded SWAG delights them, making them more likely to continue coming back and spreading their viral word about a brand.

Make it mutual. Building a two-way, genuine relationship with superfans can be just as effective at driving repeat engagement as physical rewards. Just as regulars at a restaurant are more likely to return if the manager greets them by name or comes over to their table to say hi, superfans will be more likely to return if a brand acknowledges their repeat presence and constantly engages with them. Brands should go out of their way to build relationships with superfans by responding to their comments, answering their questions immediately and liking or commenting on the content they share.

Ask for their help. Superfans represent a brand's most passionate, dedicated customers, so brands should dedicate extra effort to finding out what these customers like. Invite superfans into experiences where they can openly share ideas and feedback to make the brand better. Most superfans will feel honored by the invitation and eager to help shape the future of a brand they love.

I'm not suggesting that brands ignore the rest of their fans, just that they pay more attention to their superfans. For every dollar or minute a brand dedicates to Facebook, the brand will receive more back from superfans than the average fan. So treat them accordingly.

Social Media Demographics

Via: Online MBA Resource

Nubot The Video Chat Doll as if you are there!

By turn freaky, by turn adorable, this robotic avatar, nubot, was created by Japanese planning company Nuuo for use in staff meetings between different places. Created by the same guys who worked on the Tiny Riot App, the robot is a little doll with a screen as a face. Using webcam and Skype, you can manipulate the doll's movements as if you are actually there. Similar to W+K's virtual Christmas Dinner and del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi's friend recovery, you can be there when your faraway friends, family or colleagues need you. You just can't eat the noodles.

Look-a-liker - Stockholm Globe Arenas

Classification: Creativity: 4,2;  Will to buy(participate): 4,2;  Empathy for the Brand: 4

Total: 4,1

Who do your friends look like?

To arouse interest in upcoming acts, Swedish music venue Stockholm Globe Arenas created a Facebook app where users compete for tickets by working out which of their friends most resembles a rock star.

Users choose three friends who most resembles an upcoming act takes their profile picture and use their eyes, a nose and a mouth to form a portrait presented as a concert poster. The most highly rated poster of the week wins tickets for all three friends included in the poster, together with the author of the artwork themselves. The app was created by Stockholm agency Pool. - via creativity online.

Add This - Social Sharing Trends

AddThis, the sharing platform owned by Clearspring. which as  11 million domains world wide and sees 1.2 billion uniques a month, shares the social sharing 2011 trends.

 sharing trends from 2010

Emergen-C: Say it with Fruit

Classification: Creativity: 4,7;  Will to buy(send): 4,7;  Empathy for the Brand: 4,5

Total: 4,6

Our latest bit of engagement for the Emergen-C Facebook community: Say it with fruit. Emergen-c fans (and anyone else) can send their friends a personalized message featuring a talking fruit and one robot pomegranate.Give it a whirl!

Socialbakers Ranks Social and Digital Media Success

Socialbakers, the world’s fastest growing social media and digital analytics company and recognized as the number one resource for Facebook metrics globally, today releases a revealing study showcasing social media effectiveness for companies attending LeWeb’11, Europe’s premiere tech conference in Paris this week, December 7th –9th.

Additionally, launching at LeWeb, Socialbakers cements its innovation leadership today, announcing the highly anticipated release of YouTube analytics and monitoring for Google+ brand page.

News

With a focus on social and digital media at the conference this year, Socialbakers, reviews how well the innovators of the future are truly doing in social and digital media and how they compare to industry and competitors.

Findings show which companies have the largest social media presence across the major social networks including highest engagement rates on Facebook.

Key Observations:

Major brands and tech companies:

• Google on Facebook has a 2X higher engagement rate than Facebook itself.
• Facebook, BestBuy, Google, Nokia and Intel have the highest engagement rates in social and digital media.
• Foursquare made the top 15 but has an unexpected low user engagement against its competitors.
• Intel, Dell, Nokia, Foursquare, Facebook and Google are with engagement and adoption of Google+.

Investors

• Of the 72 investors attending 44% are on Facebook, 39% on Twitter (with an identifiable handle) and 11% on Google+.
• Top three investors on Facebook have a large number of fans but post minimal updates and are not actively engaging their fans.
• Accel Partners leads the pack with the most number of followers on Twitter, nearly 7,000.

Commentary

Jan Rezab, CEO of Socialbakers, commented: "Many companies believe that a successful social media strategy is simply about number of fans or followers or the number of tweets. We believe engagement of fans is the key to success. Measuring ROI across Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, and YouTube all in real-time, to be able to compete and beat competitors with user engagement is key.”

“From the findings, we see that companies need to think more about engagement and Google+. Little steps like posting once a day to Facebook will give optimal engagement. Companies need help understanding the data, what works and how they can improve,” said Jan Rezab, CEO of Socialbakers. 



Findings

Table 1: Top 15 Brands and Tech Companies Using Social Media

Table 2. Top 3 Investors on Facebook

Table 3. Top 3 Investors on Twitter

The World of Social Media 2011

Videoinfographs shows all the latest facts & figures about social media: 

Obermutten - A little village goes global

Classification: Creativity: 4,4;  Will to buy (try): 4,7;  Empathy for the Brand: 4,6

Total: 4,6

A campaign dedicated to the little and lovely mountain villages in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. 

Not long ago, it was still peaceful in the small Swiss mountain village of Obermutten. This idyllic settlement of a mere eighty residents was known to virtually no one save a few hikers passing through now and then. Now some sixty million people around the world have either read about or heard of Obermutten. Media reports about the village have appeared in over twenty countries. Obermutten even made it into the main news programme in South Korea.

It all began with a newly created village Facebook page. The local mayor made a remarkable promise in the first video posted on the page: Just click on "like," and your profile picture will be posted on the Commune's official notice board. In no time at all, the board was completely covered with fans. In order to deal with the flood of inquiries from fans, it was necessary to resort to hang up the profile pictures on barn walls in the village. In the meantime, the community has increased to over 9'000 fans.

Volkswagen: Fanwagen

Classification: Creativity: 4,5;  Will to buy: 4,2;  Empathy for the Brand: 4,7

Total: 4,5

Volkswagen Netherlands launched a new campaign entitled Fanwagen, which gives fans the possibility  to decide which Volkswagen classic model they wish to revive, the Transporter or the Beetle.
To do that you have to go to the Volkswagen Fanwagen Facebook page and vote with a like in your favorite model, after all it's "Made by fans, Built on Likes, and win the chosen vehicle as a reward.

The Volkswagen FanWagen is social media equiped, you can update your status, print your news feed among other social features.

   

Credits

Advertising Agency: Achtung!, Netherlands

Heinz: Get Well Soup

Classification: Creativity: 4,3;  Will to buy (send): 4,1;  Empathy for the Brand: 4,2

Total:4,2

Heinz goes social media viral in order to help you cure the flu.
For the month of October, english Heinz Facebook fans can buy a can of soup and personalise it with their friend's name or if can be creative and chose a new nickname to your sick friend.

Heinz will then print said name onto a can of either cream of tomato or chicken-flavoured soup and deliver it to the sickly recipient. The service -- which was devised by digital agency We Are Social -- costs £1.99 and can be bought through the brand's Facebook page.

Nice brand move by Heinz, the brand you count on when you're sick! 

Creating strong bonds with the consumers it's halfway to be a successful brand.

Perfect Fools Take Me I’m Yours – the Facebook app

Classification: Creativity: 4;  Will to buy(send): 2,6;  Empathy for the Brand (Facebook): 3

Total: 3,2

 

 

 

 

This campaign interprets nowadays people habits and insights right well:

 

We find comfort in the past, we all pass a paper in school, asking someone if they like us.   

 

Everyone in western culture uses Facebook at least, and most of them spend sometime watching the photos of someone they secretly like.

The increasing use of social networks have changed your habits, people are spending  more time socializing virtually and less in real life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But I don't know, this thing "Perfect Fools", has a strange smell.

«So, if you’re the kind of person who stares at photos of your crush on Facebook, sighs loudly, realizes everyone in your immediate vicinity is attempting to ignore you, sighs even louder so someone is forced to ask you what’s wrong, and responds by staring wistfully out the window and saying, “Nothing. You wouldn’t understand,” then this might be the app for you.» - (via Social Media - AgencySpy)

 

 

 

 

OMG this is BULL! (unless you're suffering from a broken heart, but though up you're not a kid anymore)