Many Social media junkies from the UK are screaming for an invite to try out Google+ but they may have to wait a little bit longer.
Despite the skeptics who referred to Google Wave and Google Buzz as an indicators that it wouldn’t take off, I believe it’s easily the best social offering from Google to date and has become the hottest invitation you are likely to get for a while.
Google had to stop inviting users to join its new social networking service less than two days after its launch in the US due to “Insane demand”. An early indicator that Google+ is going to be a big contender in the social media arena.
The message many in the US users were getting yesterday was
“We’ve shut down invite mechanism for the night. Insane demand. We need to do this carefully, and in a controlled way. Thank you all for your interest!
For any who wish to leave, please remember you can always exit and take your data with you by using Google Takeout.
It’s your data, your relationships, your identity.”
If you have been lucky enough to get a head start don’t forget to follow us on Google+!
Most of the people who are on Google+ so far in the UK are people with existing strong social networks. Google have admitted they have been accepting people who have strong social graphs.
The brilliant thing about circles that is missing from Facebook is that you can choose to message everyone at the same time or you can send messages to groups (circles) that you have set up to include a special set of people. Read the rest of "Google+ It’s so hot"
Some of you may have seen The Circus of Horrors on Britain’s Got Talent recently. Amanda Holden described them as “gruesomely good” after seeing a woman being swung around by her hair.
I was lucky enough to see them live performing for the Brighton Fringe Festival. I asked permission to take photos as performance photography is a passion of mine, and as usual tagged the images and geolocated them so that they appear in Google Search. Sure enough when you type in “circus of horrors Brighton fringe” I will come up number one.
For marketing my photography this is a great tool. If you take a look at my flickr account, you will notice that I link the rest of my photography sites Brighton Photographer, Heather Buckley Photography (my Facebook page) and my twitter account, in the image description. Its a good example of cross marketing.
To learn more about SEO and Social Media, you could come to Brighton and enrol on one of our Social Media Training. If you would like to learn how to improve your image editing skills for your business blog than you might like to try our Photoshop Training courses or WordPress Training.
In doing this exercise however I noticed that the Circus of Horrors was in the news today, of all the acts on Saturdays show this is the act that the papers are talking about. I got me thinking about how marketeers can learn from Dok Daze and his freak show. Bear with me and enjoy the images and I’ll give you some inspiration for your marketing endeavours.
“Kilt-wearing Captain Dan the Demon Dwarf, for example, uses a delicate part of his anatomy to swing a bowling pin between his legs. Then there’s Hannibal Helmurto, who can pull a four-ton truck with ropes attached to meat hooks in his back”
The editors of Search Engine Land have been busy organising the schedule for the next SMX advanced program in London on May 16th and 17th . Search Marketing Expo has now been going for more than 10 years and has been attended by tens of thousands search marketeers.
The advanced expo in London is designed for professional or knowledgeable SEOer’s – the line up will be discussing cutting edge contemporary theory and tips, no wasting time going over the beginners SEO basics. They promise “Sessions are fast-paced, Q&A-packed, frequently controversial, always informative…”
Attending this conference allows SEO experts to connect with decision makers from the search engines, and other key industry stakeholders. You’ll be encouraged to participate in conversations orchestrated to debate thorny issues and move the industry forward. Some of the most accomplished and influential search marketers in the world will be revealing cutting edge tips for driving traffic, increasing paid search conversions, SEO, social media marketing and search analytics.
At Silicon Beach Training we understand that getting your delegates involved is a powerful learning technique so this approach should get you absorbing all those wonderful secrets and set you off thinking about search marketing in new and innovative ways.
Yesterday, Facebook launched a new layout for fan pages. This brings the design of Facebook business pages more in line with the latest design for individual profiles. This not provides a more consistent user experience, but the MAJOR NEW CHANGE is the ability to comment on other profiles and pages as your business. In this post we cover how to upgrade to the new Facebook fan page design, and how to make best use of the new features. Read on for invaluable tips…
OK – simple things first – how to upgrade to the new Facebook Fan Page…
Log in to the Facebook account you use to Admin your fan page (or pages)
Select “Adverts and Pages” from the menu on the left navigation
In the top right corner of your list of pages, click on the “Upgrade My Pages” button
You will now be taken to a list of all of the pages you Admin, and have the option to upgrade them one by one – or if you want to do them all at once just click on the “Upgrade All Pages Now” button at the top.
That’s it! - Right… Let’s get to grips with the new page design and functions, and what this means for how you use your page:
Facebook and Google in talks about Twitter takeover.
Apparently Twitter is currently talking to potential buyers Facebook and Google about a possible takeover bid. With the industry giants history of battles over Internet supremacy this could get quite interesting. Last year it had estimated revenues of $45m (real figures not available as it is a privately owned company)but ended the year making a loss, however this year revenues are expected to more than double to between $100-110m.
It’s not the first time that Facebook has showed interest in a takeover. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is believed to have offered Twitter’s founders $500m in Facebook stock for the company in 2008, but the takeover bid collapsed. Also Twitter co-founder Evan Williams and Dick Costolo, the current chief executive, has previously sold companies to Google on behalf of Twitter.
So what makes these networking platforms worth so much? – Your personal data.
It’s the beginning of a new era as these companies are all beginning to think about the value of the mind-blowing amount of data about millions of people (read consumers) that these data centers are collecting, and that we the consumers are offering for free in on a daily basis. We are on the brink of an explosion in the development of targeted online advertisements
Investment experts around the world are discussing, debating and looking on in awe as valuations rocket skywards for companies that on paper would previously be valued at a fraction of what they are now deemed to be worth. Its about potential, and right now we are only just beginning to grasp what the potential value of personal data is worth and how marketers and advertisers will use this information.
Ethan Kurzweil of venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners stated, “Are these prices justifiable based on financial multiples? No.”…. “But these start-ups are building social services and have lots of data about their users and the market is valuing that mightily right now”.
LinkedIn is preparing to be the first major social network to go public. The professional network doubled its users in 2010 to more than 90 million. LinkedIn’s blog says: “The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined.”
The floatation is definitely good news for founder Reid Hoffman as his 21.4% stake could line his pockets with $642m if the flotation is as successful as expected.
Silicon Beach Training provide SEO training, Google Analytics Training and Social Media Training. We also provide everything a web developer needs in his toolbox including Ajax Training, jQuery Training and JavaScript training in Brighton Sussex.
Will Linkedin’s floatation start a flotation frenzy?
Facebook and Twitter will watch intently as real market value will be associated with social networking sites for the first time. Facebook has just raised a further $1.5bn in investments giving it an estimated value of $50bn, these investments include the controversial investment in Facebook by Goldman Sacs earlier this year which included an exclusive share offer to its top clients (U2′s Bono being of of these). Speculators are anticipating a floatation of the social network giant (FaceBook) to follow next year. Skype, Zynga and Groupon are also being closely watched for impending flotation.
Even though new models of advertising and sales and app hosting fees are developing fast, a big question is how will they make enough money to justify such valuations?
There are skeptics see this video:
Some suspect that post flotation investments create a social networking bubble waiting to burst, and that what will follow is a replay of the dotcom boom and bust of the 90s.
Jay Ritter, a professor of finance at the University of Florida is one such skeptic:
“It’s only recently that their earnings have turned positive,” Ritter claims.
LinkedIn has 90 million users, with an unknown number opting to pay for premium features on the network. LinkedIn’s net revenue nearly doubled to $161.4m in the first nine months of 2010, with $1.85m in profit. Only last year, the company moved into in profit.
LinkedIn itself has said that it expects its rate of revenue growth to decline and that it does not expect to be profitable on a GAAP basis in 2011 due to investments in its growth.
Shares traded on secondary markets have so far has depended more on buzz than knowledge of the company’s finances.
David Menlow, president of IPOfinancial.com an independent research firm says:
“You’re talking about the secondary markets, which are like the wild west,” said. “Who’s to say what they are really worth?”
What’s interesting to marketers is that Linkedin intends to develop its advertising services in order to allow marketers to target subscribers and users. These plans are further testimony to the general acceptance that that social media advertising has a vital role to play and will inevitably speed up the adoption of social media advertising in the B2B arena.
Yet Facebook now has more than 600 million users, and according to research looks set to hit one billion well ahead of schedule. It has the richest set of data provided by its users and so far is leading the way in development of advertising opportunities, app hosting, and according to the Sunday Times it plans to attract app makers by allowing them to mine and resell data.
Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn offers commercial premium services to paying customers, while basic features and registration are free.
It is difficult not to be influenced by the tidal wave that is Social Media. The power and value of the advertising models offered by each of these giants cannot be ignored. But are we heading towards another .com crash? Has the hype about social media made social network valuations over inflated?
We have already seen popular social networks, bite the dust, remember Myspace?
What will happen if users start leaving social networks, out of boredom or because of concerns about how their confidential data is handled by websites such as Facebook?
What will happen if, as a result, investors become unwilling to pour their money into these social networks?
More likely, as we see businesses and consumers integrate social media into their everyday lives we will experience a market fluctuating and then normalising, but whether the major players will stay in the game or be replaced with substitutes only time will tell.
Facebook is testing a new feature called “Buy With Friends” – this feature will allow Facebook users to get discounts on virtual goods purchased by their friends. But sharing purchases to save money isn’t the only feature of Buy With Friends —it will also let one user “unlock” a deal and then share that same deal or discount with friends who can take advantage of the fact that it’s already been unlocked.
First of all a user makes an in-app purchase using Facebook’s currency called Facebook Credits, Facebook‘s virtual currency that has been around for a while. Facebook Credits, will become the official coin of the realm beginning July 1, 2011. Soon all social game developers on the Facebook platform will be required to process payments through Facebook Credits, and to share it on their newsfeed. When a friend sees a purchase they can then buy the same item at a discount directly in the newsfeed.
Are Facebook Credits a threat to Developers?
There are rumours that Facebook Credits will become the only kind of currency allowed for Facebook apps. Understandably many developers are unhappy about Facebook’s new policy mandating that they use Facebook Credits – and nothing else – for payment. Facebook will automatically receive a 30% cut whenever consumers make a purchase with the currency. Some smaller developers are now worried about the viability of their businesses’ future.
Currently, the feature only works for certain in-game purchases. The Developers will determine the items and terms of the promotion.
What next?
Facebook’s head of commerce product marketing – Deb Liu, at the Inside Social Apps Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, said that early tests indicate that more than half of users chose to share their purchases with friends.
I would image that before long this feature will be expanded to include physical goods. The prototype is Facebook’s way of competing with the likes of Groupon and LivingSocial. Groupon was reported to have turned down a $6 BILLION investment offer from Google!!
I suspect that Google will find another way of competing in the group buying arena.
The Facebook Registration Tool is a great way to attract loyal followers. The tool enables websites to offer quick and easy social options for users to sign-up, which could increase the number of users on your Facebook pages by up to 300% – definitely worth trying then!
This short guide explains the benefits and how to install the code. You can learn more about marketing your business or organisation via Facebook on our Social Media Training course.
You can register at new sites easily — there is no need to re-enter your information or remember usernames and passwords.
Facebook Registration Tool allows you or your web friends to bring friends with them
When you Log into sites with Facebook you will see what’s popular with your friends and read their comments and recommendations.
Your users don’t even need a Facebook account to sign up
This eliminates the need to provide two separate login experiences.
Facebook Registration tool is a great alternative to the old Facebook Connect because it allows you to provide an option for those users who don’t have Facebook account (yes they do still exist). It also allows to design the login page any what you wish and even ask for extra information from your users. Be careful though, asking too much information can encourage people to click out of your registration process, so best keep it simple.
What’s really valuable about Facebook’s registration it how easy it is for people to sign up to bring their friends with them. It’s proven that people are more likely to follow through with the sign up process, will be active on sites longer, share more content, and return more often.
When FriendFeed beta tested the tool their sign ups by users with Facebook increased by 300%, quite a result!
Yesterday, Facebook launched a new layout for fan pages. This brings the design of Facebook business pages more in line with the latest design for individual profiles. This not provides a more consistent user experience, but the MAJOR NEW CHANGE is the ability to comment on other profiles and pages as your business. In this post we cover how to upgrade to the new Facebook fan page design, and how to make best use of the new features. Read on for invaluable tips…
Facebook and Google in talks about Twitter takeover.
LinkedIn is preparing to be the first major social network to go public. The professional network doubled its users in 2010 to more than 90 million. LinkedIn’s blog says: “The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined.”
Facebook is testing a new feature called “Buy With Friends” – this feature will allow Facebook users to get discounts on virtual goods purchased by their friends. But sharing purchases to save money isn’t the only feature of Buy With Friends —it will also let one user “unlock” a deal and then share that same deal or discount with friends who can take advantage of the fact that it’s already been unlocked.
The 
