Social Media Growing as a News Source; If Trustworthy

More and more journalists are turning to social media channels as a source of news, as well as to validate stories and uncover new article angles, topics and ideas. And, who’s to blame them? With more than 632 million registered Twitter accounts and upward of 900 million active Facebook users, social media sites have a plethora of publically accessible content, opinions and posts that can act as a ready-made ecosystem for reporters to leverage.

Dissecting Today’s Top #SocialMedia Tools [Infographic]

With so many different social media tools, it’s often difficult to determine which are best to use for specific campaigns or outreach strategies. Luckily, Zintro compiled a useful infographic (see below) detailing the demographics and benefits of four of today’s major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. This information can be useful not only to find the best ways to reach specific audiences using these tools, but also to help strategically craft client campaigns and maximize exposure. Below are some of the highlights from Zintro’s research. Check out the full infographic for more fun facts and useful stats.

Timehop – One Year Ago Today, I Was…

So much can change in a year, but it’s often hard to remember exactly what I was doing one year ago today. If only there was a way to travel back in time to see what I was working on, what I was interested in, who I was talking to, or even where I was going. Well, thanks to Timehop, I can now retrace my steps from one year ago, using my digital, social media footprint.

Social Media Dos and Don’ts

The Boston Globe recently published a slideshow series on social media etiquette, listing helpful tips, dos, and don’ts of social networking sites, including Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. As social media continues to evolve, many are still learning as they go and will likely get their wrists slapped along the way. To help prevent any blunders though, reading through some of these highlights may be a good place to start!

Ochocinco’s NFL Strength Social Media

Anyone who knows me even remotely well can vouch for the fact that I am a huge NFL fan (Go Pats!), as well as a social media advocate. This combination naturally made me excited to learn that wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has made the switch from the Cincinnati Bengals to the New England Patriots.

As one of the handful of athletes who have established a solid self-branding off the field, Ochocinco leverages social media in new ways to connect with fans, promote himself and his team, and get people more involved. Much like an NFL version of NBA Celtics’ center Shaquille O’Neal, Ochocinco has also used Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to reach the masses – and he’s been quite successful with 1,861,487 Facebook friends and 2,419,971 followers on Twitter to date.

Social Media Helps Enchant Harry Potter Audiences

It all ends here – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 came to theaters last Friday with box office records estimated at $168.8 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $307 million overseas from 59 different countries. The last installment of the famous series by J.K. Rowling even passed The Dark Knight, which previously held the box office record at $158.4 million.

It’s no surprise that the enchanting series cast a spell over audiences everywhere, but what seems to have helped push the final film to new heights was it’s vast social media presence.

Google+ versus Facebook

Last week, Google announced their latest endeavor, and attempt to compete with Facebook, Google+. Google says this project is an attempt to “fix” the way people interact online, bringing the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software, which they believe are often lost in the rigidness of online tools. While I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who thinks Facebook, Skype or Twitter are “rigid,” there are certainly some cool features that Google+ is boasting:

ContentAide; Optimizing Your Company’s Facebook Experience

Facebook is quickly becoming a great marketing tool for businesses to build a compelling social media presence and engage with users. With company Facebook pages jumping from 700,000 last December to 1.5 million over just a few months, it’s clear this social networking site is here to stay. But, are companies making the most of the platform?

Facebook has immense potential to provide much more than simply a place to interact with customers and post company updates. As more and more companies join the site, Facebook could offer valuable competitive intelligence information to help companies keep up with market trends and generate compelling content while attracting and retaining Facebook fans… that is, if they had the right tool.

Social Media Leaks Osama bin Laden’s Death

On a special CBS evening news report last night, Katie Couric and her team reported on the monumental death of Osama bin Laden and how social media has become the predominant outlet for people to use when news breaks.

In fact, the person who leaked the first mention of the news, Sohaib Athar, wasn’t even aware of what he was tweeting about. Couric reported that a computer programmer in Pakistan was so startled to see a helicopter hovering over his town that he went on Twitter to tell the world. What he didn’t realize, however, was that he was actually witnessing the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.

The New Facebook – “Like”?

A couple weeks ago, Facebook introduced the new profile with the hope of making it easier for users to tell their story and learn about their friends. I was reluctant to implement the new version at first, but after looking into it a bit more, it seems worthwhile, and, like anything, will just take some getting used to. Below, I’ve outlined a few new things and few features that have gone missing. I’d be curious to hear your feedback on the new profile – what do you think works or doesn’t?