Google Buzz has surprised many experts who thought Google would never make it in the social media world. In the past Google suffered embarrassing setbacks with their attempts at creating a rival to Facebook and Twitter. Google Friend Connect and Orkut never really left the ground but Google Buzz shot into outer space.

The growth of the newest challenger to the social media crown has been phenomenal. According to statistics released by Google, just after the launch on the 9th of February 2010, there have been over 9 million posts and comments in about 56 hours, amounting to around 160,000 posts and comments per hour.

Google Buzz also generated big shock waves in mobile phone market. Google revealed that over 200 mobile check-ins per minute, nearly 300,000 mobile check-ins per day. The key to this success is the fact that Google Buzz is embedded into Gmail.

Gmail has millions of users around the world and by putting the Google buzz tab just under the inbox tab; Google applied a very innovative idea. When a user logs into their Gmail account they are greeted by a Google Buzz tab. The system is almost similar to Twitter the greatest difference is its integration to Gmail.

Many Gmail users find the system very convenient, when they open their e-mail account, they can quickly read the newest mail and won’t have to leave the account to create a social media post. Twitter, Flicker, Picasa and Google Reader can also be connected to the system. You can share pictures but this will be saved at Picasa. The most convenient aspect of Google buzz is that you don’t have to set it up if you have a Gmail account.

Key Features

• Simple interface
• No set up required
• Social media integration
• E-mail integration

Initially there were major privacy concerns. The system had an auto follow function where a user automatically followed people he regularly sent e-mails to. According to Ben Parr Co-Editor of Mashable “the auto follow function can let people figure out your email habits.” Google has changed this to an auto suggested model. This allows you to control who you follow. Another concern is that your inbox can be flooded by Buzz spam.

There are clear indications that Google Buzz is already taking some market share from Twitter and Facebook. People are spending more time on their Gmail accounts than before and this is surely taking some time from Twitter and Facebook. The Buzz threatens Twitter and Facebook’s ad revenue. Advertisers are certain to be impressed with the reach that Google Buzz has.

The future of Google Buzz will depend on how it is going to react to upgrades by the two social media giants. Some predict there is going to be a major dog fight between the three networks. If this fight gets very intense Google buzz will be the last network standing. Google has immense resources and will be able to match any upgrade. Google has been salivating for some time now at the prospect of properly sinking its teeth into the social media world. It has shown great determination at penetrating the social media realm overcoming numerous setbacks. Like a hungry dog biting into a bone it won’t let go of its new grip on social media.

So what is the fuss? Touch screen and e-book technology is not new. The difference is the ipad’s versatility. The iPad was built to fill the gap between laptop and smartphone. It is very versatile and gives a unique social media experience. It is also powered by Apples vast app store.

• The iPad weighs only 0.68 kilograms for Wi-Fi model and 0.73 kg for the Wi-Fi + 3G model.
• Its height is 242.8 mm and width 189.7 mm. Its depth is only 13.4 mm.
• The most impressive feature is the 9.7-inch widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology. The iPad takes touch screen technology to a whole new level.
• It makes navigating the web very easy – to scroll you simple flick up or down with your finger on the screen. You can zoom into a picture by simple pinching on it.
• The iPad also has an onscreen keyboard.

The photo and video quality gives the user a different experience of using Facebook and YouTube. The pictures appear in crisp quality. The photos in an album appear as if they in a stack. You can flick through them with your finger. You can also zoom in or out of a picture by touching it . You can watch YouTube videos in HD quality. To select a video you just tap on it. To change from small screen to large screen you just double tap. The iPod is integrated into the iPad. You can flick through your favourite songs with your finger and tap on it to play it. iTunes also comes standard with the device, allowing you to buy and rent movies and music. The iPad has very good internet access. Steve jobs said “the iPad is the world’s best Web browser. He said “It’s like holding the Internet in your hands.”

The device also functions as an e-book. You can read a bestselling novel or even a school textbook on the iPad. This means the iPad is now a rival to the Amazon Kindle. Some publications have indicated that they want to leave Amazon for the iPad. Many experts say that the iPad has more functions to offer than the kindle but that it is more attractive in design. The iPad looks very futuristic and stylish while the Kindles design looks something from the early nineties. The Kindle can’t rival the iBook function. Once you have bought a book on the iBook it appears on your bookshelf on the screen. To select a book you just tap on it.

The device also has maps, notes and contacts functions. The most exciting aspect of the maps is that you can view your required destination from above using a satellite image. You can zoom in until you find the exact street of where you want to go. The high resolution, HD screen, lets you watch movies and play games in style. The e-mail function is compatible with most e-mail providers these include MobileMe, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, and AOL.

The fuss and excitement over iPad is worth it. Apple has upped the stakes, and they are going to kill any direct competition in the short term. Touch screen, IPS and Wi-Fi technology is not cheap, but Apple has set a very affordable and competitive price for the ipad. It costs $449. It is geared for mass consumption. It puts a wide variety of media at your fingertips. It will be very easy to become a Twitter or Facebook celebrity while using the iPad. The IPad is not yet available in South Africa but this kind of technology means well for the future growth of social media and the digital industry in the country.

According to Search Engine Roundtable amd Reuters report, Yahoo is reportedly in similar negotiations with Twitter as well and it is clear that all the search engines find the content within Twitter to be valuable.

• Yahoo Search To Mine Twitter Data Even Though Bing Does Twitter
• Google, Bing & (Yes) Yahoo Buy Tweets From Twitter

Thanks to @seroundtable & @rustybrick

There has been so much said about this in the last 24 hours, and it is hard to keep up with all the blogs, news and article mentions. Let me try and summarize quickly…

Yesterday Microsoft announced sealed agreements to access real-time content from social networking sites Facebook and Twitter to boost search engine results in Bing. According to Microsoft executives at a presentation at a San Francisco Internet conference, Bing is hoping to take on current dominant search leader Google in the sphere of Social Search and will have access to Twitter’s entire store of public data in real time as well as content from social networking site Facebook. At the same conference, it was also announced that a standalone Twitter search service will be offered at Bing, with some ranking technology other than sort by date involved, and that shortened URLs will be expanded. And finally, there would be some integration within the regular Bing service itself.

Only a few hours later, Google’s Marissa Mayer announced Google Social Search will be launching in the coming weeks. This feature will allow you to see results for queries from people in your social network and will work only via your own Google Profile. In your profile, if you add add links to social networks you’re a member of, such as FriendFeed or Twitter, Google will scan who you are connected to and give your results from those people which will then be integrated in to regular results. Google emphasised their goal of creating the most comprehensive, relevant and fast search and believe that their search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, looking forward to having a product showcasing how tweets can make search better in the coming months.

There has been such talk for some time and even though Bing (MSFT) beat Google to it by first announcing the integration of real-time data into search results, it is clear that this move from both indicate what the future of Search holds for us. Social Integration. Real-time data in Search results! This indicates the importance of consumer perception and the value of comments made by the average consumer and the trust they have regarding brands and products.

This is somewhat confirmed by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg saying that The Future is Social, Not Search. While Google is by far Facebook’s biggest rival in terms of Paid Advertising, it was clear that no love is lost between Google and Sheryl Sandberg, an ex-Googler. Sandberg said that Facebook is leading the net from the information age to the social age, where people will be finding their important answers not through Google but through their friends. As for search, Sandberg said Google would still have a place in the future, even if it’s not very big.

The face of search is indeed going to change and the race to be there first is definately on. The next days, weeks and months will be very interesting.

How will consumer behaviour affect search and the ranking relevance of brands and products in the SERP’s?

My personal prediction is that this affect won’t be seen immediately, but that it will slowly take affect as both Search Engines integrate real time data over the coming months.

For me, the future of Search will neither be Search, nor Social. The future of Search will be “Social Search” – Integrated Real-Time Search, (hopefully) relevant, updated results, as it happens.

How Bing and Google will control what is included in the search results will be interesting to see, but this can only be a good thing for companies doing Online Reputation Management. Hopefully businesses and corporates will be forced to operate in the social spaces more to not only control the conversations, but also add to it, or respond.

Resources:

• Facebook and Twitter Now More Important to Search Rankings?
• Microsoft’s Bing seals Facebook, Twitter deals
• RT @google: Tweets and updates and search, oh my!
• Bing To Do Deal With Twitter, Launch Its Own Twitter Search
• Google Social Search Is Coming & More On Google-Twitter
• Microsoft, Google in deals with Twitter, Facebook
• Google’s New Social Search Is A Big Chess Move Against Facebook
• The Future is Social, Not Search, Facebook COO Says

As a parent myself and a new comer to the digital world I was amazed that some parents still think this “Fad” that their teenagers are going through will fade away. With the stats that were revealed to us last night the digital world is growing at a fast and furious pace. It is not going anywhere and it is up to us as parents to empower ourselves with this knowledge. I also believe that schools in general should be working towards incorporating this as part of their education system.

This is the future of our children and generations to come. Is it not better to have the “know how” so we can also educate our children with the correct “etiquette” of social networking and how it could affect you in later years to come.

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows you to answer the question: “what are you doing?”, by sending short message 140 characters in length, called “tweets” to your friends or “followers”.

Why do people use twitter?

It keeps you connected with:

• Your community

• Your industry

• Your friends

• Your world

How do businesses use twitter?

Twitter helps businesses to:

• Raise awareness

• Offer proactive customer service

• Answer questions

• Promote events, products and services

• Network and partner

How Sandwich Baron have utilized twitter as an effective sales resource:

Sandwich baron is a company that produces fresh snacks and sandwiches on order and holds no ready-made products in stock. They target companies with the supply of basic lunchtime platters and other food stuffs enjoyed by that market. The uniqueness of their concept coupled with the layout and overall service given by Sandwich Baron to their customers has led to them being the fastest growing lunchtime supply chain of its type in South Africa. Sandwich baron have jumped onto the social media train and started daily promotional product “tweets” on twitter, which allows their followers to attain large discounts on their meals. They do this by asking certain general knowledge questions which relate to their menu and brand, a “follower” who then answer these questions correctly and first is offered a discount on their order. This promotional product push has been highly successful for the company who now has over 200 followers on twitter and nearly 1000 fans on their Facebook page! This goes to show that any company large or small can definitely use social networks like twitter to promote their products and brand! With millions of twitter uses the opportunities are endless!

Twitter – terminology and tools

• Jargon:
  • Tweets                 =  140 Character updates on twitter
  • Follower              =  A user interested in your updates
  • Symbols:
    • @                            =  Public conversations
    • #                             = Adding  a tag to a tweet
    • RT                           = Retweeting is sharing tweets with others
    • D                             = Direct message, similar to an email

Top 10 Twitter tools:

1.  Autopostr

-  Integrates your Flickr account with your Twitter account.

-  Automatically post a new tweet in your Twitter account

-  Whenever you have added new images it appears in your Flickr account.

2. Twiddeo

-  Update your Twitter via videos instead of words.

-  Upload your video and a short description about it.

3. Twit Wall

-  Got frustrated with 140 limited characters.

-  Login with your existing Twitter account.

-  Now you can write Tweets that are over 140 characters.

4. Twhirl

-  A Messenger- like software, free to download and install.

-  Post Tweets like sending messages using instant messenger software.

-  Also see Tweets from those whom you’re following on twitter.

5. Group Tweet

-  Allows you to set up a Twitter group, get your friends, customers etc.

-  Broadcast your Tweets visible to your group members only.

6. Twellow

-  A Yellow Pages like service for Twitter.

-  A Search engine for Twitter.

-  One is able to add other social links like Facebook, Linkedin, Digg etc, which they belong to.

7. Twitscoop

-   Find the hottest topic people are tweeting right now.

-   Allows allow you to either enter a keyword or a person’s twitter name to track a conversation,topic               or conference.

-   Results refreshes every 20 seconds.

8. Twitterless

-  Tells you who stops following  you and graphs your follower history overtime.

-  See all of your followers or friends on one page. Filter them by keywords in their description.

-  See where your followers are in the world on a Google map and find out where your follower base is strongest.

9.  Mr.Tweet

-    Get relevant followers  by recommending you to them.

-    Discover great people relevant to your current needs.

-    Improve your Twitter usage via useful statistics.

10. Tweet Deck

-    Personal browser for staying in touch with happening around the world.

-    Update Facebook and follow your Facebook friends.

-    Columns to create personal dashboard.

“Those who criticise use of Twitter at work haven’t seen the tectonic plates moving…

…social networks such as these are the way businesses will be run in the future…”

Victor Keegan, The Guardian

Anywoo, I finally stumbled across this comprehensive article by SEO-INRA titled “Want me to follow you on twitter?…10 Reasons I Won’t !”

This definitely sums up some of the reasons why *I* also would not follow some Twit peeps and allows you to look at your Twitter account in retrospect and get tips on how to improve on your content and followers.

Here are some of the tips that i found interesting:

To read the rest of this article by SEO-INRA click here.

• It would take 412.3 years to view every video on YouTube
• That there are 100, 000 000 YouTube videos viewed per day
• 13, 000 000 is the  the number of articles available on Wikipedia
• 3, 600 000 000 is the number of archived photos on Flickr.com as of June 2009
• 3 000 000  is the average number of Tweets per day on Twitter.com

To the non-twitters the idea that anything of value can be said in 140 characters or less might seem ridiculous. But it was twitters that kept the world informed about the atrocities that were taking place in Iran; tennis lovers, through Twitter feeds, kept abreast of how the drama unfolded at the Wimbledon final, Michael Jackson fans were updated on how the funeral proceedings went on ‘tear by tear’. I mean even dogs now have twitter pages. Dont believe me – twitter ZaDog (although it still puzzles me how that dog learnt how to spell the word “woof”).

But what most Twitter users don’t understand is that in as much as it about whom you follow, it’s about how many people follow you. To put it plainly in Joe-the-plumber language, you may follow a million people but it’s no fun having two people following you.

During my daily ‘Googlage’, I came across some interesting twitter statistics on HotelMarketing site on its 11.5 million users and how people are using it.

• 72.5% of all users joining during the first five months of 2009.
• 85.3% of all Twitter users post less than one update/day
• 21% of users have never posted a Tweet
• 93.6% of users have less than 100 followers, while 92.4% follow less than 100 people.
• 5% of Twitter users account for 75% of all activity
• New York has the most Twitters users, followed by Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco and Boston; while Detroit was the fast-growing city over the first five months of 2009
• More than 50% of all updates are published using tools, mobile and Web-based, other than Twitter.com. TweetDeck is the most popular non-Twitter.com tool with 19.7% market share.
• There are more women on Twitter (53%) than men (47%)
• Of the people who identify themselves as marketers, 15% follow more than 2,000 people. This compares with 0.29% of overall Twitter users who follow more than 2,000 people.

You can view the full report at Sysomos.

Follow Us on Twitter

The latest data released by Hitwise or Nielsen Online not only shows current trends but perhaps some insights to future Search behaviour and online social engagement.

Let’s first look at data from Hitwise related to Search

“Google accounted for 72.39 percent of all U.S. searches conducted in the four weeks ending April 25, 2009. Yahoo! Search, MSN Search and Ask.com received 16.27 percent, 5.68 percent and 3.95 percent, respectively.”

The report states that Search engines continue to be the primary tool(s) for Internet users to navigate to key industry categories. Compared to the same period in 2008, Business, Finance, Sports and Online Video categories showed double-digit increases in their share of traffic coming directly from search engines with Google continues way ahead of the pack. (based on U.S. searches alone)

Another interesting trend is that the length of search queries have increased over the past year, averaging five to more than eight words in length per search. Rather than using 1 or 2 words as search phrases, searchers are now using upwards of 3, perhaps indicating that they are finding less value in results presented when using less or the fact that they are aware longer-phrased search terms will present more accurate results than fewer.

For the full report visit Hitwise for the April Search data.

Trends related to Social Networking from Nielsen Online

Based on a report in September 2008 (Twitter Grows Fastest, MySpace Still The Social King), well-established social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn continued to grow at amazing rates. Nearly half of the biggest social networking sites were among the fastest growing and were also expanding beyond the youthful audience more toward the older generations. Sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reunion.com were most popular among visitors ages 25-34, 35-49, and 55-64, respectively according to Nielsen.

Twitter was the fastest growing social networking site with 343% Growth over the last year.

The latest report from Nielsien, Global Faces and Networked Places, puts the global social network phenomenon during 2008 into context, providing insights and lessons for the networks themselves, advertisers and the media industry on how to take advantage of what’s happening online around “Global Faces and Networked Places”. Social Networks provide the trigger to improve the potency of advertising across all forms of media. For the full report, download the PDF here.

Interesting facts from the report:

• Social Networking has been the global consumer phenomenon of 2008. Two-thirds of the world’s Internet population visit a social network or blogging site and the sector now accounts for almost 10% of all internet time.
• “Member Communities” has overtaken personal Email to become the world’s fourth most popular online sector after search, portals and PC software applications.
• The staggering increase in the amount of time people are spending on these sites is changing the way people spend their time online and has ramifications for how people behave, share and interact within their normal daily lives.
• Social networks and blogging sites are now the fourth most popular activity on the Internet.
• ‘Member Communities’ now reach over 5 percentage points more of the Internet population than it did a year ago – a growth rate more than twice that of any of the other four largest sectors.
• Time spent on social network and blogging sites growing at over 3x the rate of overall Internet growth.
• Social networks and blogs are eating into the share of time held by other sectors. Because time spent on social networks is growing at a dramatically faster rate than the Internet average, social networks are gaining a larger share of all Internet time.
• As the online industry matures and the value of online real-estate is increasingly measured by time spent, rather than pages viewed, a significant shift in advertising revenue from ‘traditional’ online media towards social media could be realised.
• The changing audience offers advertisers the opportunity to use social networks as a vehicle for targeting all demographic groups.
• The global rise of social networks in 2008 has primarily been driven by Facebook, which overtook MySpace to become the world’s most popular social network. Facebook (168% relative increase) and LinkedIn (137%) have seen huge increases in reach.

Finally, the report also addresses challenges facing advertisers on social networks and offers advice. Here is just a few highlights:

What can advertisers and their agencies do?

• Work with the networks more closely
• New approaches to the ad model are required for this challenging and complex arena
• Advertising must be a conversation rather than a push model
• The tone of advertising must be more authentic
• Advertising should be about adding value

Generating ad revenue – the MySpace story
Although Facebook has come some way towards delivering a promise of targeted ads within a mass network, MySpace’s more focused overall offering seems to be proving more fruitful at the moment…

Why Facebook has become the world’s most popular social network
Based on a simple design, broad demographic appeal and a focus on connecting, Facebook has become the most popular social network in the majority of countries measured by Nielsen Online.

First-mover advantage and language have kept Facebook at bay in some countries
Although five years old, Facebook only came to global prominence in the last two years, allowing time for other social networks to take a strong hold.

Mobile Social Networking is Taking Off
Mobile is a natural fit for social networks, as consumers are used to connecting with friends via mobile calls and text. Using the phone to access social networks doesn’t require much change in consumer mindset.

What can publishers do?

• Understand that social networks are an opportunity for everyone
• Tap into what makes social networks successful
• ‘Internal’ – Increase interactivity within the publisher site
• ‘External’ – Participate in the conversation on social network sites
• Think about the mutual relationship with social networks and other media
• Whatever the successful ad model turns out to be in social networks – copy it

For the full article visit Social Networking’s New Global Footprint / Global Faces and Networked Places: A Nielsen Report on Social Networking’s New Global Footprint or download the full report here.