Tag Archives: web

Social Discovery and Living Online (Spotlight: Pinterest)

Posted on November 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

If you belong to any kind of social network (you do), you experience social discovery. Social networking giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ have realized that giving users the ability to be selective and as private as they’d like to be keeps people coming back. As a user of a social network, you see friends’ specific updates, photos, videos, music, news, and recommendations of any kind because you choose to. The model of following/unfollowing an individual, brand or idea is what continues to drive positive social experiences on the Web right now. Using social sites and the Web in general isn’t about just coming and going anymore. The social Web is becoming a user’s “home,” completely customized and protected just like someone’s house would be. Facebook doesn’t want you to just connect online, it wants you to live online.

Pinterest

This post was inspired by a couple of blazing hot social startups – namely Pinterest, Quora, and Clipboard (among many others) – that seem to have nailed this idea of ‘The Web as Your Web‘ on the head. Pinterest sticks out for me mostly because I’m a user and I’m able to see and understand how easy it is to use the service and get others using it as well. For those of you that aren’t yet familiar, Pinterest is a visual pinboard for sharing and collecting content online. Users sign up for Pinterest and are able to ‘pin’ any image or video they find anywhere on the Web to a ‘board’ on Pinterest. Users can create different boards and organize the content they collect by naming boards ‘Architecture,’ ‘Cooking,’ ‘Design,’ ‘Fashion,’etc.

If you aren’t using Pinterest yet, I’m guessing you’re thinking that sounds pretty cool, right? It is. Pinterest has created a visually-stunning experience that allows users to gather content that matters to them from anywhere on the Web and keep it in a central location. They are helping shape a shift from search to discovery. And, on top of this shift, sites like Etsy – an online marketplace for very small businesses and individuals as vendors – are experiencing a huge increase in Web traffic because of Pinterest. Why is this? It’s because of social sharing (social discovery). People using Etsy are pinning all kinds of different products (on Etsy) to Pinterest, which in turn show up in Pinterest users’ streams. Add a price and a URL and vendors on Etsy are now “selling” on Pinterest.

This is the power of providing users with positive experiences and ways of allowing users to share those experiences. The Web continues to become more a user’s “home” every day. We’ve seen something similar with Facebook’s Timeline, where users can see their entire experience on Facebook on the same page just by scrolling (“lifestreaming”). Now it’s Pinterest, allowing users to collect content from anywhere on the Web and organize it however they like. What’s next?

(Follow me on Pinterest and Quora; I don’t use Clipboard… yet)

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Turntable.fm for Musicians: How Hanging Out Can Build Your Fanbase

Posted on July 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

I had a great experience just the other day. I was on Twitter checking my @mentions and I read a tweet from someone (anonymous for now) that said he had really been into my playlist on Turntable.fm (which had been from a few days prior). I responded with “Thanks! 90s music is the best” (I had been hanging out in a 90s music room, an obvious choice). This one response to his original tweet and this similar taste in good music kicked off a discussion on Twitter between the two of us (complete strangers at the time) that lasted (casually) for multiple days. We talked about our internships, our tastes in music, developments in the tech and marketing space, and even touched on bands we used to play in. I eventually mentioned that I’m a musician and write my own music. See where this is going?

Turntable.fm

On Turntable.fm (for those of you not yet familiar), users can hang out in rooms that are categorized by musical style (or decade, like the 90s room I mentioned). Anyone with a friend on Facebook who’s on Turntable.fm can join and use the service. (If you’re not on Turntable.fm yet and don’t have a Facebook friend who’s on either, feel free to friend me on Facebook to gain access. You’re welcome). People join rooms and can search and upload music from iTunes or their own computers (musicians – another great way to promote your music) and play it for everyone in the room. There is a points system where users can vote the music you’re playing “Awesome” or “Lame” – obviously the more “Awesomes” you get the more points you make. Personally I don’t go on Turntable to accumulate points (or not yet at least) – I prefer using the community as a music-discovery service. I’ve already started listening to a number of bands I had never heard of before going on Turntable. For me, this is the most unique part of the service.

Back to my original point, though. Me and anonymous user had been in the same room and connected on Twitter because my Turntable username is @davehennessy (my Twitter handle). He had messaged me after hanging out in the 90s room and enjoying my playlist. We started a discussion (as I mentioned) and eventually got to the topic of music. The next time I logged onto Facebook, there was a notification that he had Liked my musician page on Facebook. Yes, it’s only one more fan, but take into consideration the entire process. I had been casually hanging out on Turntable.fm and was then tweeted based on my musical taste. This started a discussion (which also connected us on Twitter) and eventually led to another fan of my music on Facebook.

The Web is social now more than ever, my friends (and musicians especially). Use social services like Turntable to connect with others and build relationships. It’s fun, it’s casual, and it’s absolutely the future of marketing.

Oh, and go hit up those 90s rooms on Turntable. Gin Blossoms all day long.

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Why Small Businesses Should Be Looking Forward to the Weekend

Posted on April 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

slowmorningblogIf you run a small business, you know how hard it can be to grab users’ interest online. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social sites have become crowded with companies and individuals trying to push content and engage consumers. Thankfully – according to research by Buddy Media - there is a best time for marketers and promoters to engage consumers on social networks – at the end of the week.

This Mashable article (posted on April 8th) says small businesses are more likely to see users engaging with content posted on sites like Facebook and Twitter on Thursdays and Fridays. The reason for this is because as the work week winds down, people are transitioning mentally from a “work-to-play” mindset. And because social networking sites are perfect destinations for real-time content – breaking news, weekend specials or viral videos (and of course your friends) – people are more likely to click-through content posted near the end of the work week. Put simply, people love Fridays – they’re more likely to read, “Like” and/or share your content because they have less on their plates.

So here’s the question: How can a small business best utilize its social presence online during the work week?

Avoid posting/sharing too much content on Monday mornings or any other time during the week that your content will be drowned out. Instead use this time to monitor conversations, play the customer service role and prepare more important social content to share later in the week. Remember, you should always utilize social – just don’t go overboard early in the week when people are just getting back to work and users’ news feeds will be cluttered with marketing messages. Know your target audience and what times they’re most likely to be on social networking sites and use that knowledge to your company’s advantage.

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