How Social Media Prompts Holiday Purchases

http://mashable.com/2011/12/14/social-media-holiday-purchases/

This article is interesting as it shows just how reviews and what is seen/heard plays a major role in buying these days. Buying is very different now than it used to be.

Trends for 2012

Here are some interesting predictions for where social media is headed in the next year:

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/six_social_media_trends_for_20.html

Twitter Begins Brand Page Roll out

interesting change twitter is making

Twitter Begins Brand Page Rollout

Twitter is introducing brand pages and just as many of us haven't yet experienced the new Twitter account changes, the first brand pages being rolled out aren't even necessarily viewable to all. In fact, the demo video of Twitter's account changes has been marked private and you can't even see those. Fortunately, screenshots are available.

Rafe Needleman took a screenshot of Pepsi's new Twitter brand page which you can check out by clicking on the thumbnail above. It's a nice look that Needleman feels beats out Facebook and Google+ on the design front in his three-way brand shootout. He points out that "Twitter gives managers the capability to change the color scheme of the entire brand page, as well as put in their own header art and background image."

The overall format is a nice match for the new Twitter accounts that are viewable as a screenshot in Daniel Terdiman's CNET article on those changes.

In a client letter for Digitas, Donna Tocci breaks down the new brand page layout and features:

Leaderboard - "The leaderboard is the name Twitter has given to the top portion of the brand page. This space allows brands to promote themselves through the use of graphics, written information and links."

Promoted Tweet Area - "At the top of the timeline, each page has a stationary spot for tweets...The brand can rotate this message as often as it likes, but the option is to have this pinned to the top of the timeline."

Timeline (formerly "stream") - "Regular Twitter account streams include a combination of original tweets and @replies...A brand’s timeline will now not include the @replies...However, for brands who are focused on customer service or who want to show their participation with the community, this function can be turned back on."

Mobile Brand Pages - "While Twitter did not unveil mobile brand pages yet, Digitas has been told that they will be consistent with the web version at launch."

Most users won't get access to brand pages until some time first quarter 2012. Tom Edwards, SVP, Digital Strategy & Emerging Technology Red Urban (Omnicom) has more discussion and screenshots.

Free tickets on Southwest Airlines? It's the latest Facebook scam

Every time I go on Facebook, it seems as though there is another scam being posted on my friends` walls or as their new status updates. This morning many of my friends made a status in order to "receive 2 free Southwest airline tickets." This article discusses that we are giving access to our profiles when signing up for these scams. Also, it has a YouTube video discussing how to clean up your Facebook after participating in one of these scams. Privacy will definitely be an increasing issue for social media sites.

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/02/22/free-tickets-on-southwest-airlines-latest-facebook-scam/

Amazon Price Check app draws protests from some retailers

This article highlighted the difficult balance facing companies when using various forms of social media and running promotions to promote their product. This article discusses how some people are upset with the Amazon Price Check ap because it is ultimately taking business away from small businesses. It is interesting to see how companies integrate social media tools into the marketing campaigns because it is sometimes a period of trial-and-error.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-amazon-price-check-app-draws-protests-from-some-retailers-20111209,0,1595833.story

Integrating LinkedIN and Social Media into your job search

This article is again about job searching.  I obviously have something on my mind.

The article gives more insight about the benefits of LinkedIN but most importantly how to link it with the rest of your attempts at marketing yourself via social media.

http://windmillnetworking.com/2010/09/16/reasons-why-your-social-media-strategy-isnt-a-social-media-strategy/

How Much Does a Twitter Follower Cost?

http://mashable.com/2011/12/06/cost-of-twitter-follower/

I thought this article was interesting because I never realized exactly how much a Twitter follower costs to brands who pay for followers. The cost-per-follower rate for Promoted Accounts runs between $2.50 and $4 while the cost-per-engagement rate for Promoted Tweets runs between $0.75 and $2.50. Factors when calculating "engagement" for CPE include clicks, favorites, retweets and @replies.