Are you a technology buyer who is getting ready to purchase a new smartphone, tablet, ultrabook, or other gadget? According to the team at LinkedIn there is a very good chance you are utilizing social media to decide on the product you will buy.
LinkedIn on Tuesday released its annual Consumer Technology study in which it learned that “88 percent of LinkedIn members own smartphones, compared to 46 percent of the general population.” The company also found that “62 percent of LinkedIn members own tablets, compared to only 22 percent generally.”
Realizing the pull it has among tech savvy buyers the social network examined the purchasing behaviors of its users in December 2012.
According to LinkedIn Marketing Solutions lead Michael Weir, 56 percent of LinkedIn members turn to their social networks for advice before they make a purchase.
The study also found that 53 percent of LinkedIn members share information about what they buy after making the purchase. That information in turn helps other tech savvy buyers on LinkedIn make their next buying decision. read more
Facebook’s automated systems and unfortunate choice of words might be directly effecting the perceptions of racism for some users. A new study has found that the social network is finding unexpected ways to spread racist messages.
While we often think of Facebook and racism as something that happens among bigoted commenters, the truth is the network’s user logs reveal a more prevalent problem. The study published in the Computers in Human Behavior examines racism based on how long a user remained logged into the social network.
The study finds that the longer one is logged in, the more a user absorbs negative racist sentiments. Examining more than 600 participants, including 70 percent females, the study asked each user to read three different Facebook “notes” about race. Each of the notes had a different focus. read more
Twitter has more than half a billion tweeters and with those type of numbers the social network is bound to have run-ins with some really obnoxious users.
The team at Conduit decided to check out Twitter’s worst users and put together a hilarious infographic that examines the social networks most obnoxious people.
Talking about Twitter’s worst offenders Conduit’s Sivan Cohen revealed:
“With over half a billion users, it’s no surprise that Twitter has its fair share of awful tweeters.”
The company specifically examined eleven awful tech tweeter types. From “know-it-all developers” who attempt to always look brilliant, to eventaholic Twitter users who brag about all the cool events they are attending, the group really hits the nail on the head. read more
Hacktivist collective Anonymous will spam Facebook on April 6, 2013. The collective has promise to target the world’s largest social network with “uncensored material” that will clog up Facebook news feeds.
The fragmented groups known as Anonymous have attempted on various occasions to bring down social networks with no success, that of course does not mean they will stop now.
“In past years we have seen a growing force around the world. Governments and corporations are working strategically to stop free speech by the people. In more recent months we have witnessed an increased number of account blocking and deletion by Facebook, of users who dare to ridicule, mock, satirize, or speak out against political leaders or corporations heavily involved with politics.” read more
Twitter has rolled out a new embed feature for its Vine platform. Users can now choose to embed Vine’s based on three different sizes. The company also unveiled stronger Facebook and Twitter sharing options.
In a company blog post co-founder and general manager Dom Hofmann writes:
“When we launched Vine, we described posts as ‘little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life.’ With today’s update, you can display them almost anywhere.” read more
RedditRewind is yet another reason for site visitors to spend their time endlessly clicking through Reddit posts. Developed by platform creator and back-end developer Parham Negahdar and front-end developer Morley Zhi, the RedditRewind feature allows users to use Reddit as a virtual time machine. Redditors can find old photos, videos, and links that have been posted to popular subReddits over the last few months.
Speaking about the need for such a platform Negahdar explains:
“I saw there was lots of interest in such a thing so I launched my existing project as quickly as I could. At the time it was purely a utility. The UI was simply a list of links with dates, months, and years to visit a cache, and the result was simple list of links on the page (think 4chan-level UI). I knew the design sucked and made an edit to my post asking if anyone would be willing to design the site.”
Negahdar not only created the platform, his front-end developer made it look so nice that they actually use it instead of the Reddit Enhancement Suite and the actual Reddit website. read more
In today’s highly competitive tech market, it’s important that all fronts of your firm are well-considered and given the attention they need in order to contribute to your company’s overall development, and one effective means of making sure your company remains in top form is to keep productivity levels on the green. Often this is done by providing staff and workers a pleasant working environment, problem-free equipment, and recreational facilities – this keeps workers happy, which in turn affects their productivity, keeping your company happy as well. Another factor that helps keep companies successful and productive that is often overlooked, however, is the power of motivational speaking. read more
If you asked us ten years ago if a company basing its strategy around 140 character micro-blogging could become a billion dollar industry we would have laughed at you. However, Twitter is on track to increase its revenue from an estimated $583 million in 2013 to a cool $1 billion in ad revenue in 2014.
According to industry analyst eMarketer, Twitter will beat 2014 estimates from September by a full 20 percent.
The prediction claims that Twitter will earn more than half of its 2013 earnings from its mobile focus. eMarketer also believes the social network will increase its mobile platform dollars by 60 percent by 2015.
In its analysis eMarketer explains that Twitter’s quickly growing revenue successes are based around its ability to quickly deploy new ad types to mobile devices. The company notes that ad units are part of Twitters basic product which makes cross device implementation simple and effective. read more
King, the social gaming company behind the smash hits Candy Crush Saga and Bubble Witch Saga have announced two new games for Facebook. Now available are Papa Pear Saga and Farm Heroes Saga.
Last week King.com changed its name to King in an attempt to distance itself from a web only platform. The company has promised to work more closely with Facebook and mobile platforms.
King currently serves 108 million players for a total of 12 billion gameplays per month across all supported platforms. The network claims 50 million gamers per day among its user base.
According to Riccardo Zacconi, co-founder and CEO of King:
“The exceptional growth of our mobile, Facebook, and cross-platform audience is a testament to the care and craft that goes into our games.”
Papa Pear Saga is based off of an existing game on King.com called Papa Pear. The game features dancing fruits, vegetables and inanimate objects. The physics-based game asks players to bounce a shot off as many objects as possible before landing in buckets. Papa Bear Saga currently offers 60 levels of gameplay. The game will also soon arrive for Google Android and Apple iOS. read more
The internet is the home for billions of voices. Users take to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and various other social networks, forums and websites to share their experiences with friends and strangers.
Among those billions of voices are a handful of internet evangelists who seem to understand how to deliver web based messages better than their peers and followers.
The team at MBA In Marketing has examined those voices and the communities they support.
The study found that 54% of consumers are more likely to buy a product from a community with a smaller user size while 31% of online purchases are influenced by blogs.
But who is influencing those buyers? In many cases it is the brands themselves, but other times it is people like internet evangelists Robert Scoble, Chris Brogan and Seth Godin. Those users understand the web, they grew up in tech and they have been consistent and unrelenting voices in their fields. read more
Are you a technology buyer who is getting ready to purchase a new smartphone, tablet, ultrabook, or other gadget? According to the team at LinkedIn there is a very good chance you are utilizing social media to decide on the product you will buy.
