We Are Social’s Tuesday Tune-Up #121

News
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Social media updates from passengers stranded in Antarctica

Some of the 74 passengers currently awaiting rescue on Russia’s MV Akademik Shokalskiy have been keeping family and friends updated via Twitter, Vine, Youtube, Google+ and Skype. Passengers Alok Jha and Laurence Topham, who are journalists with The Guardian, as well as Chris Turney, a professor and leader on the expedition have been posting about penguin sightings, cake availability and the rescue attempts thus far. You can follow all the action of their adventure at #spiritofmawson.

 

Myer’s Boxing Day website crash causes social media backlash

As shoppers flocked to grab post-Christmas bargains both in-store and online,  Myer’s woes continued with their website crumbling under heavy traffic leaving many frustrated customers with this message:

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Many initially took to Twitter and Facebook to express their dismay:

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However, fans of Myer on Facebook were quick to defend their social media team and thanked them for their continued updates and polite responses. As of the 31st of December, Myer’s website is still closed. CEO Bernie Brookes has announced extra discounts and exclusive online offers once the site is back up and running.

Is Facebook ‘dead and buried’ to European teens?

Research into the behaviour of European teens aged 16-18 has found that Facebook is becoming less and less important, as the demographic moves towards the likes of Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat. The key reason given for the shift is the desire to stay away from their parents, which could prove severely costly for the network. Daniel Miller, lead anthropologist on the research team, put the situation in no uncertain terms:

For this group Facebook is not just falling, it is basically dead, finished, kaput, over.

However, some have looked to cast doubt on the research. The BBC’s technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, has argued that the sample groups are too small: for example, the above quotation comes simply from examination of UK teens aged 16-18. He also states that Miller gives too much weight to interviews, arguing that there is no reason why a small sample group of teenagers professing their love for Twitter should prove that teens are leaving Facebook ‘in their droves’.

Further research has shown that, across all groups from age 18 upwards, Facebook is still the most popular of all social networks. A report into UK social media users found that 18% of over-65s were on Facebook, a leap ahead of the 6% on second-most popular site YouTube. The same study also showed the continued popularity of the network with 18-24 year olds; the question is how Facebook copes as its audience begins to age.

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The extent of Facebook’s organic reach decline

A string of studies have shown there to be a vast decrease in organic reach since Facebook’s announcement at the start of this month. One piece of research into 21 large brand pages found an average dip of 44.3%, with one page experiencing a decline of 87.8%. This had an impact on engaged users too: a 34.5% decrease, on average. Edgerank Checker also examined the changes, analysing one week either side of the 2nd December. Their research showed a dip in reach of 21%, from 9.4% to 7.5%, with status updates suffering the worst.

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Facebook is the top social network on smartphones

Facebook has been crowned the most popular social network on smartphones in 2013, on a list that also includes YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. Facebook was in fact the most popular app of all, with a monthly audience of over 100 million and a year-on-year increase of 27%. Perhaps surprisingly, Instagram came three places higher than Twitter; its 7th place was supported by a monthly audience of 32 million and 66% year-on-year growth, compared to Twitter’s figures of 30.8 million and 36%.

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Foursquare’s passive smart phone tracking

Foursquare is extending its data capabilities through constant, passive tracking of smart phone locations. This functionality, necessary to power its ‘passive notifications’ feature that tells users about nearby places, is providing the network with further data to sell to advertisers.

Coca Cola’s #ReasonsToBelieve

Coca Cola are focussing on positivity in their latest campaign, dubbed ‘Reasons To Believe’. As well as the video ad shown below, they are supporting the activity with the hashtag #ReasonsToBelieve on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, through which the brand is asking fans to share their own acts of kindness.

Mastercard’s #PricelessNewYear

Mastercard is asking its social media communities to share their ‘priceless moments’ from 2013 using the hashtag #PricelessNewYear. The best will be shown on billboards in New York’s Times Square during this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Smart Car USA call for selfies on Twitter

Smart Car USA are encouraging their Twitter followers to share a selfie using the hashtag #smartwrapme. Winners will then see one of the cars dressed up, inspired by their own looks.

 

Leica selling cameras through Instagram

German optics company Leica is enabling fans to purchase its latest camera, the Leica C, directly via Instagram. Users will need to register with Arco, a startup that enables purchasing through the network, then follow the @Leicabrasil account, which will be uploading a number of photos taken with the camera. Fans can then simply comment ‘purchase’ on any of these in order to buy the product for themselves.

LinkedIn’s top 25 skills for getting hired

LinkedIn has produced some analysis of the skills that got people hired in 2013: at number one, it’s social media marketing. In fact, tech skills form a huge part of the top 25: numbers two and three are ‘mobile development’ and ‘cloud and distributed computing’ respectively.