We Are Social's Tuesday Tweakup
It was bound to happen eventually. As dedicated as I am to the Monday Mashup, I didn’t post yesterday, thus ruining the 20 post streak we had running. So let me present the Mashup’s cousin, the Tuesday Tweakup. Normal Monday service to resume next week.
Facebook Wants You to “Like” Brands and Introduces Community Pages
Facebook is making small wording change so that now instead of clicking a button that says “become a fan” to start following a brand’s fan page, users will simply have to “like” them. Apparently, people click “Like” almost two times more than they click “Become a Fan” everyday, so the small change could make a big difference for brand advertisers looking to accumulate fans quickly.
In a related development, the Facebook universe is expanding with the introduction of the Facebook Community Page. Community pages will be joining the sometimes confusing landscape of Profiles, Pages and Groups to address the multitude of ‘unofficial’ pages that have been created by users to support a topic or cause.
There’s a big difference in functionality too – Facebook says that if a page becomes popular enough, administration will be handed over to the Facebook community. In other words, Community Pages become a whole lot like a wiki once they reach a certain threshold.
This is good news for brand managers, as Facebook Pages will now be used for ‘official entities’ such as brands, businesses or public figures. Community Pages on the other hand, will soak up some of the more creative uses of Facebook, such as “Can this pickle get more fans than Nickelback?” or “You’re not drunk, you’ve had one drink, so stop pretending”.
easyJet set to sell flights from within its Facebook Page
easyJet expects to become one of the first brands to allow fans to buy directly from Facebook as it looks to incorporate ecommerce into its Facebook Page.
The low-cost airline has launched an online holiday planner which lets users make plans with their friends on Facebook. Though no brands currently have direct ecommerce functionality from their Facebook pages, easyJet has said it’s planning to add a direct booking function on Facebook when its available, rather than direct people to the easyJet website.
How Twitter and chat are saving TV
Ashley Norris of TechDigest suggests that the growing prominence of Twitter and chat during live TV events may have a significant impact on timeshifting, and “just might save live TV.”
The Ask The Chancellors debate on Channel Four was the catalyst for the post, and the debate proved “so popular on Twitter that the hash tag askthechancellors started trending much to the bemusement of the micro blogging tool’s hardcore US following.”
Live political and sporting events are ripe for interaction from users, but Norris notes that as and when viewers start tweeting through mainstream TV programming in greater numbers, it could signal a real shift in the way viewers experience television. Indeed, there’s “very real evidence that users are tweeting through programmes like Mad Men and Glee.
That time may well have come, as ITV has created a social media platform to encourage viewers to interact with some of its flagship programmes, like ‘This Morning’, ‘Loose Women’ and ‘Coronation Street’.
This move will enable users to interact with one another online, and the new platform will be able “to directly connect their activity on the site with their social networks, aggregating their comments and discussions via Facebook and Twitter for the first time.”
A benchmark established for blogger responsibility
The UK Press Complaints Commission ruled that a post written by journalist Rod Liddle on his blog for The Spectator breached its code of editorial practice regarding dealing with a reader complaint.
Liddle was incorrect in stating that “the overwhelming majority” of London’s violent crime was carried out by young African-Caribbean men, but argued that since the claim was made it in a blog post, it could rely on readers to address any inaccuracies contained in the post.
Not so, according to the PCC and they ruled that “this statement, made as fact and without sufficient substantiation, breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of its code.” Why is this significant? According to PCC director, Stephen Abell:
This is a significant ruling because it shows that the PCC expects the same standards in newspaper and magazine blogs that it would expect in comment pieces that appear in print editions.
So most Bloggers needn’t worry about incurring the wrath of the PCC (as Liddle did) unless they’re a journalist writing a blog for a mainstream news site (as Liddle was). However, there is a wider implication. According to Neville Hobson, “for the first time it establishes a formal benchmark of responsibility, so to speak, regarding expression of opinion in a blog post that’s seen as fact.”
The Collapse of Complex Business Models
When would online video generate enough money to cover their current costs?
This frequently asked question by TV execs became the launch pad for a lengthy post by Clay Shirky, in which he looks at the complexity of the current video and television industry, arguing that it’s too inflexible, and creates content in a costly and complex way, such that the old media ecoystem will not be able to generate enough revenue and risks collapse.
Kevin Kelly has condensed this and created what he calls the The Shirky Principle:
Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution
Both are a must read.