Top
Let me feed you.
Get at me.

 

 

tweet tweet

Loading..
Loading..

Entries in Social media (2)

Tuesday
Jul282009

Day 1: Who's so social on social media?

DateTuesday, July 28, 2009 at 12:25PM

Day 1: This is the first day of my month long experiment. I wanted to count yesterday's post as my "day 1" posting, but it would defeat the purpose of the experiment if I was an insincere weasel. So I didn't. Which brings me to today, and the post below about a study released this week that digs in to who is actually using social media.

Twitter followers:92

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Today, Anderson Analytics released a study tracking U.S. user behavior in social networks. The firm surveyed 5,000 users over a span of 11 months, and conducted a 15-minute survey of more than 1,000 users age 13 and older. The results of the study were actually pretty interesting. You can find the whole surveyhere, but below are some of the more interesting points:

 

  1. Users who belong to a social network arefour timesmore vocal about products and services than those who don't.
  2. More than 20% of Twitter users have their own blog, a large portion of which trumpet social causes.
  3. 44% of 35 to 44 year-olds in the U.S. and 30% of 45 to 54-year-olds have profiles on a social network.
  4. More than 50% of U.S. users have associated their profiles with a brand, company or product. This association has been overwhelmingly positive.
  5. The average U.S. user logs into a social network about 4x daily, 5 days a week, for a total of roughly 1 hour per day.

What these points (and the study itself) resound, is the idea that bloggers + social media users are not only active, but they are hugely important for brands. I know that this isn't the most groundbreaking discovery in the history of humanity -- or of this month -- but getting concrete percentage points for activity is radically different than simply saying "Brands should use social media... it's important?"

 

AuthorRobert Boyle | CommentPost a Comment |
tagged , , , , , , in ,
Tuesday
May122009

Social media is a blackhole. Literally. It eats planets.

DateTuesday, May 12, 2009 at 11:03AM

A wonderfully delicious blackhole. 

Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, Friendfeed, the list grows daily.  These networks were created to make life easier, and for the most part they do.  But sometimes I can't help but feel guilty if I haven't been active for a day or two.  Which led me to the question: What do I feel guilty about?

First, I feel guilty because I pride myself on understanding the technology and services that power the web.  In the past this meant knowing what HTML, CSS, and MySQL were and knowing how to get someone to stop poking you on Facebook.  Now things are different.  To simply stay in the loop on technology a person needs to dedicate time and resources to being in the know.  As a consultant on digital media matters, I need to be on the bleeding edge of technology or I am far less effective and my work is drastically less relevant.  To accomplish this, I read 5-6 tech blogs a day (links below).  This helps me understand what is going on in the market and ensures (hopefully!) that I won't miss any curve jumping technology launches.  But it is hard.

Second, my friends live and work in the digital space.  This might sound silly, but the better jobs we all get the more important it seems to know what is going on.  Maybe this is the inner athlete/video game hustler in me, but that moment when my boy says "Oh did you read that article about _____(insert company with no vowels that creates iPhone apps)", really feels like a measuring stick of knowledge and awesomeness.  And no one wants to appear less awesome.

Lastly, it is fun to be in the know.  I know you are thinking, "But how can it be fun if it is also a blackhole?"  To you I say, "shush ye olde crusader of logic I cast you out!".  You see, it is fun to watch technology develop.  It is fun to see how much easier it makes people's lives.  Mostly, it is exciting to be an early adopter of only thangs and watch them blossom into products that hit critical mass.  It makes you feel good. 

And who doesn't want to feel good? :)


     (List of tech blogs I use -- I told you I would give it to you!)

 

AuthorRobert Boyle | CommentPost a Comment |
tagged , , , in