Social media research

Update 30 May 2012: Internet Trends published by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers for the D10 Conference. Slides by Mary Meeker here. Scribd document here. Notable: continued rapid growth in users, with mobile internet set to grow strongly.  Largest user populations are China, USA and India, but USA is now mature, ranking only 8th in terms of growth behind late-comers such as Indonesia, Philippines, Nigeria and Mexico.


The internet: the 'quiet engine' of Africa.




Previously
Facebook and Twitter are only part of the puzzle, and their penetration is much lower outside the USA and Western Europe. If you want to understand the social media environment, you need to consider the role of Orkut in India and Brazil, vKontakt in Russia, and Qzone, Renren and Weibo in China. 

Don't forget the newcomers such as Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, Reddit, Imgur, etc. etc.

To learn about social media trends around the world, the following research is a good place to start. Other research is available online but is locked behind paywalls.


Some highlights:

• 65% of online adults use social networking sites (August 2011). Social media users are getting older, as usage widens, says a Pew Internet survey.
• Almost all US companies will be increasing their investments in social media in 2012, according to a study by consultancy Booz & Company and Buddy Media. Advertising, public relations and customer services would mostly benefit as will market research and recruitment. 

Worldwide trends - research papers (PDFs):

• Twitter use in Africa (Q4 2011): http://goo.gl/fHlv3
• Social media in Latin America (Q1 2011): http://goo.gl/dOaHT
• Emerging Media, Emerging Economies, Emerging Democracies (Q3 2011): http://goo.gl/d960k
• http://goo.gl/5ucah
• Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2010–2011: Enabling Tomorrow’s Digital World (ITU. Q1 2011): http://goo.gl/lA73G
  Summary: http://goo.gl/YqH8d
• Building Engagement in Online Communities BRIC by BRIC (2011): http://goo.gl/A84l1
• The Global Social Media Check-up, Burson-Marsteller (Q1 2010): http://goo.gl/E9sGq
• Overview of ICT & Digital Content in 20 Countries (Q2 2009): http://goo.gl/wx48Y

Usage patterns

• Trends in Social Media: Persistence and Decay. HP Social Computing Lab (2011?). Undated empirical study finds that if a topic resonates with Twitter users it is more likely to become a trending topic. The level of user activity and the number of followers is not so relevant. 
• New tools displace blogging in fast-growing US companies. The 2011 Inc. 500 Social Media Update finds blogging,  message boards, video blogging, podcasting and MySpace are declining for the first time since 2007 in favour of new platforms and tools including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, texting, downloadable mobile apps and Foursquare: http://goo.gl/M3I98
• 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Social Media Examiner. Single survey shows growth overall, marketers keen for returns on investment, and growth in video content, Google+: http://goo.gl/OjYNc

Websites of interest:

• SearchEngineWatch - Trends in 2012:
  http://goo.gl/6oIRu
• European Travel Commission - New media trend watch: http://goo.gl/ZszZj
• Wikipedia list of social networking sites:http://goo.gl/5OZaF

US accountants not counting the benefits
Accounting professionals are accustomed to measurable results, which might be why - in the absence of strong measures of the return on investment - a late 2011 survey found a lack of commitment to social media.

Africans launch digital news contest

The first competition for digital news innovation in Africa has just been launched and closes in July. Winners will be announced on 10 November 2012.

Winners get cash prizes of up to $100,000 plus business, technical and marketing support. Finalists will be invited to a camp in Tanzania in August for workshops with mentors and industry experts.

Proposals can be submitted by news pioneers anywhere in the world, though they must have an African media partner to help develop and test the innovation.

This innovation challenge focuses on journalism and the news media. The organizers are looking for disruptive digital ideas for improving the way that news is collected and disseminated. This includes tools or strategies that use the Internet, mobile platforms, data driven journalism, computer assisted reporting, digitally augmented reality, or other electronic means to improve the relevance and impact of news media. 

Winning ideas should be focused on providing pragmatic solutions to real challenges facing African media.

Innovations are being sought in four broad categories: news gathering; story telling; audience engagement; or the business of news. Within these categories, the judges will look for ideas with the following goals:

1. Strengthen existing media platforms, or harness new digital platforms for engaging audiences and transmitting news other journalistic content.
2. Improve the way news reaches audiences, from traditional circulation / airtime management to newer disruptive ‘cross platform’ channels.
3. Amplify the relevance and usefulness of news by improving the immediacy, depth and accuracy of journalistic content.
4. Enhance the impact and ‘shelf life’ of news by extending its influence and intrinsic value for both audiences and content services.
5. Deepen media’s understanding of its audiences and markets by improving user analytics, audience profiling and market segmentation.
6. Boost the media’s resource base by diversifying business models, developing new revenue streams or improving operational efficiencies.

Finalists will be invited to the OpenNews Camp in Zanzibar, Tanzania, in August for one-on-one workshop sessions with business development mentors and other industry experts. Finalists will use these sessions to refine and strengthen their proposals, as well as develop implementation plans and budgets ahead of final judging.

Winners will receive cash grants of between $12,000 and $100,000, plus additional business development support, technical mentorship, and marketing support. Winners may also be offered opportunities to pilot their projects in AMI member newsrooms and showcase the results at international conferences or to venture capital funds.

All entries have to be made on the competition website: http://africannewschallenge.org

The African News Innovation Challenge (ANIC), is a pan-African contest designed to support digital innovation and experimentation that improves the quality and impact of African journalism. It that aims to accelerate innovation in news organisations by funding transformational ideas and then continuing to support them through a network of peers and advisors. It encourages new digital tools and techniques for ‘making’ news, new ways for audiences to engage with news, and new models for media organisations to sustain themselves. The idea is that the contest will support new media experiments and digital news startups in data driven journalism and investigative reporting, newsroom management, audience engagement, digital convergence and media business models.

ANIC is modelled on the Knight News Challenge in the USA, customised to address the challenges facing African media.

ANIC is run by The African Media Initiative (AMI), the industry association that is Africa’s largest umbrella body of media owners and executives.  AMI’s mandate is to serve as a catalyst for strengthening African media by building the tools, knowledge, and technical capacity for the media to play an effective  ‘public interest’ role in African society. This includes assisting with the development of professional standards, financial sustainability, technological adaptability, and civic engagement.  AMI believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged.  

ANIC funds news experiments and digital media startups in order to help cover the costs of developing, testing and scaling a new digital news venture or product.

Good luck!

Measuring your influence

Can social media work as a for-profit game? The game Empire Avenue may be just the beginning of new ways to monetize social media activity and influence.


Social media indices such as Kred, Klout and PeerIndex have illustrated the almost universal human need for peer support and influence. Sites like BrandYourself are making a business out of the the desire for people to improve their online profile and search rankings. Humorists are even striking back.


Using a range of algorithms, these tools track your usage of networks such as Twitter, Facebook and, in the case of Klout at least, Google+. Add Flickr, YouTube and a myriad of other networks. 


The general assumption seems to be, the more people give you a 'like' or a '+1', re-tweet, comment or recommendation, the more influential you are. And your activity in respect of other people adds to their influence on you.


It seems to be early days for these systems, but some high-ranking people have found that there are tangible benefits, including free car hire, theatre tickets and the like. The added fame and fortune brings its own rewards. 


Sadly, many people have been so engrossed with the need to increase their scores, they are focusing on 'gaming the system' and largely ignoring the reasons they joined these networks in the first place and which might have more bearing on their actual influence.


A recent story in WIRED magazine profiles Klout and the angst of trying to get a better score. I particularly like the final paragraph:


Over time, I found my eyes drifting to tweets from folks with the lowest Klout scores. They talked about things nobody else was talking about. Sitcoms in Haiti. Quirky museum exhibits. Strange movie-theater lobby cards from the 1970s. The un-Kloutiest’s thoughts, jokes, and bubbles of honest emotion felt rawer, more authentic, and blissfully oblivious to the herd. Like unloved TV shows, these people had low Nielsen ratings—no brand would ever bother to advertise on their channels. And yet, these were the people I paid the most attention to. They were unique and genuine. That may not matter to marketers, and it may not win them much Klout. But it makes them a lot more interesting.

To illustrate how engrossing and addictive this trend has become, Empire Avenue is turning social media indexing into a virtual stock market. The site gives members points, or virtual currency, for their social media activity, including their blogs. 


Members can invest their points buying 'shares' in other members. Earn money on your portfolio of social media stock and you can pay a dividend to your shareholders. If you are not earning fast enough you can buy more points for real world money - and that is where it gets very interesting. This is described by many members as a 'game', which doubtless gets around securities laws. But it is clear that the mix of egos, popularity and real cash is drawing lots of attention and could prove seriously addictive!


Empire Avenue is obviously trying to hit the hot buttons that draw people in the biggest numbers. Their forums have a visual style that reminds me of  Pinterest and similar fashionable sites. Mashable previously described it as seriously addictive. You don't have to look far to find a day-trader mindset and people who might have previously been kept busy selling multi-level marketing schemes (among the many others who are clearly in it for fun). Whether the Empire Avenue model is sustainable remains to be seen, but we have not seen the last of social media rankings.

10 ways to influence with social media

Want to increase your influence online using social media? 


Forbes writer Haydn Shaughnessey says your social media profile can help your career and add to the value of information found online. 

That's why he put together a guide to the basics of developing influence online, which covers the following issues (with some thoughts of my own): 

1. Planning:
   Think about your topics. Do your research and add value to the raw information. Maybe do a short series of posts about an issue. Pace yourself so that your posts are regular but do not overwhelm readers or make you invisible during lengthy downtime.
2. Where to contribute:
   Do you think different? Know yourself and what you want to say, then find the right platform. You might find it hard being a liberal in a conservative forum, but then you might also attract more interest (please don't be a miserable troll!).
3. Growing your influence:
   Know where the audiences are and be visibile. For your topic that could be LinkedIn or Pinterest, Reddit or 4Chan. Write with your audience in mind and follow others doing the same. Be useful to others and you will likely become more important to them.
4. Writing for the web:
   What is your 'voice'? Authoritative, conversational, detailed, descriptive, poetic? Use snappy titles. Intrigue and excite readers, but please don't infuriate them!
5. Feedback and eliminating errors:
   Try to check your work and don't bite if people correct your grammar and spelling. Ask friends to tell you - truthfully - how clear and engaging is your writing?
6. Distribution channels:
   Blog and re-post your items on Google+ and Facebook. Tweet your blogs, or blog in an established location (Huffington Post got lots of free help as bloggers sought a more popular platform than their isolated blogs).
7. Comments and tweets:
   Does your blog needs comments, or is it enough that you have readers who re-share your ideas? Do you want to stir debate or share information? Do you comment on others' posts, re-share, or both?
8. Search engine optimization and titles (headlines):
   Use hashtags, labels and keywords. "Google 'how to create good titles'," Shaughnessey says. 
9. Audience size:
   How many is enough? To earn money from advertising? To fill a petition?
10. Metrics and benchmarks:
    Who are your peers and competitors? How should you measure success?

In the spirit of developing knowledge, why not contribute your own ideas in the comments below, or on Haydn's blog.

See also: 
How best to use Google+
Social media research

How to best use Google+

Google+ is fast shaping up as meaningful forum to discuss current affairs and explore science and culture. After one year it hasn't yet been flooded with provocateurs and spammers. But with an estimated 100+ million users, G+ seems to be a hive of intellectual activity that goes beyond early adopters and the intellectual elite.

A significant number of journalists, politicians, educators and community leaders are using it and some are declaring Google+ to be their primary social network. G+ is both a useful source of information and an opportunity to raise awareness and engage with audiences.

To demonstrate this, G+ user Ole Ole Olson has developed a very helpful guide for activists and non-profit organizations to use Google+ effectively. His Progressives Guide to Social Media also covers Facebook, Twitter and sites such as Reddit and Digg. 

The G+ guide includes tips on using circles for selectively finding and sharing information, and he links to some existing circles of key influencers, ranging from journalists, activists and scientists through to specific interest groups such as vegetarians. He also provides links to the institutional pages of major institutions and campaigns, from Mother Jones, Wired and Wikileaks, to Amnesty International and Change.org.

“A good tactic is to write a thoughtful short paragraph about a news article, then paste that comment on every social media site.  If you are reposting something shared with you, always make sure you follow etiquette by attributing where you found the information.” Since circles allow you to share information selectively, I also recommend you also ensure that what you post is relevant to each of your audiences.

As Olson notes, there is a lot of functionality in Google+. Search is a given, and there is also on-demand video conferencing (hangouts), chat and photo and video storage. Since YouTube is owned by Google, YouTube videos are better integrated and play within the G+ site. Others, such as Vimeo, take users to a new web page. 

Some of the basics are also covered in this guide, like the requirement for a Gmail account and the need to use your real name: a potential sticking point for repressed activists needing anonymity (tip: a feasible alias can be used). Google has also streamlined its privacy policies and integrated its accounts more, so you can link your YouTube account to your Google+ account, if you wish.

To make best use of the site, Olsen suggests a clear profile and photo, plus external links. Adding pre-made circles can quickly create an audience as members follow you in return. 

Posting original or useful content can raise your profile, and some users develop community by prompting discussion around specific issues. While that can be an opening for spammers and others to add provocative or irrelevant comments, G+ allows you to block malcontents. On the other hand, you can also see who is voting for you (+1) and re-sharing your posts. Ways to share your G+ posts with your Facebook and Twitter accounts are also discussed.

Find Scott McQuade on Google+ here: http://goo.gl/vLIjk

See also: 10 ways to influence with social media