posted by Public Relations
So, we’ve learned in the past few months that when it rains, it pours regarding social media changes. Once one platform makes an announcement, you can almost guarantee that at least four more updates are coming around the corner.
That being said, this social media update was inspired by news released by Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube AND Google+ in the last week. We know it’s a lot to try and stay on top of, so below is a Cliffs Notes version of the updates you should know about.
Facebook
Facebook was in the news multiple times recently. Just doing a quick Web search on Facebook news in the past two weeks will bring up more than 55,000 results. From its
purchase of Gowalla to
hiding important messages to the
security flaw fiasco, the social networking giant has had its hands full. Somehow, in the midst of all of this, they’ve also had time to roll out a few updates:
Subscribe button available for websites
- A Facebook subscribe button can now be installed to any website, which is essentially a follow button. This way, a user can follow a company or brand without necessarily “liking” the page first. Once clicked, the updates will show up in that person’s news feed.
Old metrics to be phased out Dec. 15
- A couple of months ago, Facebook introduced new metrics, which better measure your brand’s true reach and engagement. Now that they’ve given us a little time to get acquainted, the “Old Insights” will be disappearing from your Facebook page.
- Our advice? Download all your page's "Old Insights" beginning with the date you first published your Facebook page up until today to keep for your records (you may need to do this in multiple batches). New metrics are not available for pages prior to July 19 this year. Step two: Get familiar with the new insights and how you can use them to interpret your brand’s presence on the platform and find out what works well and what doesn’t.
Profile Timeline now live
- The highly anticipated Facebook Timeline is now live for all users. Read our previous chatter post, “What does the new Facebook Timeline mean for brands?” for more insight.
Character limit increased to 60,000
- Yes, Facebook has upped its character limit, but that doesn’t mean your company page should start blogging there. It’s a best practice to try and keep your Facebook posts between 100-200 characters in most cases, but it’s also important to remember your users can now contribute a lot of content.
Twitter
No doubt the biggest social media news last week was the introduction of the new Twitter design. As of right now, you don’t need to worry about updating graphics on your page, but Twitter is testing a new layout for brand pages. Below are a couple of good resources to familiarize yourself with the updates:
Foursquare
Foursquare has grown to 15 million users, more than tripling its community in 12 months. While many marketers believed the location-based service was slowing down, it seems Foursquare is only getting started.
Foursquare rolls out new buttons for publishers
- Web publishers will soon be able to install a “Follow on Foursquare” button so users can easily see tips, check-ins and lists regarding the company, while also adding the venue to their personal “To Do List.”
- How does this help you? Users visiting your website can instantly gain knowledge about what people are doing when they visit your location instead of having to do more research. Asking people to share information on Foursquare just became more valuable.
YouTube
If you’ve ever had to dig through YouTube’s extensive excel downloads to gain analytical insight, then you understand the patience and awareness it takes to derive meaningful information. Although not as monumental an update to some, we are extremely happy to see that YouTube cleaned up their statistics:
YouTube launches Analytics to tell you more about who’s watching your videos.
Google+
Google+ is still a little ambiguous to most marketers because Google has not yet proven its value in creating and maintaining yet another social media page. If you have already published a Google+ page, there is good news!
Soon you will be able have multiple page admins, instead of only one.
We know that is a lot to digest, but hopefully you feel a little more knowledgeable about the whirlwind that is social media. You don’t have to understand everything, that’s what we’re here for. So, as always, feel free to
contact us with any questions.
Did we leave anything out? Please add any other updates you’ve spotted in the comments section below.
About the author::
Melanie Eyerman is part of thunder::tech’s
PR team where she concentrates her efforts on this crazy thing we call
social media. When not obsessively checking mentions, posting comments or analyzing stats, our Georgia Bulldog loves playing rec. sports, cheering on her favorite football teams and enjoying a good bottle of wine with close friends.
TAGS:
thundertech, social media, Twitter, Facebook, foursquare, Google+, YouTube, updates, changes, new, update, change, updated, subcribe, insights, timeline, character limit, post, tweet, design, brand, page, profile, branded, marketing, analytics, admin
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