Yesterday Google+ created shareable, public circles. And, as power user Robert Scoble suggested, engagement and usage has surged. In less than a day, I've had over 1,000 people follow me. That is entirely attributable to the new shared circles which are facilitating easier and more effective 'findability'. When people like Scoble curate lists for themselves - and then choose to share them publicly - they are clearly high quality.
I sometimes share an article on Facebook and Twitter ... and despite not having a ton of commentary to add - think it's worth 're-blogging' (a short snipet and link back). Here is a note from 9to5Mac's "The New iPhone":
"Expect Assistant, 1GB of RAM, the dual-core A5 processor, Nuance speech-to-text, and an 8 megapixel camera to make an incredible iPhone upgrade on October 4th."
Is that enough to get buyers to re-up their contracts?
For me: it's a no brainer if Assistant and speech-to-text work well. Conceptually, they make the phone a more complete, more efficient mobile office... and that's how I use it.
Increased speed. Better camera. Improved form factor (I assume). Those are all nice additions. But Assistant is the big, compelling idea. And it makes the Siri acquisition price-tag well worth it to Apple.
A handful of quick, disorganized thoughts on Facebook's announcements / releases this week: Immersive
The activity ticker is immersive and really amplifies 'viral' potential. I have 'liked' (and listened and read and soon to be much watched, etc) so many more 'things' because each one of those actions is now viewable & actionable (whereas it was previously up to FB to cluster it as 'top news'). It's been fun and addictive. But it also requires a tighter social graph - so I've been unsubscribing from some brands and pages. Relies on the Ticker
The movement to Facebook curated "Top News" and the ticker for the continuous stream is great for publishers / developers... assuming that users do in fact use the ticker (heavily I may add!). Will users watch and engage with the ticker when more content appears in it? Or if developers misuse the ticker?
Publisher Opportunity
Between the ticker and the open graph - publishers should be rushing to take advantage. There are two major opportunities:
- Ticker and canvas apps: increased virality, findability, sharability, etc. Actions will be amplified in ways that the feed couldn't. There is a first mover advantage... see Spotify.
- Open graph: organize your content & actions internally... or become a node within the greater Facebook ecosystem. And the ability to then tie those into the Facebook profile and canvas applications is very powerful. Again, see Spotify:
Open Graph: More Than Games
This is an opportunity that opens the ecosystem beyond gaming and digital media. The open graph is an opportunity for industries like e-commerce that previously struggled to drive virality and make engaging on-Facebook experiences.
More than Spotify - Just Wait
Spotify was the marquee integration - and users are complaining that there is simply too much Spotify. That's not a Facebook or Spotify issue - it's a timing issue. More will come. And with the ticker, open graph, etc - the opportunity for new innovations is terrific.
For instance, here's the Washington Post's Social Reader. Between the ticker, the graph and their canvas app - this is truly social news reading. It really shines on the iPad (so give it a spin there).
Timeline is Gorgeous
Timeline represents the shift from newsfeed to identity & memory. That's a big, long-lasting idea. The product video was spectacularly done - reminding me of the emotional connection that Apple and Facetime created with their ad campaign:
We Need Mobile...
Timeline doesn't work on mobile. At least not how it is imagined and was demonstrated. For instance, on the iPad, you cannot scroll across the timeline or move the "cover" photo. It's time for a mobile experience that allows timeline, ticker and ticker's developer ecosystem to really shine.
In-Line Expansions
More to come here... but it is clear that Facebook is looking and behaving more like a browser. The use of expansion units is an attempt to integrate Facebook's ever-growing list of features... without relying on new pageviews.
Ahead of F8, Facebook has rolled out several changes ... which is rather remarkable considering how many updates / features and how significant some are. To do it a couple days ahead of F8 is fascinating because it suggests bigger updates are coming. Tomorrow will be fun. I love the new photo layout... screams mobile! Also like the persistent header
And here is the welcome screen for a user's first experience with the new updates
I recently touched on the potential importance of Facebook Subscribe, Facebook Subscribe: Opportunity for Publishers & Online Voices... and here is why Subscribe is important and not simply a "me too" product: - it is a natural fit for the Facebook environment - it gives personalities and big voice (subscribe is for personalities what pages is for brands) - it is driving real engagement and traffic (see below)) - which means that users are liking it - both the voice and the reader
How does Groupon address concerns of loyalty / merchant retention? Build tools directly into the product that allow customers to communicate directly with the merchants. It's an easy, smart way to connect buyers with sellers - without interrupting either flow.
The experience (from the language to the graphics) is very positive ("Award a Business"). I am not entirely sure what the award is... and I am not entirely sure what is done with this content... but I applaud Groupon making an effort to address concerns and I always like tools that better connect both sides of the marketplace.
A post I drafted a few weeks ago and never published... better late than never (I think!) Two good examples of In the River promotions for two new, relatively off-stream product launches: Facebook Messenger
a new mobile application by Facebook focused on Facebook Messages. Location is a highlighted feature that is clearly more important on mobile than on the web. After download, Facebook walks users through the app's key functions - and here is how they alert you of the location feature. Impossible to miss (which is important considering privacy implications, a new feature and a small icon potentially unfamiliar to many):
Twitter Images
Very similar: Twitter released a new product feature (Twitter Images). The product concept is simple and familiar - but the act of sharing via Twitter will be unfamiliar. So Twitter displays a pop-up promotion on Twitter.com that shows the basics, the icon and a link for deeper information. Also similar to Facebook's location alert, Images is an important part of future strategy (see my thoughts here) - but also have privacy and partner implications.... so a clear product launch and description is important:
Yesterday Facebook announced their Subscribe feature (you can read more from Facebook here). It is an important step as it changes the relationship of users: friends, followers, two-way delivery, etc. It is also interesting that it comes on the heels of intelligent friend grouping as both impact the way that people think of friendships and building out their graph. Will users reconstruct their graphs? Doubtful.... after 50 friends, I gave up trying on a new slate at Google +. So will subscribe catch up in a 1:1 dominated Facebook world? Not sure from a friend perspective.
But absolutely from a brand / publisher perspective. This is an opportunity for big voices (journalists, bloggers, etc) and the brands that represent them: Washington Post, ESPN, NYTimes, TechCrunch, etc) to better leverage Facebook. To date, Twitter has been easier in pushing content for these types of voices and organizations.... now Facebook has that power too. And combined with the Like Buttons and site-integrations, that is powerful.
The next step needs to be Subscribe widgets and buttons - which work perfectly for the above audiences. Just as publishers integrate like buttons atop each page, there should be in-line opportunities to subscribe to the author.... which is a big, big benefit for the author, the network and Facebook.
Shamelessly: you can follow me on Faceook here
In April, I wrote a response to Mark Cuban's "Does ESPN.com have a Twitter Problem". My premise was that Twitter is a huge, (relatively) under-utilized platform for ESPN to break news, engage with fans and share unique content. ESPN doesn't have the perfect solution yet -but Twitter is clearly an opportunity and not a threat. Here is a screenshot from ESPN's fantasy football app (which I used quite a bit this week - it's a big improvement over last year).
It is worth showing because it demonstrates the value Twitter can bring to ESPN properties ... and the fact that great integrations take work.
Twitter is perfect for ESPN's numerous analysts to break and deliver fantasy related news: injuries, predictions, chats, etc. And it happens at a speed and in a format that translates better here than in article format.
However, ESPN (and other content publishers) need think about more than delivering the tweets. As important as having users read is having users interact. Each of the ESPN personalities should be clickable and 'follow-able' directly in line. Readers should be able to reply, retweet, interact and promote ESPN (hash tags, @ replies, etc). Users reading this content are already paying attention - it's an opportunity to turn attention to engagement. And to turn one reader into a follower and so on.
