Firstly, the integration of Google’s own social media initiative into search results has heightened tension between itself and social media forerunners, Twitter and Facebook. Twitter has publicly announced a “concern” for the personalised results, believing the preference given would affect the search results of users in a negative manner. Google has stated that the SPYW results are an addition and not a replacement at all to users’ results but it can be seen to be conceivable that Google Plus content may appear higher in ranking results than that of Facebook or Twitter. The consequences for social media agencies are that existing endeavours with Facebook pages and Twitter accounts may need to be diminished in favour of augmenting Google Plus initiatives, a big win for Google in the social media industry.

Google’s personalised search algorithm may also mismatch ranking reports and researched data with user experiences as the preferences of each individual user cannot be gauged in order to perfect page optimisations to obtain the maximum traffic and ROI. This incomplete understanding of user preferences means a larger variable in strategies and potential user backlash in regards to the personalised changes may mean the market fragmentation of search engine choice, of which Google holds a distinct majority, can affect strategies as well. Professionals in the digital marketing industry are starting to take more notice of Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, as being a simpler and purer essence of results from the changed Google system. In resistance to the changes, users can turn off personalised search options and even use the created “Focus on the User” plugin for Chrome, Firefox and IE which replaces the Google + extra results with those from Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook, amongst other social media platforms. While Google has claimed that Facebook and Twitter data was difficult to source, this plugin has dispelled this claim.

The true extent of the changes will only be felt by digital marketing agencies in following months after rankings changes are noticeable. Whether the update will shift the search engine market or agencies choices in social media platforms remains to be seen.

Related posts:

1. Google Goggles: The Real World Search Engine
2. Google Search to Produce “Google Me”?
3. Google Revives Realtime Search With Google+

Search Plus Your World or Google’s World?

The Google Plus concept has turned out to be wildly popular; in fact, within a mere 2 weeks of its launch, the service reached 10 million users, and a week later, there were 20 million Googlers looking to join the Circles, Hangouts and Huddles of Google Plus.

It’s no wonder everyone wants to get to know this new kid on the block; Google Plus provides a streaming newsfeed, group texting, video chat and friend management capabilities, adapting and refining the social media features of competing networks. Add an element of exclusivity and it’s a sure-fire recipe for popularity; receiving that coveted Google Plus invite is a lot like being welcomed to the launch of a hot new club. It’s also the perfect platform to experience social networking without any of those little annoyances and awkward moments we’ve come to associate with social media sites. For example, chances are your Mom will be sticking to Facebook. There’s a lot to be said for that kind of motivation!

NB: xkcd.com is the intellectual property of Randall Monroe. No copyright infringement is intended.

However, despite the initial meteoric rise of Google Plus, a recent report shows that user interest may already be declining. According to Experian Hitwise, Google Plus experienced a 3% drop in page visits during the week ending 23rd July, as well as a drop in the average time users were spending on the site – declining by 10%.

It may not sound like much of a drop, but flagging user engagement can sometimes be an early warning sign that a popular online trend is simply a flash in the pan. The average user tends to follow the crowd more often than not, which means you’ll regularly find high volumes of users rapidly adopting the latest “in thing” only to rapidly abandon it the moment it fails to hold their attention.

Naturally, many of Google’s critics would be quick to attribute a user drop-off rate to that never-ending privacy debate surrounding the search giant; Google Plus requires all members to use their full names, and this oh-so-Google anti-anonymity policy is sure to deter users who prefer the comfort of incognito communication online.

To be honest, it’s highly unlikely that the drop in users means Google Plus is already losing ground; for one thing, the survey was unable to track users with a Google Plus mobile app (which is undoubtedly an impressive number on its own) and for another, any SEO agency knows you can’t simply equate page visits with user volumes and announce the downfall of a site!

It’s interesting to watch the evolution of user engagement with Google Plus – but even more so to see how each subtle change launches a whole new wave of speculation over the future of the network. It’s still pretty early to make any solid predictions, but it is probably safe to say that Google Plus won’t be going anywhere in a hurry.

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Declining Traffic: A Minus for Google Plus?

Let’s take a brief look at the latest reporting tools introduced by Google:

1. Google +1 Metrics in Webmaster Tools

Google has introduced what they’ve called the “+1 Metrics” section to Webmaster Tools. This section essentially gives webmasters the ability to see how Google +1 is affecting the traffic coming into their site from Google’s SERPs. The +1 Metrics are split into 3 sections:

1.1 Search Impact: One is able to track how many impressions your +1’d pages have received and how many clickthrough’s you’ve had to your site as a result of these impressions.

1.2 Activity: With the Activity report, one is able track how many times any particular page on your website has been +1’d, either via buttons on your site, or buttons elsewhere such as Google search results or ads.

1.3 Audience Report: The audience report enables you to track different characteristics of people have previously +1’d a page on your website, via search engines or you site itself.

Below is a screenshot taken from the Google Analytics Blog of the new Webmaster Tools Metrics section:

2. Google analytics Social Engagement Plug-in

The Social Engagement Plug-in enables one to track social interaction on your website, across most key social platforms such as Google +1, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. If you are using the latest version of Google Analytics on your website, you will automatically be tracking Google +1 engagement, however for the remainder of the social platforms you will need to customize your JavaScript tracking script in order to analyze these.

The Social Engagement data can be found under the “Visitors” section of your analytics profile. As with Webmaster Tools, the Social Engagement Plug-in for analytics is also broken up into 3 different sections:

2.1 Social Engagement: This section enables you to see the differences in behavior of people who share pages on your site via +1 or any other social platforms. You can for example see if people who share data convert better than those who don’t, or whether they spend more time on the site than “non-sharers”.

2.2 Social Actions: A well organized collection of data in one place that allows you to see exactly how many social actions have been taken on your site as a whole via the different social media platforms that you are tracking. You can for example see how many “likes” or “tweets” your site has received in its entirety.

2.3 Social Pages: The last of the social engagement tools allows you to see compare the social activity of individual pages and track which pages are being shared the most compared to the rest of the site.

Below is a screenshot of the Social Engagement Plug-in in Google Analytics, taken from the Google analytics blog:

All in all, this is an extremely useful addition to Google analytics which could have an interesting effect on the social media strategies that are being implemented and paid for around the world. Unfortunately there are many self proclaimed “Social Media Gurus” out there who are going to be challenged by the fact that the monetary worth and ROI of social media work is becoming more measurable by the day. No longer will ineffective social media strategies get away with not actually providing any worthy results for clients. Only the best in the game will be able to back up the investments their clients are making in them with some cold hard facts and measurable social media statistics.

Either way, this is a great new addition to social media that is sure to continue evolving over the next few months as Google gets an even tighter grasp on the measurement of social engagement.

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Google Introduces Social Engagement Tracking in Webmaster Tools and Analytics

Before jumping head first into a social media campaign you have to ask yourself a key question; how much chaos can your organization handle? This question is not to be critical about the social media industry but rather a prudence concept; having foresight into the worst case scenario. When done correctly social media can offer an organisation many advantages. It’s not some magical tool which will transform every aspect of your marketing strategy, it’s not a unicorn, it’s just a horse; an extra drive of power into your branding strategy. Therefore it needs to be handled with care and caution.

“Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t want plastered on a billboard with your face on it.”

A recent example of how a single tweet on Twitter can have massive effects on a brand is the Duke Nukem Forever Tweet.  The new Duke Nukem Forever game, owned by the 2K Games Company, was recently put out for review and an US PR agency, Redner Group, who were hired to handle the company and product’s social media campaign, publically threatened on Twitter to stop sending review copies of games to critics who had written “venom-filled appraisals” and that they would be put on the “blacklist”. The heated tweet was deleted as soon as the 2K Company realised the chaos Redner had caused. Redner, who should have known that this was a cardinal mistake in marketing, was fired by the 2K Games Company. Deleted or not, the tweet made the same impact on the gaming company who hired a PR professional to prevent this poor practice to happen. A private apology has been sent out to all that reviewed the game but the damage has been done.

“Monitor, engage, and be transparent; these have always been the keys to success in the digital space.”

Once anything is published on the web, especially social media, there will be an immediate readership. Information on twitter travels in a way and a shape which is different than anything previously known. Twitter (and other social networking platforms), should not be the place to tell the world what you are thinking before you had a chance to think about it. That being said, social media should still be authentic, conversational, and social. The bottom line is that you should tell the truth but still make it fascinating.

Another thing to take into account when jumping on the social media bandwagon is Google’s “New” Social Search. Social media will now not only have an effect on you PR strategy and customer relations but also on your Search engine reputation management strategy. This includes SEO and online content management and now also social media updates about your brand.  Keep in mind that it is not what you say about your brand, it is what other people say. Search Engine Reputation Management involves both social media marketing and social media optimization. Proper control of search engine results needs to be taken and optimization employed as well as marketing to manage and control damaged identities and reputations on the net. Ultimately you need to be engaged and generate spontaneous communication while utilising the proper tools and techniques available and staying aware that you are all the while tattooing your reputation and online presence.

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Social Media – The Online Tattoo

Let’s start by taking a look at Me on the Web:

Now, the more tech savvy amongst us will be screaming out “what about Google alerts?” and the truth is, they have a point; Me on the Web is very much like Google alerts, but is far more accessible and easy to use. Below is a screenshot of the interface that comes with Me on the Web and the numerous options and filters that are available:

As mentioned above, Me on the Web enables users to more easily set up alerts to their account as well as suggest additional search terms that one might want to consider when setting up a system to manage their online reputation. In addition to this basic alert system however, Google has also created some useful links to a resources section that contains all the information one needs to bear in mind when stumbling across any malicious news or blog posts about oneself. Some of the ideas discussed in this resources section include basic search engine reputation management tips such as contacting a webmaster to request certain information be taken down, or the more complicated approach of search engine reputation management that involves writing articles of your own that could “out rack” the damaging posts that were written about you, thereby pushing them further down the results pages and making them less obvious to people searching for your name.

Now, let’s take a look at the REAL motivation behind this tool:

You need a Google Account to make use of Me on the Web. You also need a Google Account to make use of Google’s +1, personalized search and many other tools that come into play with Google’s social search. Now, getting everyone to “manage their online reputation” is a great premise to getting everyone to simultaneously sign up to a Google Account. The more people that have Google accounts, the more control Google has over the social profiles that they have such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. That’s essentially what it comes down to – control over social search. Google lost out big time when bing bought the rights to access Facebook data, but Me on the Web essentially enables users to manually link their Facebook accounts with their Google account, giving Google LEGAL access to a lot more of the information that Facebook has on users’ profiles than before.

BOTTOM LINE: With all this information, Google now has the ability to compete with bing and other search engines on a social level.

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Google Launches “Me on the Web”

The DEMO conference is a global event designed to showcase the most exciting new technology and provide industry networking opportunities. One launch that might be of particular interest to a search marketing company was Heystaks.

Irish start-up Heystaks used DEMO Spring 2011 as the platform to launch their social search solution, which is designed to help Internet users find more individually targeted search results. Heystaks users can connect with like-minded people and create “search staks”, collections of content favoured by a certain online community – a stak can be public, private or shared via invitations. This means that when running a search using any search engine, those using Heystaks will see results that are highly relevant to their personal preferences. Take a look at Heystaks’ DEMO Spring 2011 presentation:

Another development designed to connect users through social media platforms was SocialEyes, a video communication service launched at DEMO Spring 2011. This video-based “chat room” taps into a user’s social network for a multi-chat experience, setting it apart from existing services like Skype. The service is designed to emulate daily face-to-face interactions as closely as possible, providing users with complete control over each conversation. Using SocialEyes, you can make multiple calls using individual peer-to-peer connections, and interact with each contact differently; for example, you may choose to mute one and conduct a private conversation with another, or you might want to connect the whole group for a conference call. See the video below:

For more exiting developments in the world of search, social media and related technology, check out the DEMO Spring 2011 website.

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Social and Search Trends at DEMO Spring 2011

Social media statistics from a recent study showed that mobile users spend 91% of their time socialising compared to desktop computer users who spend 70% of their online time socialising. People almost always have their mobile phones with them whereas they are not always near a computer. It is much easier to check or update social media websites on the go via a mobile, which is another reason why social mobile is becoming so popular.

Another reason why social media networking is becoming so big via mobile phones is because the mobile is already an inherently social device. It has your contacts list with their details which make finding friends on the various social media platforms considerably easy. Many of the platforms have also been developed so that they will pick up your friends in your contact list and give you the option of connecting you without your having to find friends yourself.

In the recent Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona earlier this month, the main topic of discussion was social media via mobile. The people behind the platform Foursquare announced that it will be expanding internationally with five new languages being brought to its users. At the 2010 congress meeting, Foursquare was represented by just a single individual, but in 2011 there was a full team in Barcelona representing the social media company. Facebook has also reported a desire to become more accessible via mobile and much of the company’s time is being focused on figuring out how to do so.

With mobile devices being developed with the integration of social media tools as a primary factor, connectivity with the platforms is easier than ever. Mobile features are being developed with a “social media hub” where Facebook, Twitter, email and messenger items are listed in a single feed making it easy to keep up to speed with the latest happenings on the platforms.

The influence of social media on our everyday lives is tangible and mobile companies are acknowledging this and making it easier to be social via mobile. As social mobile becomes more accessible we will continue to see an increase in the number of social media users accessing the platforms via their mobiles rather than via a desktop computer.

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The Emergence of SocialMobile

The Social Networking Privacy Act proposed penalising networks that displayed the contact information (physical addresses and phone numbers) of users aged under 18 years. Facebook spent over $6 600 lobbying officials in the state of California to oppose the Act, and the proposed bill was eventually killed, much to the dismay of privacy advocates and safety organisations.

While passing legislation to prevent social media platforms sharing the information of minors is a sensible proposal, others say that these restrictions would encourage underage users to lie about their age online.

Of course, while it is the duty of responsible adults to protect the privacy of minors, it also seems there are plenty of grown-ups who don’t fully understand just how much of their privacy they compromise on a daily basis through their actions on social media platforms.

Regular status updates and location-specific tweets can often give away important details about a user’s daily routine, making it easier than ever for tech-savvy criminals to target them. Others find social media sites keep track of communications they’d rather were kept a secret – US lawyers report that around 20% of modern divorce cases involve evidence of infidelities found on Facebook.

Privacy experts and security officials are constantly questioning social media’s commitment to protecting the personal information of their millions of users. However, on the positive side social networking has proved useful in reporting local crimes, issuing accident warnings and most recently, as a platform for Australian families to locate missing loved ones during the disastrous Queensland floods.

Senator Ellen Corbett, who originally introduced the bill detailing the Social Networking Privacy Act, told press she is “determined to try again”. Do you think social media platforms should have stricter privacy control? And what do you think of Facebook’s entry into the political sphere?

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Social Networking Privacy Act Halted

“Information about people is indeed the most important information in the world,” says Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, and the partnership with Microsoft Bing aims to harness the relevance of this information for individual users with Social Search – using the slogan “Now it’s personal”.

The Bing Social Search feature means that when users enter a search query using Bing while logged onto Facebook, the engine will draw data from the social network, revealing which of the user’s Facebook friends have “Liked” the topic at hand, or any links and sites related to that topic. Whether you’re looking for a good local restaurant or wondering if the latest DVD releases are worth watching, Bing Social Search will provide tailored results using the wealth of information provided by your Facebook connections.

The Social Search feature doesn’t end there; Bing’s Facebook Profile Search will help users find other individual’s Facebook profile pages easily, and add people as Facebook friends directly from Bing. The Microsoft search engine says their Social Search initiative aims to “take into account not only relationships between data but relationships between people.”

Will Bing Social Search finally mean Microsoft gives Google a run for their money? The search giant has hinted at the upcoming release of their own social media feature, and seems unconcerned with the launch of Bing Social Search. It will be interesting to see how the battle for search marketing dominance unfolds.

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Bing Social Search gets Personal

Facebook Places, the new location sharing feature of social networking giant Facebook, has officially launched in the UK. This development will certainly make things interesting for search marketing services and social networking enthusiasts. Facebook users are now able to update their status complete with their current location. The smartphone-based Facebook Places service also allows users to see which friends have visited that location recently, or which friends are currently nearby. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg says he wants “to make the world an open space”. Facebook fans can track their hero’s movements virtually by using the Facebook Places service.

Of course, the launch of Facebook Places has raised privacy concerns. Not all users are comfortable with the implications of sharing their locations. However, the creators have put stringent privacy control in place to ensure that Facebook Places users can be selective about what information they wish to share.

Location-based posts or “check-ins” will only be visible to a user’s friends. A user can even choose to exclude certain friends from seeing their Facebook Places updates. The option is also available to tag friends in certain locations using Facebook Places, but users can opt out of getting tagged.

That sounds pretty safe, but users will need to remember to customise their settings manually; as with all Facebook privacy settings, the default settings must be customised by each Facebook Places user. Another concern is that unauthorised parties would be able to access a user’s Facebook Places location sharing data using the mobile device of an “approved” mutual friend.

Since the advent of Facebook, online privacy has been an ongoing issue. Every user will have a different idea of what online privacy means to them, so responsible privacy control is an essential part of social networking like Facebook Places. Users need the freedom to broaden or narrow the scope of information they share, and who they share it with.

Facebook Places creators say they want the service to connect people on a whole new level and enable “serendipitous meetings”. If used responsibly, Facebook Places looks like it could be pretty useful, and a lot of fun. Do you agree?

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Facebook Places and Online Privacy