Some Tasty News on Bookmarking

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/211157489/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Free Tasty Technicolor Treats Creative Commons by Pink Sherbet Photography, on Flickr"><img alt="Free Tasty Technicolor Treats Creative Commons" height="240" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/81/211157489_b594a547cc_m.jpg" width="188" /></a>Great news for Delicious users: the service has been acquired from Yahoo! by none other than the founders of YouTube. Announced today via email and <a href="http://blog.delicious.com/">on their blog</a>.<br /> <br /> As you may recall, <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2010/12/not-so-delicious.html">in December I reported that Yahoo! was sunsetting Delicious</a>, the social bookmarking service, surprising many people and leaving them in a tenuous position. Many jumped ship, proclaiming Delicious dead and looking at alternative services like EverNote, Diigo and Pinboard, but others (like me) held fast, waiting for what would come next. That patience paid off with today's <a href="http://www.avos.com/delicious-press-release/">announcement that AVOS</a> will take charge and will focus on being "the best information discovery service." Sounds like they'll be mining the tons of great information that Delicious users have been sharing.<br /> <br /> For a little more behind the deal and situation that led to it, <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/04/27/youtube-founders-delicious/">Mashable</a> and <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/delicious_has_new_owners_youtube_founders_chad_hur.php">Read Write Web</a> have some good coverage that you may want to check out.<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What's next for users?</span><br /> There's an <a href="http://www.delicious.com/help/transition">FAQ on Delicious</a> that answers questions about the transition. I've reproduced some of it here for your convenience.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h4 style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Why has Yahoo! chosen to transition Delicious to AVOS?</h4><div style="color: #565656; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While we love Delicious (and our users love Delicious), we wanted to find a home for the product where it can receive more love and attention. We think AVOS is that place.</div><h4 style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">When will AVOS officially start running Delicious?</h4><div style="color: #565656; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">We anticipate Delicious in its current form will be available until approximately July 2011. By agreeing to AVOS's terms of service upfront, you will allow us to move your data when the time comes to transfer control to AVOS.</div><h4 style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What does AVOS plan to do with Delicious?</h4><div style="color: #565656; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">AVOS plans to continue the service that users have come to know and love and by working with the community, make the site even easier and more fun to save, share and discover the web's "tastiest" content.</div><h4 style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Will AVOS maintain the Delicious service with all of its functionality?</h4><div style="color: #565656; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Yes, that's the plan. There may be a time of adjustment as AVOS re-launches Delicious, but the company's intention is to add new features and grow the service overall.</div><div style="color: #565656; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: 14px;"></span></div><h4 style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">How do I transfer my bookmarks?</h4><div style="color: #565656; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">To transfer your bookmarks, you need to "opt-in" to allow your account and all associated data to be moved. You can do this from the <a href="https://secure.delicious.com/settings/optin" style="color: #1462c1; text-decoration: none;">opt-in page</a>.</div><h4 style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What will happen to my public and private bookmarks?</h4><div style="color: #565656; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By agreeing to the AVOS terms of service, you will allow us to send your account information, bookmarks, and all the data associated with your Delicious account to AVOS when they re-launch Delicious. Your public and private bookmarks will be maintained as they are today. The information transferred would include:</div><ul style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Delicious username</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Delicious password</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Email address</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">First Name</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Last Name</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bookmarks, Tags and Notes</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Inbox items</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tag Bundles</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tag Descriptions</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Network Members</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Subscriptions</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Blogpost jobs</li> <li style="color: #565656; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Twitter Auth credentials (if supplied)</li> </ul><div style="color: #565656; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><h4 style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What if I don't opt-in to migrate my bookmarks to AVOS?</h4><div style="color: #565656; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">You will no longer be able to use Delicious or access your bookmarks after the transition is complete.</div><h4 style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Can I export my data from Delicious?</h4><div style="color: #565656; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Yes. Please use our <a href="https://secure.delicious.com/settings/bookmarks/export" style="color: #1462c1; text-decoration: none;">export tool</a>.</div><br /> <br /> What are your thoughts on this transition? If you're a user, will you continue with AVOS? And if you left, would you consider coming back? Why?<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40645538@N00/211157489/">Pink Sherbet Photography (Flickr)</a></span>

Some Tasty News on Bookmarking

Great news for Delicious users: the service has been acquired from Yahoo! by none other than the founders of YouTube. Announced today via em...

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The Gamification of Social Media

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/unloveable/2400877902/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Monopoly by unloveablesteve, on Flickr"><img alt="Monopoly" height="180" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2189/2400877902_d67018fd87_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://www.empireavenue.com/">Empire Avenue</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> is the new game in town. It sits squarely in the social networking space, but it has a different twist - one from which I think businesses may be able to gain valuable insights, all while allowing people to enjoy themselves.</span><br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What is it?</span><br /> Essentially, it is a rewards system that makes what we already do on the web   - create and share content - fun by making it a stock market-like atmosphere. You can earn money (their currency is "Eaves") by buying other people and you can see your own worth rise by getting other people to invest in you. When tied to other accounts such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn and blogs, your net worth rises based on the content you either create or share. But like the other sites, it's also a social network itself. It's a chance to connect and brainstorm with others by finding affinity groups ("Communities") within Empire Avenue.<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How to "win" at Empire Avenue</span><br /> According to the team at Empire Avenue, there are two ways to win: by being an Investor or by being an Influencer:<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mhYJNRrtras/TbJdk7n4TII/AAAAAAAACKM/6dN3yPQBe9U/s1600/EmpireAveInfluencer.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mhYJNRrtras/TbJdk7n4TII/AAAAAAAACKM/6dN3yPQBe9U/s320/EmpireAveInfluencer.PNG" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CWT6qwBEwEw/TbJdmk6LQDI/AAAAAAAACKQ/5b0xiGcYXy4/s1600/EmpireAveInvestor.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CWT6qwBEwEw/TbJdmk6LQDI/AAAAAAAACKQ/5b0xiGcYXy4/s320/EmpireAveInvestor.PNG" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> While the world may be defined in these two separate buckets - creators and consumers - for most of us in the social space, it's not an either/or proposition; we're most likely creating <i>and</i> consuming. But if you're looking for a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>hot tip</b></span> on who's a mover and shaker and is worthy of your investment, I'd recommend these two points:<br /> <ol> <li>Think of the people in your networks who are the most active content producers (tweets, videos uploaded or commented on, blog posts written, etc.) and invest in them, regardless of price;</li> <li>Search the "Recent Arrivals" for people you know who fit the description in #1 and heavily invest in them before their price rises. You'll be in on the ground level and well positioned for a long-term gain.</li> </ol> <br /> One point of interest: you can keep your activity to Empire Avenue if you like (investing, giving "Shout Outs," buying items), but the developers have created a way to make it more than just that: the rewards that you get for EA activity are limited in nature (dividends, currency for taking certain actions, etc.). By linking your social activity from other sites, you see your net worth rise more quickly. The main way the system does this is by using what's known as <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification">gamification</a></b>. Yes, that's an actual term. By rewarding people with positive reinforcement for actions taken - much like Foursquare has become synonymous with - Empire Avenue uses a system of Achievements to recognize your progress. Below are some examples.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1CBJ7lB_lqo/TbJfhNn5B3I/AAAAAAAACKU/NXrPZp9JkFM/s1600/EmpireAveAchievements.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1CBJ7lB_lqo/TbJfhNn5B3I/AAAAAAAACKU/NXrPZp9JkFM/s400/EmpireAveAchievements.PNG" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> For a recent and in-depth look at how game theory is affecting the social and mobile space, take a look at what Brian Solis had to say about it ("<a href="http://www.briansolis.com/2011/04/dennis_crowley_foursquare/" style="font-weight: bold;">The Games Businesses Play with Customers</a>").<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Is there more than just fun and games?</span><br /> But let's get beyond the surface and look at the practical nature of what Empire Avenue has to offer. Robert Scoble, after interviewing the CEO Duleepa Wijayawardhana (<a href="http://www.empireavenue.com/DUPS">DUPS</a>), <a href="http://scobleizer.com/2011/04/15/this-social-media-stock-market-game-is-building-a-real-world-value-score-about-you/">determined that one side feature he discovered</a> was that it creates a way to better determine who's actually providing value in our networks.<br /> <br /> Empire Avenue themselves have been pretty smart about their ecosystem, as they've already built in a revenue stream: there's <a href="http://empireavenue.com/shop/luxuryitems">The Shop</a>, where people can purchase Luxury items such as airplanes, homes, boats, etc. For those who really want to rise to the top quickly, they can purchase <a href="http://empireavenue.com/shop/money">Eaves</a> with real cash. And I definitely see the potential for brands to enter the fray and sponsor items that they can offer for purchase.<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Why I think Empire Avenue is onto something</span><br /> Other sites such as Friendfeed, Quora or Klout all give us some information or let us interact with each other in some way, but they're each limited. To me, Empire Avenue is a much more holistic, three-dimensional system that is comprised of all of the digital grunts we get on Facebook and Twitter, as well as deeper forum-related discussions via the Communities, an aggregated stream of their activity, and - most importantly - peers' ratings of influence and effectiveness (via buys and sells). To see a really interesting conversation that <a href="http://www.calebstorkey.net/2011/04/empire-avenue-business-benefits-a-conversation-with-robert-scoble-and-jeremiah-jowyang/">Caleb Storkey had with a few influentials about this topic, check out his post</a>.<br /> <br /> That's a much more realistic and informative way to gauge influence, rather than a simple one-dimensional score such as Klout. I could see companies like <a href="http://www.radian6.com/blog/">Radian6</a> (recently <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/03/30/salesforce-acquires-radian6-for-326-million/">acquired by SalesForce.com</a>) acquiring Empire Avenue as an adjunct to their business. Think of the value they could add by giving clients a dashboard in which they could actively participate rather than simply consume information about the influencers they're trying to reach.<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How do brands get involved?</span><br /> While this may seem limited to individuals at this point, Empire Avenue does allow brands to get involved and has a separate business signup process. For well known brands, they lock down the stock symbol or brand name in order to preserve some semblance of order. We started accounts for Ford (<b><a href="http://empireavenue.com/?t=ng8l7vt">FORD</a></b>) and Lincoln (<b><a href="http://empireavenue.com/?t=8oef5c4d">LINCOLN</a></b>), linking our Facebook pages, YouTube channels and Twitter and Flickr accounts. We expect to add more content channels as we continue to explore the system. In the meantime, we've been lucky enough to see individuals investing in us, but we've also taken the important step of interacting with them (just as we do on every other social network) and we're investing in them as well.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f1bYDqOCaqc/TbJnqlg8JYI/AAAAAAAACKY/oMY-WTaj1kw/s1600/EmpireAveFORD.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f1bYDqOCaqc/TbJnqlg8JYI/AAAAAAAACKY/oMY-WTaj1kw/s400/EmpireAveFORD.PNG" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i><b>"Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. </b></i></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i><b>It comes as a by-product of providing a useful service."<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></i></div> <div style="text-align: right;"> -Henry Ford</div> <br /> Other brands that have cropped up so far include Oreo, Sears, Audi and Applebees. Stay tuned as the gold rush begins. For a comprehensive roundup of other posts about this topic, as well as <b><a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2011/04/20/empire-avenue-provides-social-gaming-opportunities-for-brands/">a set of recommendations and caveats for what it means for brands</a></b>, please read - and then re-read - Jeremiah Owyang's post. And then take a look at <b><a href="http://gamemechanics.posterous.com/">Adriel Hampton's Game Mechanics blog</a></b>.<br /> <br /> I've just scratched the surface here; this is a very rich subject and I'll be interested to see how it plays out. We've seen other efforts fizzle out, but to me, this seems to have more potential. What do you think? Have you started an account yet?<br /> <br /> Oh, and if you'd care to buy a few shares of me, I'm <a href="http://empireavenue.com/?t=01kim4vm"><b>SMONTY</b></a> and I think I'm still a value stock. :-)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <center> <script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"> //EDIT THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES //enter your exact ticker var eav_t = "SMONTY"; //Size 1 is 100x100 and Size 2 is 190x167 var eav_s = 2; //Do not edit the following: var eav_is_ssl = ("https:" == document.location.protocol); var eav_asset_host = eav_is_ssl ? "https://badge.empireavenue.com/" : "http://badge.empireavenue.com/"; document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + eav_asset_host + "blog/?t=" + eav_t + "&l=" + escape(window.location) +"&s=" + eav_s + "' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); </script></center> <br /> <br /> <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> </span></i><br /> <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17859020@N00/2400877902/">unlovablesteve (Flickr)</a></span></i><br /> <i><br /> </i>

The Gamification of Social Media

Empire Avenue  is the new game in town. It sits squarely in the social networking space, but it has a different twist - one from which I thi...

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B2B Social Media Gets Intimate

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericschwartzman/5532983826/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="sxsw-outside-w-book-crop by Eric Schwartzman, on Flickr"><img alt="sxsw-outside-w-book-crop" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5140/5532983826_3524d2696a.jpg" width="275" /></a><br /> <i>The following is a guest post by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://twitter.com/ericschwartzman">@ericschwartzman</a></span>.</i><br /> <br /> Up to now, one the biggest challenges that social media posed was forcing organizations to decide just how open they should be. The belief was that information that could be public should be transitioned to social media, but proprietary information should remain under wraps in email, on the phone and in meetings.<br /> <br /> Those that did a good job socializing their external communications, like Dell and Comcast, saw productivity gains, since conversations that occur on social media are automatically recorded, discoverable through search and shareable. But those parts of the organization which were not customer facing, or which did not interact with outside entities, were pretty much sheltered from realizing similar gains.<br /> <br /> It is now popular wisdom that Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin are good places for businesses to market their products and services. Migrating external communications to the social web turns customer service into public relations, and minimizes call center demand. But what if you want to use a social network to collaborate internally?<br /> <br /> Until recently, no one dared share corporate secrets on social networks. When it comes to <a href="http://www.b2bsocialmediabook.com/">B2B social media</a> uses like privileged discussions between manufacturers and resellers or internal discussions between sales and marketing personnel, you'd need a more intimate social network. Strategic planning, competitive analysis and product development are just a few activities most companies prefer to keep confidential.<br /> <br /> In episode <a href="http://www.forimmediaterelease.biz/index.php?/weblog/comments/the_hobson_holtz_report_-_podcast_594_april_11_2011/">#594 of For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report</a>, Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz discussed <a href="http://twitter.com/steverubel">Steve Rubel</a>'s Ad Age <a href="http://adage.com/article/guest-columnists/marketers-ready-validation-era/226892/">column about what he calls the 'Validation Era' of online marketing</a>. In our rush to amass friends and followers, Rubel argues, we've assembled online social communities that are so loud and so constant, that it's become difficult to use them for more than mundane conversations.<br /> <br /> The early stage of most sales cycles is equally mundane. You start the process by searching Google and asking your online social network for recommendations. But the final decision for a considered purchase, like a car or computer, or a high-ticket B2B purchase, like selecting a raw materials supplier, has to withstand greater scrutiny. Search and social help us build the short list, but the discussion that leads to a final purchasing decision has been offline. But with the rise of private social networks, internal business conversations are likely to go social as well. And that will limit the marketer's ability to steer the purchasing decision.<br /> <br /> B2C marketers may have some luck. But if B2B brands try to secure access to these exclusive, customer-only conversations, by encouraging their employees to engage through their personal profiles, or by dispatching their subject matter experts, they're unlikely to succeed. These B2B conversations will only be open to small stakeholder committees, no matter how trusted or influential those outside the circle may be. Private means private. After the vendors pitch, the buyers clears the conference room to discuss who they want to hire. Marketers must leave the room.<br /> <br /> Rubel cites the rise of services like Path, <a href="http://belugapods.com/">Beluga</a> and <a href="http://groupme.com/">GroupMe</a> as examples of intimate social networks gaining prominence. And indeed they are rising in popularity. But already, one high-flyer has come and gone. Google Wave, a private activity streaming service launched before its time failed to catch on, Google lost patience and pulled the plug. On the B2B social media side, <a href="http://ontherecordpodcast.com/pr/otro/private-social-network.aspx">Salesforce.com made its Chatter service free</a> in February, giving up to five users the chance to establish their own, little private Facebook. Others are leveraging platforms like <a href="http://www.jivesoftware.com/">Jive</a> to create their own, password protected social networks, as <a href="http://ontherecordpodcast.com/pr/otro/B2B-social-networking.aspx">SAP has so famously done</a> already.<br /> <br /> The private social network as a B2B social media tool has numerous useful applications. But I wouldn't count on it replacing Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin any time soon. These services provide private messaging features which are already trusted enough to swap email addresses. Instead, we are seeing the dawn of an era where sensitive business conversations, which could never reap the benefits of social media, are beginning to be socialized as well.<br /> <br /> External communications will stay on Facebook. Sensitive, business conversations will move to services like <a href="http://www.salesforce.com/chatter/whatischatter/">Chatter</a>. And private social networking services will expose organizations to the benefits of leveraging social media to accelerate the pace of proprietary, confidential business processes like product development, workforce management, strategic planning, business process management, vendor sourcing, research & development and logistics. We will learn to pick the social media channel, based on the public or proprietary nature of the message.<br /> <br /> What do you think? Have you seen interesting examples of B2B social media? Please share as a comment below.<br /> <br /> <strong>About the Author</strong><br /> <i><a href="http://ericschwartzman.com/">Eric Schwartzman</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/ericschwartzman">@ericschwartzman</a>) provides social marketing research, social marketing services and social marketing training to businesses, government agencies and nonprofits. His book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470639334/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0470639334">Social Marketing to the Business Customer</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=0470639334" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> with <a href="http://gillin.com/blog/">Paul Gillin</a> is the first book devoted exclusively to <a href="http://www.b2bsocialmedia.com/">B2B social media</a> marketing.</i><br /> <br /> <br /> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0470639334" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

B2B Social Media Gets Intimate

The following is a guest post by  @ericschwartzman . Up to now, one the biggest challenges that social media posed was forcing organizati...

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A Brief History of the Evolution of Social Technology

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaptainkobold/3273951718/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="The Descent Of Man by Kaptain Kobold, on Flickr"><img alt="The Descent Of Man" height="165" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3375/3273951718_aaff0b7ed4_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><i>The following is a guest post from David Murton.</i><br /> <br /> To truly appreciate social media and the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, the consumer must first remember the wireless networks' distant and humble beginnings. In the year 1888, Heinrich Rudolf Herz generated the world's first radio wave. A short six years later, it translated into telegraph signals that made long-distance communication possible. <br /> <br /> Piggybacking on Herz' radio wave, Marchese Guglielmo Marconi translated the wave into a wireless signal that would make short-distance radio transmissions possible. Perfecting his technology, he was able to gradually increase the reach of his radio waves to 31 miles. <a href="http://www.onlineschools.org/online-communications-schools/">Online communication schools</a> credit his tenacity for truly realizing the potential of future radio wave technology. <br /> <br /> During World War II, the use of radio wave transmissions as main means of communication hastened the further honing of the technology. Fast forwarding to 1970, Norman Abramson designed and tested the first wireless local area network, also known as the WLAN. From there, the race was on to make wireless technology smaller, better, faster and further reaching. <br /> <br /> When the courts released the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands for unlicensed usage in 1985, 802.11 technology created the industry standards for wireless product manufacture. It is from within this technology group that Vic Hayes tweaked the wireless Internet and would become known as the "father of Wi-Fi." <br /> <br /> From there it was merely a hop, skip and jump to the fourth generation of cellular wireless (4G) standards that social media and wireless communication users enjoy today. Facebook aficionados in particular are known to congregate in hot spots that feature free access to the social network for laptops and cell phones.<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Impact on Communication Habits and Business</b></span><br /> Harvard Business School proclaims social media and networking to be the "the most significant business development of 2010." Use of emails and phones has become a mobile endeavor that is no longer tied to the home- or office landline and stationary computer. Instead, it takes place while on the go, in transit, at the moment of opting to make a buying decision and also when actively pursuing business opportunities.<br /> <br /> Entrepreneurs may have initially seen social media - most notably MySpace, Twitter and Facebook - as a playground for the younger generations. Yet as the true power of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook creation began to shape business visibility in the online marketplace, companies had to scramble to make an appearance. Not surprisingly, less tech-savvy businesses were not as adept at presenting themselves to the consumer. <br /> <br /> As a result, a good many businesses are now built around primarily the aspect of promoting other businesses through social media (and especially mobile social media) applications. Freelance writers, website builders and online marketers have grown a cottage industry around the function of introducing the world to small, midsized and larger businesses alike.<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Case Study: Egypt and Tunisia</b></span><br /> Mobile devices in conjunction with social media are also credited with influencing national politics. Cases in point are the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Egyptian_revolution">recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia</a>. Used to rally demonstrators, Facebook postings, mobile phone images and SMS messaging played a huge role in organizing a thus-far loose-knit regime opposition.<br /> <br /> Using YouTube to transfer up-to-the minute information about events, protests and government responses to the entire world, 'sanctioned' local media outlets had no possibility to distort what was going on. Not only did social media shift the world's sympathies to be with the protesters, but when sharing pictures of what was happening, it was possible to motivate even the people within the countries to keep going and get even more people involved in the demonstrations. <br /> <br /> Dispelling various incorrect claims made by the media, it became quickly apparent that the regimes of Tunisia and Egypt had failed, even as official liaisons denied any changes in power.<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Dark Side of Social Media</b></span><br /> For all its benefits and the commercial advantages of social media applications, there is a decided downside to the mobility of the experience. For example, teenagers and even adults are spending a large portion of their days engaged in the virtual reality created by social media, which in turn affects school and work results. Who does not know someone who "just had to check their crops" before they wilted on Facebook's widely popular game Farmville?<br /> <br /> Even more sinister is the peer pressure on teenagers to do "cool" things to show off, sometimes resulting in accidents, ill-advised meet-ups with predators and of course cyber-bullying by peers. There is a also an emerging culture that leads to a constant self-comparison with other social media users, especially by teenagers, resulting in possible psychological trauma and even depression. After all, it is difficult to not feel rejected if a friend or classmate fails to "like" a comment or suggestion.<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>What Awaits Us in the Near Future?</b></span><br /> Trailblazers are busy making mobile devices faster, smaller and more powerful than ever. With the latest announcement of "<a href="http://gizmodo.com/#!5632174/xwave-headset-lets-you-control-iphone-apps-with-your-brain">brainwave to iPhone interface</a>" from PLX XWave, wireless social media could soon become one with its users. These devices have the power to interpret brainwave activity and help shape the social media experience accordingly.<br /> <br /> The already more commonplace text-to-speech and speech-to-text software -- along with the above mentioned mind-controlling device and simple headphones -- could even make hand held devices and laptops obsolete. Social media users may just opt to hear tweets/messages via a headphone and then post messages via speech-to-text technology. <br /> <br /> Of course, this does precious little when it comes time for harvesting the crops on Farmville.<br /> <br /> <i>David Murton has been helping companies build and maintain their online relationships with customers since 2006. He is also a professional writer and blogger, with a particular interest in the open source Drupal platform. On a more personal note, David is an avid piano and accordion player, drawn especially to music of the classical and romantic periods.</i><br /> <br /> <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaptainkobold/3273951718/in/set-1744941">Kaptain Kobold (Flickr)</a></span></i>

A Brief History of the Evolution of Social Technology

The following is a guest post from David Murton. To truly appreciate social media and the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, the consumer ...

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