The Fascinating Spread Of Content Through Social Networks

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How Content Diffuses Through Different Social Networks (Scott Hendrickson via Social Media Today)
How does content evolve along the different paths it takes on different social networks? Let’s take a look at expected versus unexpected events, which each have very different pulses in the form and speed information travels around these events. Expected events drive significant volume on social media because people know they’re coming and plan to comment, observe, banter, trash talk and analyze. However, theses events are characterized by a gradual growth and decay around the event rather than abrupt changes. A hurricane is an example of an event that people are anticipating, so you’ll see a gradual growth and decay around the event rather than abrupt changes. On the other hand, unexpected events result in abrupt spikes in volume. These spikes have well-defined growth, peak and decay half-lives. Read >>

Get Off Your Duff: Social Media Advertising Statistics And Trends (GO-Gulf via Mediabistro)
According to GO-Gulf, businesses are spending quite a bit to promote their products on popular social media sites. Global social network advertising revenues are projected to double 2012 figures by 2014 – climbing from seven to 14 billion. This makes sense as 70 percent of advertisers are currently devoting at least a small portion of their budget to social networks now. Are you among the 64 percent who plan to increase your social media advertising budget this year? Or are okay with being left behind? You should really start thinking about this now so you don’t need to race to catch up later. Click here for the full infographic. Read >>

U.S. Mobile Ad Spending On Social Networks To Reach $4.5 Billion By 2018 (Forrester)
Forrester forecasts that U.S. mobile ad spending on social networks will reach $4.5 billion by 2018. Spending on mobile ads is predicted to grow nearly twice as fast as the spending on desktop ads on social networks. The future of social is mobile:

• More users are accessing social networking sites through mobile.
• The share of time spent on mobile social networking apps continues to increase.
• Mobile ads provide a better return on investment (ROI) for marketers.
• Mobile ads earn more money for social media vendors than desktop ads.
• The overall mobile ad ecosystem will evolve.

Mobile will be a key driver for social media spending growth. Read >>

Four Reasons Why Facebook Is Overvalued (Forbes)
Facebook is dominating the news cycle. But just because Facebook stock is down 29 percent from where it traded when it went public, it does not mean it’s fairly valued by the market. Mobile ad revenue is still too small, and earnings growth lackluster. Management seems distracted by a flurry of strategic initiatives. Barring a huge upside surprise, investors should beware. Read >>

Facebook Offers Clarification On The Privacy Of Home (TechCrunch)
If you find yourself expressing concerns over Facebook’s invasion of Android, here’s the important things you need to know:

• Facebook Home is like an app. You can install it and delete it as you choose.
• If you install it, Home collects information on all Facebook activity (as usual), plus location, Facebook messages, and that you’ve launched certain apps. This information is identifiable for 90 days before it is detached from your identity.
• Incoming SMS are automatically pulled through the Facebook Home interface, but it sounds like Facebook isn’t pushing the content of those messages back to the mothership.
• If Home comes pre-installed (for the HTC First and beyond), Facebook has access to all of the above, plus third-party notifications.
• Facebook Home can not see your activity within other, non-Facebook apps, like Google Maps.

With regards to location, things get a bit tricky. Read >>

Roger Ebert Found A New Voice On Twitter (CNN)
It was on the pages of newspapers and in the coveted aisle seat on television's "At the Movies" that the world met Roger Ebert. But in his final years, when cancer had robbed him of his jawbone and whittled away his once ample frame, it was social media, particularly Twitter, that let Ebert not only keep talking, but also interact with his fans, and foes, more freely and personally than ever. "Twitter for me performs the function of a running conversation," Ebert wrote in June 2010, about eight months after he signed up for the site and five years after losing his vocal chords and part of his lower jaw to thyroid and salivary gland cancer. "For someone who cannot speak, it allows a way to unload my zingers and one-liners." Read >>

Social Media Measurement: Thoughts And Ideas (Sixth Man Marketing)
Be on the social media platforms where your customers are. Sounds like good advice, but why?

1. Mitigate risk
2. Extend brand
3. Create dialog

You don’t necessarily hear a lot of talk about “the why” so this is a good opportunity to throw out a few reasons for businesses to put forth a social media effort and how to measure effectiveness. Read >>

The Organizational Impact Of A Social Signal (Rignite via Social Media Today)
A meaningful social signal can deliver a whole lot more. Integrating social media into multiple functions of your organization can benefit operations and yield a distinct competitive advantage. Read >>