Rev2.org

Just when you think you have seen every social media site online today, another one comes along that begs you to take a closer look.  The latest entry in the social media market is called Pinterest and if you have not yet seen it, you soon will.

Put simply, Pinterest describes itself as an online pinboard.  While it will no doubt be compared to other sites including Facebook, Twitter and the new Google+, there is one essential difference that sets Pinterest apart.  It focuses on using and sharing images rather than words, although there is still the facility to add text when necessary.

If you are wondering when this new network came to fruition, you will have to look back to March 2010.  Yes, the network is nearly two years old but in recent weeks it has come to the attention of a lot more people.  The idea is that when you see a picture you like online, you can pin it to your own personal board.  If someone sees it and likes it as well, they can repin it to their board.  This is how items are shared and how they can potentially reach a much wider audience.

Many people have already seen the practical nature of Pinterest and how it can be used in lots of different ways.  So far, marketers do not seem to have jumped onto the platform.  It is certainly designed with individuals in mind.  But it will be interesting to see how it develops now it has reached a wide audience.

The number of people using Google+, the search giant’s relatively new social media network, seems to be on the rise.  But the most famous person yet has taken place in one of the famed Hangouts on the network.  This is a feature where different Google+ members can get together with each other.  Recently, President Barack Obama took part in a Hangout that had positive consequences for someone else who was also there, according to the Associated Press.

Jennifer Wedel talked to the President about the fact her husband could not get a job.  The President expressed concern since the field in question was engineering – a field that apparently has many jobs available.  During the Hangout, the President promised to help out – and he did just that within a couple of days.  Ms Wedel’s husband was contacted by people in the industry looking for workers soon afterwards.

This has to be the biggest indicator of how powerful Google+ Hangouts can be when they are used correctly.  It is also a big boost for Google+ itself, since the presence of the President is a big plus point.  Plenty of other people are using Hangouts for lots of different reasons, whether it is for business or personal use.  But there is no doubt that the social network will benefit from positive news headlines such as these.

The story ends – disappointingly for the President – with no guarantee that Ms Wedel will vote for him when the time comes to choose a side.

We have seen people getting angry at updates to the Facebook privacy policy in the past.  Nevertheless, this same situation has now occurred with Google.

The company has just announced that they have made changes to their own privacy policy.  It has done this with the apparent intention of making life easier for its many users.  Not everyone is convinced, however, of the benefits that these changes have supposedly brought.

The new policy starts at the beginning of March.  At that time, the company will streamline its offering and track the actions of users as they use any or all of the products they have available.  Since these products number more than five dozen, you can see how big a change this is.

It is easy to see how this would simplify things.  However, it will also mean that Google can advertise to people and provide them with information far more accurately and easily than they do now.  For example if you look for specific things on YouTube, you may find that when you use another of their sites or products, ads for the items you searched for previously pop up. Google thinks this is a good service, but many believe it is overly intrusive.

There is no way to opt out of the service unless you decide to close your account(s) with Google. So many people will be likely to tolerate them, which is probably what the search engine giant is hoping.

Promotional hashtag campaigns can work extremely well on Twitter.  However, there have been examples in the past where Twitter users have taken them over for their own purposes.  In this way, something that began as a positive and promotional experience turned out to be anything but.

The latest example of such an occurrence comes from the mighty McDonald’s fast food chain.  It all began with two promoted tweets.  McDonald’s thought that asking people for their “McDStories” would lead to a positive and encouraging campaign for their business.  Of course, this did not happen.

Instead, people used the hashtag to share their nightmare stories and opinions of the company.  Incidents of food poisoning were shared on Twitter, as were stories of unfriendly staff members and undesirable things found in burgers and meals.

McDonald’s was quick to put a stop to the Twitter campaign within hours of it beginning.  But by then hundreds of people had already got started on conversations surrounding the hashtag.  It had also made the headlines across the internet, bringing the embarrassment to a much wider audience than it would have done simply on Twitter.  So the company had joined the ranks of other companies that have been bitten through trying to impress their customers by using a top social media site.

It remains to be seen whether McDonald’s will try something like this again.  It did get reasonably good results with the hashtag #MeettheFarmers.  But it is unlikely that we will ever see the likes of #McDStories again.

Microblogging online – on social media sites such as Twitter – is exceptionally popular across the world.  Nevertheless, not all countries are keen on people using such services.  One famous example of this is China.

While Twitter is banned in China, there are other microblogging services in the country that the Chinese people use.  However, the Chinese government appears dissatisfied with the fact that people can criticise them openly online.  More people are joining these microblogging sites – called weibo in China – every single day.  This has led to the government trying to find ways to stop the increasing tide of criticism against them.

The latest effort has seen them launch a trial run of real name registrations in five cities across the country.  This means that if someone wishes to sign up to use a weibo service, the person must supply his or her real name.  Without this information, they cannot use the service.

It also means that the government can track people who post derogatory or negative comments about them.  It is just one more step in China’s battle to control the internet – a battle that many Chinese people disagree with.

Many of us take freedom of speech for granted.  However, as this story reveals, freedom of speech is not a regular part of life in China.  Many people have already used these services to voice their discontent over the actions of the government.  While the Chinese government sees this move as a good thing, many people think exactly the opposite.

Most of us are aware that Facebook loves change.  While some of its users may not be so keen, there are more changes coming very soon.  These will take the form of sixty new apps that members can use to share information on their profiles.  It remains to be seen which apps prove to be the most popular, and whether users will be willing to get involved with them.

While sixty new apps may seem like a big number, it should pale in comparison compared to the estimated number of apps that could be built for use on Facebook in the months to come.  A spokesman for Facebook speculated that thousands of apps could eventually be built for members to use in this way.

These initial apps were set to be launched on Thursday 19^th January.  They will allow each Facebook user to add some personalisation to their profile.  This will be possible through the apps they choose, as they are extremely diverse.  Some of those launching initially include apps for Rotten Tomatoes and Foodspotting.  No doubt, food lovers will want to take a closer look at the Foodspotting app, while moviegoers will give the Rotten Tomatoes app a spin.

This is a major change for Facebook and it makes the Timeline feature more dynamic.  As more apps roll out over the coming months it could completely change the social media site as we know it.  What do you think of this new change?