Television is becoming an important part of Twitter’s advertising strategy. In May, Twitter revealed an experimental advertising plan that will allow companies to use Twitter to directly engage with consumers who see their TV commercials. Twitter reported that users who are shown promoted tweets had a 58 percent higher intent to buy compared with people who only viewed the TV ad. Rates of user engagement were 27 percent higher than previous averages for companies using Twitter to reach customers. Continue reading Companies Can Target Viewers While They Tweet on Shows

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Graph Search earlier this year, a new way for users of the social network to access information. Considered the network’s third pillar, along with its News Feed and Timeline, Graph Search is based on Facebook’s social graph, which is essentially a map of more than a trillion connections between users. After six months of beta testing, the product is now available to those who use the American English version of the site. Continue reading Graph Search: Facebook Rolls Out Radical New Social Tool

Department store chain Nordstrom is bringing Pinterest into its locations with a trial program in order to better engage with its customers both online and in the physical space. The retailer has a significant presence on the social networking site, more than its closest competitors combined. Nordstrom is integrating its products posted on Pinterest with the same products at its retail locations. It is also using Pinterest for its inventory management system. Continue reading Retail: Pinterest Coming Soon to a Nordstrom Store Near You

Hollywood studios are reexamining traditional distribution models in an era of piracy enabled by digital technologies. Today’s media savvy consumers have evolving expectations regarding how they discover and share music, video content and games, thanks in part to new cloud-based technologies, streaming media services and sophisticated social tools. Some media companies are even considering the idea that models popular with pirates are worth imitating. Continue reading Shift in Consumer Demand: Should Studios Emulate Pirates?

“Minecraft,” created by Markus Persson four years ago, has become one of the world’s most popular video games. Its 22 million users make it three times more popular than “World of Warcraft.” The virtual world’s simple gameplay provides users with creative freedom, offering Lego-like blocks to build basic structures that can be later transformed into palaces. It is also giving other game developers the idea that a successful video game can be made independently. Continue reading Minecraft Enjoys Global Success, Inspires Indie Developers

Photo sharing and social media are paving new ways to communicate, simply and without words. They are forming a new online language, one that is universal and overcomes language barriers. Most major social media platforms offer photo and new video sharing services, and they are receiving major investments to do so. These new services are starting to chip away at established text messaging, but some are concerned of this new communication’s effect. Continue reading Social Media Photo Apps Creating a New Internet Language

Earlier this week, we reported that for more than a year Facebook has been quietly working on a service called Reader that could essentially become a newspaper for mobile devices. As Google retires its RSS news reader on Monday, Facebook Reader could become an opportunity for the social giant to increase engagement and create a viable ad channel. However, there is a question regarding whether Facebook can offer a mobile app that competes with existing readers. Continue reading Will a Facebook News Reader Fill the Void Left by Google?

Earlier this week we reported that Facebook had scheduled a press event for Thursday, and if rumors were true, the company was expected to unveil a video service similar to Twitter’s Vine for its photo-sharing app Instagram. It’s now official. The popular Facebook-owned app features a new video-sharing tool that allows users to shoot and share 15-second clips (possibly ideal for advertising), choose from 13 video filters and create a cover photo. Continue reading Facebook Confirms Rumors, Unveils Instagram Video Tool

If rumors prove true, Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram may soon include the ability to take and share short videos, similar to how Vine works. Following the company’s release of a hashtag feature and the rollout of its new iPhone and Android features, Facebook has scheduled a product launch event for Thursday in Menlo Park. “A small team has been working on a big idea,” reads the invitation. “Join us for coffee and learn about a new product.” Continue reading Mysterious Facebook Press Event to Unveil Instagram Video?

Viacom announced the results of a new study last week that examines the relationship between television and related social media habits. The study surveyed 5,000 viewers, ages 13-49 (in the U.S., U.K. Brazil, Germany and Russia) who weekly use at least two or more social media platforms. “When Networks Network: TV Gets Social” uncovered three key areas that lead viewers to engage in TV-related social media: Functional, Communal and Playful. Continue reading Social TV: Viacom Releases Results of Multi-Country Study

Twitter has rolled out a new component to its #Music service for the Web that offers charts based on genre and artist popularity. The service is powered by the San Fancisco-based company We Are Hunted, which Twitter acquired in 2012. The charts provide compelling data that should be of interest to record labels and could potentially lead to artists engaging more directly with their fans on Twitter. Continue reading Twitter Introduces New Music Charts that Track Popularity

Yahoo announced early this morning that it has agreed to pay $1.1 billion for Tumblr, the six-year-old blogging site that touts more than 100 million users, but little in the form of revenue. While Tumblr users have already expressed concerns that the site could end up cluttered with ads, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer promises “not to screw it up.” The deal marks the largest social acquisition in years, surpassing last year’s $1 billion purchase of Instagram by Facebook. Continue reading Yahoo Announces $1.1 Billion Acquisition Plan for Tumblr

Social giant Facebook is in discussions to acquire mobile navigation service Waze, according to people familiar with the matter. The purchase price has been reported by some outlets as high as $1 billion, which would rival the amount Facebook paid last year to purchase mobile photo-sharing service Instagram. The Waze acquisition would provide Facebook with the opportunity to efficiently deliver local ads and content to its 1.1 billion users. Continue reading Facebook in Talks to Purchase Mobile Navigation Startup

Twitter signed deals over the weekend with BBC America and Comedy Central that will bring video clips inside users’ real-time streams (last week we reported that Twitter was in discussions with Viacom, Comcast and NBC). While there have been video content deals before, such as featuring Weather Channel updates in expanded tweets, the new deals could serve as prototypes for future video sharing. Perhaps as a sign of things to come, Twitter also announced a new deal with a major ad-buying firm. Continue reading Twitter Signs Deals with Broadcasters and Ad-Buying Firm

Facebook announced this week a partnership with Santa Clara-based Rovi Corporation that will integrate the Rovi Video digital entertainment service into the social platform. Rovi’s database of TV shows, movies and celebrity information will be integrated with Facebook profiles, allowing users to share details of content they like. The partnership comes following Facebook’s Timeline update, which includes the ability for users to tell friends what they were watching. Continue reading Facebook Teams with Rovi: TV and Movies Get More Social