Quixey Search Engine Targets Social Media Apps

  • Quixey is an app-specialized search engine funded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
  • The service hopes to make it simpler for social media users (developers and consumers) to find applications and widgets for social networks.
  • Last week, Quixey got closer to that goal when it added Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Foursquare integration.
  • The engine also indexes and categorizes tools and apps based on social chatter, blog posts, reviews and other third-party descriptions of their function. The search technology bypasses the clutter by efficiently mining data and app-related keywords.
  • Quixey co-founder Tomer Kagan explains: “A lot of apps on Facebook [for example] don’t even have a description attached — just a name. From a search perspective, if all you have to work with is like three words, it’s extremely difficult.”
  • The Mountain View, CA startup has raised $400,000 in seed money from Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors.

GLMPS iPhone App Creates New Approach to Image-Sharing

  • GLMPS (pronounced “glimpse”), a new iPhone app, hopes to stand out from the growing collection of available image-sharing apps by creating a new type of media that combines stills and video.
  • Digital Trends describes the basic premise: “When you take a picture with your smartphone through the app, GLMPS captures a photo as well as a short, 5-second video clip of what took place just before the picture was taken. When viewing the GLMPS file, the video plays first, and is then shrunken down and superimposed as a thumbnail over the photo. The video then plays on repeat, much like a GIF file.”
  • All images are automatically stored to the iPhone’s camera roll. Users can then share the images through the free app, or post GLMPS files to social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

Nielsen to Launch TV-Style Metrics for Facebook and Others

  • Online ad metrics are typically confusing to most advertisers, including those who pursue Facebook and other online ad platforms.
  • Nielsen is attempting to provide a solution to this problem by combining traditional TV data and anonymous online data.
  • According to Nielsen: “The new system will use an innovative, patent-pending process combining traditional Nielsen TV and online panel data with aggregated, anonymous demographic information from participating online data contributors. Using its unique approach, Nielsen will be able to provide reach, frequency and Gross Rating Point (GRP) measures for online advertising campaigns of nearly any size.”
  • The Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings service is currently in its testing phase with 80 brands. A public launch is expected by August 15.
  • Early partner Facebook is also working with comScore on a tool based on GRPs designed to assist advertisers. Facebook hopes both efforts will help make its ad platform more “approachable” to media buyers.

MySpace Founder Believes Google+ has Facebook on the Defensive

  • Tom Anderson, former founder and president of MySpace, details the key advantages Google+ has over Facebook in a recent guest post on TechCrunch.
  • Anderson suggests Google+ can attract game developers by taking a smaller cut, and may not need any advertising at all. “Google has plenty to gain without ever showing an ad and, put simply, Google doesn’t need the money,” writes Anderson. “Facebook’s got to know this, and it’s got to have them just a little bit concerned.”
  • Facebook is testing out a “real-time” feed, as opposed to its current default “Top News” algorithm (which Anderson has criticized). Facebook is having to deal with complaints from advertisers and app developers. “It seems that the ‘Top News’ stream is killing the virality of advertisers ‘content’ and of apps that are trying to find new users,” he adds.
  • Anderson addresses Google’s decision to block business accounts and suggests both companies have some challenging decisions to make: “How do they balance what’s best for the regular guy (you & me), advertisers (big brands), small local businesses (who can never afford the big spend), platform developers with non-competing services (games & music, which it appears FB won’t get into) and platform developers with potentially competitive services (like business networking and dating, which FB/G+ may want to get into themselves someday).”
  • “Over the long haul (5-10 years), the company that makes the right choices in these areas may just end up winning,” he concludes.

Facebook for Business Helps Organizations with Social Networking

  • Facebook announced the launch of “Facebook for Business” this week.
  • The service does not introduce any features new to Facebook, but is reportedly making it simpler for organizations to set up on the social networking site.
  • “Facebook allows small businesses to create rich social experiences, build lasting relationships and amplify the most powerful type of marketing — word of mouth,” a Facebook spokesperson told GigaOm. “We created Facebook.com/business to make it even easier for people to reach these objectives and grow.”
  • Facebook provides business services including user profiles for organizations, advertisements, sponsored stories, and assistance with creating Facebook apps and using social plugins.
  • The timing is interesting, since Google+ has recently been shutting down company profiles for violating user policy.

Ustream Launches iPad App, Supports AirPlay Wireless

  • Ustream launched its first iPad-optimized app this week. According to TechCrunch, the app “allows users to view live and recorded content streaming through the service — and to stream their own footage direct from their iPad 2.”
  • The company released its Android app on Honeycomb two weeks ago. There is also an iPhone version available.
  • The free Ustream app supports AirPlay, which means users can stream whatever they are watching on their iPad 2 to bigger screens.
  • “The AirPlay support is especially nice because while the video is projected onto your TV you can still use your iPad for chatting and social stream,” writes Gizmodo.
  • Ustream will also allow users to broadcast their own videos using either of the iPad 2’s cameras.

Twitter: Do People Follow People or Follow Brands?

  • Exactly who owns a media company-branded social media account is coming into question as individuals change jobs between companies and take their followers with them.
  • Lost Remote provides the Twitter account @BBCLauraK as an example. Former BBC chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg recently took a job at rival ITV, and changed her account name to @ITVLauraK, effectively shifting 60,000 Twitter followers from BBC to ITV.
  • The account name change raises interesting issues. “If she built the account on the backs of BBC — under its brand — does she have the legal right to shift it to ITV?” asks Lost Remote. “Conversely, if she doesn’t convert the name, the account becomes useless unless the BBC can convert it to someone else. But are people following the person — or the content the person represents?”
  • Possible solutions may include creating Twitter accounts in a person’s name, without including the brand — or creating co-branded accounts for content verticals — or even creating two separate accounts. However, co-branded accounts may be problematic if people follow people first, and brands second.
  • We should expect this to be become a bigger issue as media companies continue their interaction with social networks. ETCentric staffer David Wertheimer asks, “Who owns your followers?”

Netflix Pursues DreamWorks Animation, No Facebook Integration

  • Netflix is reportedly negotiating for exclusive streaming rights to DreamWorks Animation films.
  • The deal would replace DreamWorks’ contract with HBO (which runs through 2014).
  • DreamWorks reportedly has permission to end its HBO contract early. If it does, it could provide content to Netflix by early 2013.
  • If the deal goes through, it would mark the first time a major studio has licensed content to subscription VOD at the same time (as opposed to after) its pay TV window.
  • In related news (see LA Times link), Netflix will not be including Facebook integration anytime soon in the U.S. (although it will be integrated in Canada and Latin America). This is based on the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act that requires peoples’ video rental information be kept private. Netflix feels that the law is ambiguous as it relates to Netflix/Facebook, but they’re not taking any chances.

Unreleased Facebook iPad App Discovered Inside iPhone App

  • Facebook’s iPad app may be closer to launch than earlier reported, since a fully operational version was recently discovered “hidden” inside the current iPhone app.
  • The iPad app reportedly has a more modern look than the “tired old” iPhone version, resembling Twitter’s iPad app. The navigational features are said to be intuitively positioned whether the device is held vertically or horizontally.
  • According to Wired writer Charlie Sorrel: “Facebook has managed to fully port the signature confusion of its website to a tablet app, a not insignificant achievement.”
  • The iPad app has also been described as “spectacular.” For those who can’t wait for the official release, the CNN post includes a link for instructions to get it running from inside the iPhone app.

Update: Google+ Reaches 20 Million Users in First Three Weeks

  • ETCentric recently reported that Google+ may be one of the fastest growing networks ever, when it hit the 10 million mark two weeks from its launch.
  • Web analytics firm comScore reports that the new social network has already doubled that amount. Google+ has had 20 million unique visitors since its release late last month, including five million from the U.S.
  • Additionally, the Google+ iPhone app released earlier this week is expected to boost these totals.
  • “I’ve never seen anything grow this quickly,” commented VP of industry analysis at comScore, Andrew Lipsman. “The only other site that has accumulated as many new visitors in a short period of time is Twitter in 2009, but that happened over several months.”
  • According to Digital Trends: “The long-term plan for Google+ is to integrate it with other Google services such as YouTube and Gmail. When that happens, it’ll become a service to be reckoned with and will likely begin to make big gains on competitors such as Facebook and Twitter.”

Scribd to Launch Subscription News Hub this Fall

  • Scribd — a Web site that lets users share reports, personal stories and recipes — revealed plans this week to launch a digital newsstand that provides a vast library of news to readers for a monthly fee, similar to the Netflix subscription service model.
  • The newsstand, named Float, is the latest in a collection of strategies that have attempted to make money from online news. Other news hubs include Flipboard, Zite, Pulse, News.me and Ongo.
  • Publications that are made available via Float will receive a share of the revenue after the subscription program launches this fall (although subscription fees and the amount to be shared with publishers have yet to be announced).
  • Float will introduce a free version this week featuring articles from 150 publications such as The Associated Press, People, Fortune, Salon and Time magazine (publishers participating in the free version will share in the advertising revenue).
  • Float will initially be available to consumers online and through an iPhone app, while Android and iPad versions are expected at a later date.

Facebook Plans to Launch News Platform: Facebook Editions

  • Facebook is planning a new service called “Facebook Editions” that creates app versions of popular news outlets.
  • CNN, The Daily and the Washington Post are a few of around a dozen news outlets that have already signed on.
  • The recently released Google+, which already has 10 million users, reportedly has a similar idea in the works.
  • Both the Facebook and Google service have a potentially significant obstacle to face: paywalls (New York Times is holding back for the time being due to complications with this issue).
  • Look for Facebook Editions as a new feature of the social networker possibly by September.

Social Media Becoming a Popular Mechanism for Brand Feedback

  • According to two separate studies by ROI Research and MarketTools, consumers are increasingly embracing social networks as a tool to communicate directly with brands.
  • In addition to comparing prices and discussing sales and specials with friends online, 53 percent say they have provided feedback to the companies they support.
  • Additionally, 47 percent say they have used the channels to register complaints.
  • The studies suggest there is room for growth in regards to brands responding to feedback via social networks. “Listening and responding to complaints on social media also offers brands a chance to connect with customers in an additional channel, and to potentially increase customer satisfaction.”

Google+ Business Test Program will Move Up its Schedule

  • Google had originally planned to test business partners on Google+ sometime in the coming months, but strong interest has led to the company possibly announcing partners as early as next week.
  • Christian Oestlien, group product manager at Google, wrote this week that “thousands upon thousands” of businesses are interested in using Google+. And as a result, the demand “has got us very focused on accelerating our business plans.”
  • Several businesses — including Ford, Breaking News and Mashable — have already moved ahead by creating Google+ profiles for their brands.
  • Businesses interested in a partnership are being asked to submit their applications by Friday, July 15.

Follow SpongeBob SquarePants on Twitter this Week

  • Nickelodeon is testing an interesting means of leveraging social networking this week by delivering SpongeBob SquarePants’ next adventure solely on Twitter.
  • SpongeBob will star in “The Ice Race Cometh: A Twitter-Tale,” a storyline that will unfold Tuesday through Friday in bites of 140 characters or less.
  • The tweeted project includes images to accompany the messages and will serve as a prequel to a new SpongeBob TV episode that premieres on Friday, July 15.
  • Twitter’s service terms do not allow children to have their own accounts, but Nickelodeon believes there is a significant overlap between tweeters and those who watch the series.
  • “SpongeBob’s fan base is so broad that about a third of its audience is adults, so we wanted to extend the show’s magic to new places like Twitter so those fans can experience it,” said Roland Poindexter, senior VP of animation and current series, Nickelodeon. “SpongeBob is already a big deal in the social media space, with 25 million Facebook fans, and we hope his Twitter debut will drum up some extra excitement for all the people who love him and the show.”