TweetNewz's Blog

With over 45 million status updates every day and more than 300 million active users, Facebook has become the indisputable leader of social networking.  However, maintaining this market dominance puts a large target on your back and forces the management team at Facebook to be constantly looking for new ideas to promote growth and help improve the end user’s experience.   Over the last few months, we have seen some major progress.

New Facebook features and recent news:

Twitter Additions

Social media managers rejoice, you can now link your Facebook business pages with your Twitter account, so every time you post something it will be visible on both networks.  In addition, Facebook has added the ability to tag friends in status updates, by utilizing the @ sign similar to Twitter.  If you mention a friend in an update, put a @ sign in front of their name and it will generate a drop-down list of your friends, enabling you to quickly tag your desired friend(s) in the status update.  You can do this with groups or business pages as well.  Once you click the name after the @ sign, it will link you to that person’s page or the event.

Share buttons

Sharing content from a variety of websites, such as Mashable seen below, has always been a strength for Twitter, and a weakness for Facebook.  With the new Facebook Share buttons, they have virtually eliminated this competitive advantage.  Now, users can easily share an article on Facebook with the small Share button, typically located next the the Twitter Share button.  Additionally, content providers can easily see how much traffic Facebook is driving to their articles through the icon.  It’s a win-win situation for both the end user and the content provider.

Reconnect strategy

A problem with many networks, whether its your personal friend circle or a Facebook group on the web, is the fact that they can get too big.  Facebook is tackling the problem by enticing users to reconnect and engage less active users.  This is significant because it’s important to recognize that inactive users are just as valuable as new users.  You’ve already got them to join your network, so why not focus more on encouraging interaction instead of advertising hard on possible new users that will further increase an already massive network?

Search Engine Battle

According to All Things Digital, Microsoft is set to announce deals with both Twitter and Facebook, integrating status updates into its Bing search engine.  Not all status updates will be found on Bing, as Facebook will provide users with new tools in assigning specific messages for public search.  All signs point to a potential deal with Google coming soon, as the race to become the dominant search engine on the block continues.

Conclusion

One thing is for sure, in the competitive industry of social networking, you can not afford to stand still, or something better will come along in a flash.  For example, just think about the mind boggling growth of Twitter over the past year, and the dwindling audience of MySpace.  Instead, you must always look for ways to improve your product and grow your reach throughout the web.

Twitter recently unveiled its new homepage, hoping to convert the 5 billion people who have not yet joined the network.  The main goal is to retain those who visit the website and quickly leave due to confusion about the product, without ever starting an account.

OLD

NEW

So what are the big changes?

Twitter is looking to become more than just a place to describe, “what you’re doing,” they want it to be the new social hub where users can, “Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.”  They are no longer emphasizing the social networking aspect of the website, but increasing their focus on news and current events.  In addition, they have added functionality to their search bar, enabling users to view the most viewed trending topics.

To put it quite simply, Twitter is no longer focusing it’s branding efforts on you, but on capturing the news and culture of the entire world.

As for TweetNewz, we love this transition in thinking.  Our platform provides users an easy way to share streaming news through their Twitter accounts, and this shift in strategy will only encourage people to share more content with friends, family, and colleagues!

Killerstartups.com

“Bearing in mind the relevance Twitter is gaining when it comes to news and the way they are communicated, such a tool is more suitable than words could say.”

Well, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves!  Yesterday, we were reviewed by the highly popular Killerstartups.com

News aggregator with Twitter integration

Thank you to the Killerstartups team for the killer review.  To all our fans and users, please go to their website and vote us into the top 10!

Social media is here to stay and it is more than just a fad amongst the younger generation, it spans all demographics.  Today, about 19 percent of those age 55 and over visit social networking sites, up from just 6 percent a year ago. Women are more likely than men to use social networking sites 48% vs. 38%, but usage has increased dramatically among both groups in just a year.  More than half of social networkers log on at least once a day, and the majority log on several times a day.  They are an integral part of our personal and professional lives, as well as a powerful marketing tool in the online community.

Twitter and the News

Members of Twitter say their top reasons for “tweeting” are to:

42%  use it to connect with friends

29% use it to update their status

26% use it to look for news

Members of Twitter also are likely to interact with TV shows, employers, co-workers, companies/brands and TV anchors/journalists.  Twitter is becoming an integral part of the news industry, encouraging more interaction, discussions, and the overall socializing of content.  Accessing and utilizing this powerful new medium should be at the top of mind for all content publishers.

Twitter and Music

Twitter brand awareness  more than doubled in the first quarter of 2009 reaching a 52% awareness level among the U.S. Internet-using population.  People on Twitter purchased 77% more digital music downloads, on average, than non-tweeting Web users.  Twitter members use it as a tool to communicate and network music, helping to spread new music across the web.

News and music industries must focus on harnessing the power of social networking, capitalizing on it exponential benefits and untapped potential.

After looking through your comments and suggestions, we learned many people were looking for a more discreet ticker on their desktop.  Well here you go!  TweetNewz now features a mini mode, enabling you the ability to start the ticker, dock it across the bottom of your desktop to optimize space, and work on other things while your favorite news and content remains readily available with one click.

Here’s an example of the ticker on a desktop:

To access this feature go to the options menu,  click the preferences window, and  click the check box next to Mini Mode.

Thank you again for your suggestions and enjoy Mini Mode!

At the 140 Characters Conference in New York, Robert Scoble hosted a passionate discussion with social-media-savvy traditional news personalities to explore how Twitter was transforming the process of gathering news and lead sourcing.

The major topic discussed was the recent use of Twitter during the Iran elections, and the evolution of “now” media.  Some at the conference feel Twitter will serve as the catalyst for the evolution of news judgment and connecting directly with citizens.  Traditional media members acknowleged that they are not covering the news at a fast enough pace, but also warned that many people who were posting tweets during the Iran elections were grossly informed.  With Twitter enthusiasts and traditional media each debating for their cause, there is only one thing that is certain, a fundamental change in the news machine itself is drawing close.

Click on the picture below to view the original Techcrunch post:

I think Clayton Morris of Fox News said it best, “We have reached a tipping point with new, traditional, and social media.  It’s conversation versus fact checking, and no one has answers to where this convergence is leading.”

We would like to introduce you to TweetNewz Desktop, a news aggregator, desktop ticker, and Twitter client, that keeps readers connected to the news and content they love.  TweetNewz Desktop empowers users by integrating Twitter social commentary with streaming news.  It delivers and displays articles in news-ticker fashion directly on the reader’s computer desktop.  Within each article lies the integrated Twitter functionality (powered by BackType), featuring a Tweet This button which enables users to instantly post tweets about blogs, articles and events to Twitter and view Twitter social commentary around their favorite news.  Through this innovative blend of technology, users’ stories and commentary can become as viral as Twitter itself.

We officially launched the Beta version of TweetNewz Desktop on June 9, 2009.  Our focus on integrating streaming news with your Twitter account has made Twitter and news enthusiasts stand up and take notice.  Although there are many twitter clients in the market today, few apps enable you to passively stay up to date with the content you love like TweetNewz Desktop. You can stay current while surfing the web at home or in the office.  If you see an article that sparks your interest, tweet about it, and engage in social commentary with friends, family, and colleagues.  If you are too busy, simply let the ticker scroll by; it will be back.  While other apps require your full attention, TweetNewz Desktop was designed to seamlessly fit into your desktop computer screen, empowering you by giving you the option to choose a convenient time to view an article.

From all of us on the TweetNewz design team, it has been a very exciting week, and we hope your experience with the application has met all your expectations. We are currently working on some new features and designs for the ticker, based off your feedback.  Thank you for your suggestions, we take them very seriously, and want to give you the best experience possible.  So go ahead, keep tweeting with TweetNewz and make your social commentary as viral as Twitter itself!

Some of the main features and benefits include:

• An elegantly designed ticker that docks on any side of your desktop
• Stay current with all your favorite news and content via one click
• Tweet about articles with friends and colleagues
• Bookmark articles to your favorite social portals
• Only delivers content and information that is relevant to your interests
• Simplifies the news aggregation process
• Ability to synchronize with Google Reader
• Runs on Adobe Air, enabling it to work on PCs, Macs, and Linux systems
• It is FREE!