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.

It’s as easy as one click!

TweetNewz now features full Facebook integration, enabling users to post and share news directly through their Facebook status update box, in addition to their Twitter accounts.

The process is pretty much the same as posting content via your Twitter account, except no PIN is needed during the initial login.  For first time TweetNewz users, here are a few screen shots of how to login and access your profiles through the application.

To Begin

Select an article of your interest and click share article through Twitter/Facebook in the top right corner of the window.  Next, a black pop out window will appear, and from here, click on the Twitter/Facebook Tabs, launching their initial login windows

Initial Twitter Login

First time users will be directed to this window and once here, enter your information

Next, you wll be given a pin.  Copy and paste the pin into the area below and you are finished

Initial Facebook Login

Enter your information just as you would when you regularly login to the website, but no PIN will be needed

Once you have completed this process, click the post button in the bottom right corner of the black pop out window. Here is the finished product that will display on your Facebook Profile and News Feed

For all you TweetNewz addicts, don’t worry, this process is a one time thing, because once you have logged in, it will give you the option to save your account information.  Now, easily share articles on both social networks at once, reaching an even larger audience, increasing its impact throughout the web.

We are dedicated to finding new mediums for our users to promote and socialize their favorite content, and this additional feature just happens to connect our usere to the biggest network in the world!  Thank you for everybody’s continued support and keep the suggesting coming, we love the feedback.

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.

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.”

Twitter displayed the power of social networking sites during the recent Iranian protests.  The government shut down traditional media and journalists, leaving Twitter as the main outlet for news coverage around the world.

Click either of the pictures below to view the original article on CBS News:

Twitter had even planned to go down for scheduled maintenance during the revolution, but pushed it back when they learned how important of a communication tool is was for Iran.

Although, some experts warn of overestimating Twitter’s role, saying that not all citizens are outraged, there is no denying the power of new media.

We found some great videos today covering  journalism and new social media outlets:

Journalism and Social Media: Video Interview

Insight on the merging of traditional journalism and independents, the credibility of current media outlets, and the future of the newspaper industry.

The News Gets Social: Video Interview with an NBC Journalist and a Blogger

A discussion about how bloggers and journalists function together in reporting the news.

A special thanks to Jolie O’Dell and her team for providing the video.