From a user perspective Foursquare appears, on the surface, to be nothing more than a game. Check-in more times than your friends and claim the title of “Mayor” of a location. So what? In much the same way that new Twitter users are stumped by the question “What are you doing?”, new Foursquare users find the act of checking in at a location somewhat pointless. As a friend of mine says, other than enabling stalkers what exactly are you getting out of it?
It’s true that the current actual value of Foursquare to the average user is minimal, if you stay mostly in your home town, you might find you are checking in at the same location as friends, possibly you might get a recommendation for an alternative to the location you are at, but that’s it. If you travel then you are likely to get more from it in terms of recommendations for places to visit, things to do and the potential of meeting other users – the core of Social Media.
Why You Should Care About Foursquare
Facebook at a crossroads with media literacy
A consequence of the digital divide, disparity in media literacy has become more evident as online advertising grows and social media networks expand. Due to a variety of factors, including age, economics, education and geographic location, a significant portion of America’s population now has access to the Internet, but lacks the knowledge to ensure that their information remains private. This group is more susceptible to identity theft, fraud and the embarassment of information overshare on social networks.
via Facebook at a crossroads with media literacy | alyssagardina.com.
How will social optimization change the SEO industry? | SEO Buzz Box
Many companies that handle SEO in-house these days are also so focused on the old school practices that they are completely missing the boat changing course. If their senior management knew how much this would cost them, I am sure they would motivate this type of change if they are open minded enough to have an in house department in the first place.
via How will social optimization change the SEO industry? | SEO Buzz Box.
Online Social Optimization and Lifestream Toolsets / Domozych Media
The purpose behind the different profiles becomes more evident as you see the way it is tied into my FriendFeed and Tumblr profiles, and I’ve even developed a wordpress site designed to capture and recombine all these feeds into an auto-posting system so anyone who wants can track my personal shadow as my attention moves through this digital space. I’ve done this for a number of other clients as well, and I’ve found that this background layer of constant updates has helped sculpt their online presence over time, organically generating a significant body of associated data around their online identities.
Tac Anderson calls this ‘Being a Social Media Ninja’ and his blog post explains how he set up this very same approach for Microsoft Store, although he relies on Posterous as the primary lifestream hub for Microsoft rather than a private wordpress install. What’s most important, though, is that you find a way to approach a lifestream that is best for you and that incorporates the keyword phrases, the social media, and the organic reputation structure you want to associate yourself, your company, and your brand with over time.
Online social optimization is something I’ve been studying for years, beginning with a grounding in early social issues that arose from email and chat rooms and progressing into a life-long study of memetics and belief patterns in social bodies that form both online and off. Socially optimized behaviors manifest in many, many different ways. Today’s digitally enhanced social body can perform intricate social action with a remarkably low-level entry point into the group’s organizing network.
via Online Social Optimization and Lifestream Toolsets / Domozych Media.