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Google+ Brand Pages finally arrive

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Just when you thought you could forget about Google+, there’s been a major feature added that may refresh its relevance. Since day one, a major shortcoming of Google Plus was that there were no pages or support for brand profiles. But on Monday Google finally started rolling out brand pages.

The brand pages are extremely similar in appearance to regular profiles with a lot of the same functionality as a Facebook page. Users add pages to their circles just as they would with other users. But there are differences between a page and a profile.

First of all, a page cannot add a user to its circles unless the user has added it to one of his or her circles already or mentioned it in a post. Secondly, brand pages are public by default. The third major difference is that pages have a +1 button and count, which can be linked to your websites count as well (more on that later!). Pages also can’t use some other Google+ features such as playing games and giving +1 to other pages.

The reason the brand pages may be such a game changer is because of Direct Connect. Direct Connect is a way of finding and following Google+ brand pages through Google Search. All a searcher has to do is type “+” followed by the name of the brand or business. Instead of sorting through a page of results, you will be taken directly to the correct Google+ page. Google+ users can also opt-in to a feature that automatically adds the brand to their circles by searching with Direct Connect. (Side note: Google+ brand pages will also now show up in Google search results.)

Google has also released Google+ badges for brands to promote their presence on Plus. Similar to the Facebook’s Like Box plugin, the widget can be embedded on web sites and lets a user either +1 the page or add it to their circles. The important thing about the Google+ badges is that it will connect your brand page with your website. This will help Google better index the brand’s Google+ page, but will also link together the +1′s from your brand page, search, and display ads. It is also required for your brand to be eligible for Direct Connect.

It’s obvious that the Google+ brand pages will open up a lot of new possibilities for brands, although there are still shortcomings and questions. For example, right now brands cannot run any contests or promotions through their page, and there are no page analytics or insights. Will these things be added in the future? There are also no custom URLs yet, something which seems impractical. Lastly, pages can also only be controlled by the one admin that created the page. Multiple admin support is expected in the future, but when? We’ll need to wait and see!

Connect with eZanga.com on Google Plus!

What are your opinions on the Google+ brand pages? Do you think they will make Plus more popular?

Tags: Direct Connect, Google, google plus, Google Plus Brand Pages, social networking
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Google Plus May Have Verified Celebs in Future

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Since Google Plus launched three weeks ago, most of its early adopters have been technology and/or social media aficionados. One lifestyle we have not seen represented much on the site, especially when compared to Twitter, is that of the rich and famous. But William Shatner was one of the few celebrities to embrace the new social networking site. How was he thanked? By having his account temporarily disabled.

On Monday, Shatner tweeted, “My Google+ account was flagged for violating standards. Saying hello to everyone apparently is against the rules maybe I should say goodbye?” Google has not released an explanation of the incident, but it has been speculated that maybe Google assumed the profile was fake.

This brought to our attention an inevitable problem in the future: fake accounts. Regardless of what social network is the most popular at the moment, there’s bound to be more than one “Ashton Kutcher” or “William Shatner” in search results. If more celebrities are going to start using Google Plus, this problem needs to be addressed.

It’s been reported that Google is “very interested in having celebrities,” and may use a verification system similar to Twitter’s. CNN states that Google has a “celebrity acquisition plan” to verify the identities of high-profile users. While details of how the verification will work have not been decided, a few options have been proposed. One option requires requesting official identification be scanned or faxed to Google, which seems like a hassle and may bring up security risks, especially when very important celebrities are involved. A more reasonable option is having talent agents and counselors file requests.

If celebrities flock to Google Plus, will you be more likely to sign-up or add them to your Circles?

Tags: celebrities, google plus, social networking
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GetGlue: Check-In to Entertainment

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Social media sites are a place to share info about yourself with other people…whether they’re actually interested or not. People share what they ate for dinner, where they are, and what they’re doing, and there are a lot of apps that facilitate that. Foursquare lets you “check-in” to locations and see who is nearby. GetGlue is similar in that you “check-in” to different things, but instead of focusing on location, its focus is entertainment.

With GetGlue, you can share with your followers what TV shows you watch, what music you listen to, the books you enjoy, and more. Last week, they also added the ability to check-in to magazines, newspapers, and blogs. Once you check in using their website, a mobile app, or the mobile website, you can rate and comment on the entertainment. You can then discuss with other users, follow users, and view suggestions for you. It’s a great way to find new TV shows, movies, games, and books.

GetGlue also has some just-for-fun features similar to Foursquare’s. Instead of Mayors and badges, GetGlue features Gurus and stickers. Each item (book, movie, etc.) has a “Guru,” the person who earns the most points commenting and interacting with other users about that item. You can also earn stickers for certain achievements. Stickers are awarded for certain actions, as well as checking in to certain shows at certain times. There are a lot of secret stickers, so it’s always fun trying to figure out how to get them! The best part about stickers is that they’re not just virtual. You can actually redeem them and have them mailed to you. I’m having so much fun collecting stickers and can’t wait until I can redeem them!

Are you a Glue-er too? Do you have a new favorite book, TV show, or movie because of the site? Let us know!

Tags: Entertainment, Foursquare, getglue, social media, social networking
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Social Media and the Vancouver Stanley Cup Riots

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

In game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, the Vancouver Canucks lost 4 to 0 to rivals Boston Bruins last night in Vancouver. The die-hard hockey town erupted in fan riots in the streets, all of which was documented via social media sites.

Just imagine: glass bottles and shoes flying through the air, cars burning in the streets, smashed store front windows, and a truck turned upside down while demonstrators jump on its upturned belly. Actually, you don’t have to imagine this violent scene because it was all caught on camera and posted on sites like Twitpic, YouTube, yfrog, Facebook, and Twitter.

In addition to the photographic online documentation, there was of course a flood of status updates and comments publicizing the scene. This particular video of the riots is getting comments every second from angry and disappointed viewers. Both Americans and Canadians are describing the event and those involved deplorable, disgusting, pathetic, repulsive, and disgraceful.

What are your thoughts on the reaction to the Canucks loss?

The positive impact that social media is having on the city of Vancouver is the Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr groups that are urging people to help clean up the aftermath. As of 10:00 am today, the Facebook group “Post Riot Clean-up – Let’s help Vancouver” has over 12,000 attendees willing to aid in the effort.

Creators of the movement posted this message on the page: “Once the embarrassing rioting has ended in Vancouver let’s all show the world what Vancouver is really about by helping rebuild and clean up so it is better than it was before. If any city can bounce back from an embarrassment like this it is Vancouver!”

Social media is also playing a role in assisting the police in identifying and finding those “bad apples” leading the riots. The Twitter account @vancouverclean and the Tumblr blog “Vancouver 2011 Riot Criminal List” are utilizing photographs and the public to find and arrest rioters.

So, if you are able to identify anyone in these disturbing images, please contact Vancouver police.

Tags: Facebook, social networking, stanley cup, tumblr, Twitter, vancouver riots
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Athlete’s Double Edged Sword: Social Media

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

In today’s world, if you can make a normal process instant–Americans can’t help but feel that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Americans love the new, faster Ipad 2, Barack Obama gained clout over the public forums on Facebook for real-time, two-way communication, and now more athletes are joining the quick, social networking sites.

With the Detroit Red Wings on the verge of making history, defeating the San Jose Sharks for the third game in a row, fans feel much more unified on Facebook. Conversing with a few friends may stimulate interesting conversation, but interacting with 400,000 users who “liked” the Detroit Red Wings Fanpage seems more involved.

The diverse and rich posts from facebookers across the nation creates a wealth of information and opinion. One Detroit Red Wings Fan said in excitement, “The Detroit Red Wings goals are like hotcakes at IHop, they keep stacking up.” On the sport team’s fanpage, large volumes of witty posts fuel a stronger fanbase and sense of pride for the Red Wings.

Although, on other social media outlets such as Twitter some athletes suffer the candid scrutiny of their fans. Reggie Bush tweeted on the touchy topic of the NFL lockout when he said, “Everybody complaining about the lockout! Shoot I’m making the most of it! Vacation, rest, relaxing, appearances here and there! I’m good!” As a result, electrifying debate ensued among the Twitter world and many lost respect for his unprofessional attitude.

In addition, Darron Gibson received a barrage of not-so-flattering tweets during his two hour debut on Twitter. Fans and reporters speculate his ego could not tolerate the fan’s anathema towards him, so he consequently deleted his account.

The new age of news dissemination for athletes creates an exciting world where stardom can be acquired. Beware, professional athletes who indulge on twitter, truthfully expressing your opinion may be interesting, but the response of fan’s tweets may hurt your ego!

Tags: Detroit Red Wings, Facebook, Red Wings, Reggie Bush tweet, San Jose Sharks, social networking, Twitter, Western Conference Semifinal
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Officer Facebook on Duty – Law Enforcement Using Technology to Their Advantage

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Police agencies are using technology and social media tools to make up for crippling budget cuts. The new techniques, which include working with private business groups online in real time, are very different from the old policies of law enforcement that dictate that the public be kept in the dark about ongoing investigations.

The purpose of the new technique is to utilize the assets at hand as a means of making up for the loss of criminal justice officials as a result of budget cuts. Although controversial, technology is helping law enforcement locate violent crime suspects, track fugitives, and trace the paths of thieves by immediately posting surveillance pictures of suspects on sites like Facebook. This not only utilizes the aid of the public and participating businesses, but it has the ability to warn possible future targets of the suspects, ideally preventing repeat offenders.

Cities in New Mexico, California, Georgia, Minnesota, and Washington are among the police agencies supplementing technology for jobs. “Technology can never fully replace an officer,” said Camden, N.J. Police Chief Scott Thomson, “We’re just trying to leverage technology to appear bigger than we are.”

Camden had the highest crime rate in the U.S. in 2008 with a total of 2,333 violent crimes per 100,000 people (which is well above the national average of 455 per 100,000). As the most dangerous city in the U.S. in 2004, 2005, and 2009, the Camden police department, among others, needs to make use of whatever resources available, especially considering the fact that the 250-officer department has nearly been cut in half since 2006.

Fortunately, Camden police officers have been able to use online global positioning systems, gunshot detectors, and closed-circuit cameras to detect and monitor crime ridden areas of the city in order to dispatch the remaining officers more efficiently.

A survey by the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington found that 86% of police agencies currently use social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or YouTube) to monitor crime, despite finding that some employees have been caught using the sites to send and post “inappropriate messages and pictures”. It seems that police agencies have weighed the costs and benefits of using such social media tools and technology and found that the benefits of preventing and acting on crimes outweigh the misuse of Facebook.

Tags: Facebook, facebook privacy issues, facebook security features, law enforcement, MySpace, police, police agencies, police officers, social media, social network, social networking, Twitter, YouTube
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True Hollywood Story: Twitter

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

The social media world could use some firefighters, because it’s ablaze. Facebook is still smoldering from bombs dropped earlier this week. Now Twitter wants in.

Apparently, the multibillion dollar microblogging site has some ghosts of its own, specifically regarding to its founding. The original story tells a tale of three individuals at podcast start-up Odeo who, after seeing their company circle the drain, came up with the idea for Twitter. When they pitched the concept, Odeo investors were unenthused. Evan Williams, one of the three from Odeo and now co-founder of Twitter, then bought back all their stock. However, according to scoop from Business Insider, the truth is a bit different, namely because it includes another man, Noah Glass.

Glass was actually the founder of Odeo, and he had quite a deal to do with the development of Twitter. He even came up with the catchy name. But one thing led to another and he was eventually nudged out of the company. He’s been all but erased, and yet now he is receiving some credit via recent tweets from Williams and another Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey. Ultimately, it seems Glass has made a settlement of sorts, not unlike the Winklevoss twins. In his interview with BI, he said, “I didn’t walk away with anything initially. At a later time I received a certain amount of equity in Twitter. Am I okay? I don’t really want to comment on whether I’m okay or how well I did.”

Meanwhile, Twitter faces the possibility of a new rival on the horizon. And Justin Bieber said he’s taking a break from it. Man, they have it rough.

Tags: Evan Williams, Jack Dorsey, Justin Bieber, Noah Glass, Odeo, social media, social networking, Twitter, Twitter rival
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