1. The seven harsh realities of social media for any brand
In our most popular post last month we looked at seven 'harsh realities' for any brand getting started in social media. There can sometimes be a tendancy to 'do social media' without any proper thought about why and what you want to achieve. Facebook is not always the answer and what works for one brand will not necessarily work for another brand. In this post we look at seven harsh realities of social media unless you get your planning and strategy right - from nobody to read your blog, to users will not generate content.
Working with any social media tool, just as with any marketing or communications tool needs proper thought. Here we look at the hash realities of using social media if you don't put in this thought.
2. The Economist on Social Networking
At the end of January, the Economist published a special report on on social networking.Their special report on A World of Connections, provided an excellent overview of the current state of social media for those still trying to get to grips with it. You can download a free pdf of the report here. Or check out our summary of key highlights in this post.
3. Russia: the fourth largest social networking market in Europe
In a post from almost a year ago we look at data showing that Russia was the fourth largest market in Europe for social networks behind the UK, Germany and France.
4. How the Global Fortune 100 are using social media: some statistics
A useful survey from global PR firm Burson-Marsteller looks at the ways in which the Global Fortune 100 companies are using social media. The tools they are using and how they are developing a social media strategy. The survey highlights the ways in which these firms are using social media and is also insightful in terms of the tools and platforms (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or a corporate blog) they are using. It is interesting to compare the use of the different tools - Twitter is the most popular and blogging the least. And to compare how behaviour differs by regions - particularly the differences between Asia-Pacific and the US and Europe.
5. Why Drupal is a great social media platform (in layman's terms)
Five reasons why the content management system Drupal is a great social media platform. Easily explained in layman's terms. From having the component modules that are suited to building an online community, through being great for SEO to good scalability. Drupal is a popular CMS and social media platform used by large brands and governments.