Social Media News and Updates - August 13th

Today Starbucks Signed Up For Square - Starbucks announced that they have invested $25 million in Square (at a valuation of $3.25 billion) and will be using the service to process all of their debit and credit card transactions in their US stores, in addition to adding Square’s ‘Pay With Your Name’ feature to their mobile app. This is a HUGE win for Square, as Starbucks is basically certifying them as a viable option for businesses large and small, and will help get the brand in front of millions of new people.

App.net - App.net is attempting to create an alternative to Twitter that is paid for by the users, not the advertisers. (If successful, they promise to never have advertising on the service.) They’re using a Kickstarter style campaign to raise $500k, and could signal a shift in what users expect from a service, and how much they’re willing to pay to feel like they’re in more control. You can also check out the early alpha of the service at http://alpha.app.net/

Beyond One Billion - 4chan, the birthplace of many of the Internet’s most famous memes, passed a huge milestone recently, as they announced that they crossed the 1 billion total post mark. Since 2005, 4chan has been visited by more than 500 million people, and this year alone, 4chan claims more than 134 million unique visitors. Rather impressive numbers for a network that’s basically run as the founder’s hobby!

Pinterest Open Registration - If you haven’t managed to score an invite to Pinterest yet, then this news is for you: they’ve opened up the registration process to everyone, no invite needed. In addition, you no longer need a Facebook or Twitter account to login, as you can create a Pinterest account using just your email address.

Digg Progress To Date - Since launching just a few weeks ago, the new Digg has been checked out by more than 1 million people, and sees an average of 125,000 daily active users. While nothing near the peak of Digg, these numbers are positive, and show that the rebirth of Digg may actually stand a chance.

Facedeals - The redpepper agency has created a service called facedeals that will allow loyal customers to check-in to a business, and earn rewards, using just their face. A camera detects the person as they walk in the door, and once they have authorized the application, automatically checks them in and sends them exclusive discounts.

At some point in your marketing career, you’ve probably wondered, “Am I normal? Does the amount of time I spend on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram align with what the rest of the world spends on those sites?”

We had a hunch that marketing and advertising people tend to discover, consume and comprehend social media marketing efforts in ways significantly different from the average consumer (aka ‘normal people’), so we decided to put our theory to the test with a survey. (We also had a hunch about bad behavior at holiday parties, so we threw in a couple of questions about that as well…)

We believe the survey confirms that while advertising professionals are living in a bit of a filter bubble, it also suggests that we should continue to pursue innovative digital marketing efforts and social media marketing.

The bottom line question to ask is ‘How do normal people really interact with these platforms, and how do they want to interact further?’ By answering that question, you can better align your social media efforts with strategy that truly motivates consumer behavior.