Using social media for work and play, there are a few things about certain channels that are starting to get on my nerves. If I ruled the internet, there are a few usability and feature changes I'd make to some of the main social media contenders to make my life that little bit easier... Twitter
Instead of having to go through a third party site like bit.ly, I'd LOVE it if Twitter had an option to automatically shorten URLs within the desktop site & mobile. It just makes sense!
It would also be useful to have the ability to 'quote tweet' from the Twitter mobile app - I can't think why this feature is only on desktop? Sometimes you want to explain why you're RT'ing something. (Since writing this post and updating my twitter app you can now do this - someone must have been listening ;) )
It would be great if the new ability to upload multiple photos was also available on the desktop version of Twitter - it seems to be only on mobile right now. The other day I found myself taking photos on my phone, emailing myself them to edit on Photoshop, then emailing myself them back to download them again and then upload them to Twitter with my phone - ahh!
In the twitter ads platform it would be really useful if you could have an 'enter now' call to action with a webcard - makes much more sense for running competitions!
Instagram
It's kind of annoying that your 'Following' feed doesn't have a scroll or 'more' functionality so you can look through more of your friends' activity. (maybe I'm just nosey)
The BIG one. Please Instagram, can we have hyperlinks in image descriptions yet? Pretty please with a cherry on top! (it would also be nice if there was an automatic link shortener - see above)
Linkedin
When you accept someone as a new connection their little profile picture pops up for a second...then disappears! Of course you want to have a nosey at the employment history of this mysterious new connection. Instead of having to go and then (try and remember) their name and search for it, it would be great if you just had a simple 'view their profile' option after connecting with someone.
Facebook
Whadda'ya know - I can't think of anything I'd change about Facebook right now as a user. As a page manager that's a different story and a whole other blog post.
What about you, do you have any social media 'bug bears'? Comment below! (...and let the revolution commence!) Thanks, Melissa.
I can't believe that we're into the month of April already - where has the year gone?? This month's interviewee is @capturingbritain co-creator Rachael who talks about her 'phongraphy' habit and why she started blogging...
What's your name and where are you from? I'm Rachael Tordraighen @rachaeltor @rachaeltor2 on instagram and @rachaeltordraig on twitter and I'm originally from Yorkshire but have lived in the East Neuk of Fife for the past four years. Living near the sea and in a rural location with big skies and fantastic light were part of the reason I took an interest in 'phonography'. This grew to the point where I had a considerable amount of followers on instagram and with that to came the creation of @capturingbritain. The instagram community I co-created and moderate.
Why did you want to start a blog? I enjoy writing. I do it in my regular job as a researcher but the tone is always very academic. I like sharing ideas and making people think about their actions. I've always been interested in how people interact in a changing social landscape (My Masters thesis looked at this). That fascination continues to grow so it was obvious that I'd eventually start blogging on people and social networking with the scope that eventually I'll apply my talents to working in social media management.
Where do you get your writing inspiration from? Conversations I have at random and people watching. People are full of ideas even if they don't realise it. I love people and people watching be that in the real world or even how they interact online - the things they post etc. What would you say is the biggest misconception about a Community Managers job? I think people don't realise the amount of time that goes into community management. To me it's like a labour of love. You also get a lot of feedback sometimes negative. You can't please everybody in the way that communities develop even if it's down to the font used on a post but i think it's key to remain my pleasant self. Any feedback is constructive. As @capturingbritain has grown and the interaction along with it I have had to recruit a team of moderators and 'manage' not only the page but them. In all fairness though as I like creativity and individuality there is no real regulation over what people post as long as it's relevant.
Who is your favourite person to follow on Instagram? That's a tough one to answer. @jimmybobbins@marcamachofebrel are among favourites - James has amazing BNW pics and Mar is diverse and posts from her phone often with little editing but still producing amazing captures. Where would be your favourite place to photograph in Scotland? I'd like to go to the Isles of Lewis and Harris if any one wants to take me :). Do you have any tips for someone looking to start a blog similar to yours? If you want to write just do it. Write just for you and if anyone else enjoys what you have to say it's a bonus. Thanks Rachael! If you're a Scottish blogger and would like to be featured on The Creative Frontier then drop me an email at melissa@247-design.co.uk Thanks, Melissa x Follow @_Melissa247
I've noticed recently that everyone seems to be talking about making content 'go viral', as if there is a magic lever you can pull that will...*poof!* make your content spread like wildfire across the internet. Unfortunately, there isn't a magic formula or 'Viral content for Dummies' book out there (actually is there? must check amazon) and if there was I'm sure Zuckerberg would have tried to buy it for oh let's say, 13 billion by now? Content goes 'viral' when it is shared in quick succession by a large group of people, then their friends share it, and their friends....and their friends...and their - you get the picture! Although there isn't a sure fire way to tell which content will be widely shared or not, I've had a think about it and I think there are things that a piece of content should do, or make people feel to allow it to be worthy of a share/RT in their opinion.
Shock people Shocking content can be something that surprises them, baffles them or just simply makes them sharply intake breath then let out an "Ohmigoddddddd" "Can you believe this??" "This is crazy!" Content like this is most likely to be created organically (happen on it's own) but if you can be there to capture moments on video or camera then you're onto a winner. Just like the CCTV camera that caught this bear scoping out unsuspecting Scottish couple Bob & Irene in California...
Make them laugh From what I've seen, positive content tends to get shared more than negative content online and what better way to make someone feel positive than to make them laugh? Funny content might not be for everyone, depending on what industry you're in - but for the majority of businesses I'd say it's a good idea to let your metaphorical hair down and test the comedy waters*. * Good writers/content producers essential. You don't want to seem too try-hard and be like the weird uncle at a family party cracking out the obscure jokes that nobody gets. Making me chuckle recently is the Cadbury Creme Egg Facebook page...
Activate their FOMO (Fear of missing out) "Have you seen this???"
Us humanoids are naturally curious and when we hear whisperings of something that's going on in the internet, we're more than likely to seek it out so we can see it/watch it and be able to join in the conversations with everyone else. We'll also then feel inclined to share the content to show that we're part of the gang. It also helps if the content is hard to find or even banned. When someone tells you NOT to think of a black cat, what do you think about? And when someone tells you that no matter what, you must NOT look inside the box - what can't you stop thinking about doing? ...and when you hear that something is banned on the internet then by-jolly you're going to find it! Admit it...you searched for Scarlett Johansson's banned superbowl ad didn't you? (along with about 13 million other viewers)
Relate to them My Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds are becoming overrun with the relate-able graphics known as memes. People seem almost unable to control themselves when it comes to sharing these graphics, as they allow them to show that they relate with the content in an 'I agree with that', 'I do that too!' way without having to actually say it. Take this one for example, you're having a crappy day and don't really want to be seen to be moaning about it... just click 'share' show that you concur with the populous in 'Monday hating' without coming across as too negative or a bit of a grumpy guts.
Connect emotionally Content that connects emotionally with someone is always going to perform well as it's another way for people to relate to the content. By 'connect emotionally' I mean content that has been produced with a certain mood or feeling in mind that will elicit emotions from people or mirror what they are already feeling which will in turn lead them to engage with, or share the content. On the most basic levels, this could be split into four categories:
Happy - share because the content makes you feel good, laugh, feel positive vibes. Supportive/Proud - share to show your support for a cause, person or organisation. Sad - share to raise awareness of a cause, event, show you empathise. Angry - share to get reaction, generate conversation, protest.
Give them useful information Lastly, people will be inclined to share content they feel will be useful to others - such as an interesting article, informative graphic or demonstrative video. If you know your business/industry then this type of content should be one of the most accessible to produce. Work in beauty? produce make-up tutorial videos using your products. Work in DIY? produce an info-graphic on how to tile a bathroom (can you tell I don't do DIY??) Just think, how can you teach people something new?
I'd love to hear any of your thoughts on why you share content, or if you've found any good examples of viral content you couldn't resist sharing!
The title of this blog post sounds like something that should be read out by the 'movie voice over guy' and followed by a fanfare of trumpets. In fact it's a round up of some of the best social content that's been published online since the dawn of (internet) time.
Now, by "best" I don't mean the best idea, most creative, most thought out or well executed - I mean the content that people have went mad for and 'clicked,shared, RT'd and liked' in a frenzy until their hearts were content. There's no hard and fast formula for creating content that will be 'shareable' although there are some tips that can help (keep an eye out for a future blog post on these!) You could spend months working on an idea, and it could be fantastic but it could easily be taken over by a video of a cat playing a piano. From the examples below it seems that to gain massive exposure on the web it helps to be famous, announce a major milestone and finally...who doesn't like garlic bread?! Here we go, a list of the most popular content from some of of today's major social networks (obviously this could change any day now) Twitter Most RT'd tweet ever with 814,411 RT's when Obama announced he had been re-elected as President.
View original tweet Facebook Most shared post with around 2,000,000 shares is a prank from Nolan Daneils who claimed he would give £1mil of his lottery winnings to someone who shared this photo post.
Pinterest Most re-pinned pin of all time is a recipe for cheesy garlic bread with 103,000 re-pins. (mamma mia thatsa lotta garlic!)
View original Pin YouTube Most watched video ever on YouTube with 512,883,948 views is a clip of Charlie, the blood thirsty tyrant!!
LinkedinThere aren't any stats on the most popular Linkedin article of all time, but the most popular article of 2012 about being a good employee and has been shared over 25,000 times.
View original articleFoursquareThe most checked-in places on Foursquare are airports and the most popular with 1,011,808check-ins so far is the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.View original placeRedditThe top link on Reddit ever (apart from a test) is 'Bus Knight' - a story about a rather eventful bus journey with 21,307 votes.
View original linkFlickrMost popular picture on Flickr is a snap of Nohkalikai Falls, Cherrapunjee with 3,175,697 views. The photographer claims it's not his "best photography moment"
View original photoInstagramThere's no way to sort Instagram photos by likes but it's estimated that the most liked photo is from the top two 'followed' members: Selena Gomez wishing her beau Justin Bieber a Happy Birthday. 150,000 likes & counting!
View the original tweet (the Instagram photo is now removed)ItunesThe most downloaded song ever is 'I gotta feeling' by the Black Eyes Peas with 6,000,000 downloads (figure from 2010)
