Aug
26th

Oneupweb Reviews: Judgment Day – The New Digg

Posted by Adam D on August 26, 2010 at 6:39 am

“Something wonderful has happened…YOUR COMPUTER IS ALIVE!” This was the message I received from our childhood computer after inserting a floppy disk that contained a computer virus. All I could picture were images of Terminator 2 robots coming to kill me! I was so scared that I took the disk out into our backyard and smashed it with a rock until it was dead. After my dad — the computer whiz — came home, I told him about the computer’s attempt to gain self-awareness and kill me. I don’t ever remember him laughing so hard. It was then that I realized the only danger I was in was being made fun of for the rest of my life.

But that was another time — long ago. It was before the World Wide Web, before Wikipedia and before kids knew they could sue their parents for emotional abuse (you’re safe dad).

Now we have sites like Digg.com that we can go to and learn about the top voted content all over the web. And today, Digg just got an upgrade!

The first change you’ll notice (besides the blue theme) is the sign-up process. You’ll be encouraged to connect social networks like Facebook to your Digg account. The reason for this is that the new Digg will list the top stories that have been Dugg by your friends. Giving you news that only you and your friends care about.

But this is only an add-on to the “normal” Digg experience. You can still access the old style Digg feed by clicking “Top News” at the top left of the page.

The submission process also has a few improvements. Most notably, Digg now pulls thumbnail images from the links you submit, similar to Facebook.

Oneupweb Reviews: Thumbs Up!

In case you haven’t noticed, the world is going social. Digg understands this and has made the adjustments to keep pace with Facebook, Twitter and other social services. Semantic web, social revolutions… call it what you will. It’s here and it’s here to stay. Need some social help (of the inter-web kind)? Check out Oneupweb’s Award Winning Services.

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Aug
23rd

Oneupweb Reviews: Facebook Places

Posted by Adam D on August 23, 2010 at 4:18 pm

Attention sports fans! I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be referring to you as sports fans from now on. How exciting is that? Oh, and Facebook Places is now live!

You can now let all your friends know exactly where you are and what you’re doing!

You also have the ability to tag others who are with you at a location. This can be a lot of fun, but be careful. As I found out, the wording can give the wrong impression. For example, if you said you were maxing and relaxing at the mall, and then tagged a friend it would read: John Smith is maxing and relaxing with Sally Sue at the Mall. Maybe not the idea you were trying to get across. This is very similar to photo tagging in that the person tagged can also remove the tag.

If you’re a business, you have the option to claim your new Facebook Place. Facebook.com says,

“To claim your Place, search for your business name on Facebook via the normal Search bar. If your business’s Place already exists on Facebook, click on it to visit its page. At the bottom left side of your Place there will be a link that says “Is this your business?” Click on the link and you will be directed to a claiming flow.

We will ask you to verify that you are the owner through a phone verification process, or you may be asked for document verification. Once your claim is confirmed, you will own your Place on Facebook.”

Oneupweb Reviews: Thumbs Up!

It’s about time Facebook got into the location wars. Although, with Facebook being the behemoth it is, it’s less like a war and more like mosquitoes (Foursquare/Gowalla) vs. a flame thrower.

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Aug
16th

Oneupweb Reviews: Booshaka! Facebook Public Search

Posted by Adam D on August 16, 2010 at 3:17 pm

We all love Twitter Search because it gives users the ability to see what real people are talking about at any given moment. Twitter itself offers users the ability to set their profile to Public or Private. Public allows anyone to see your tweets, where Private only allows those who are following you to see them. This sounds a lot like Facebook to me, and Twitter has a search, so why shouldn’t Facebook? I mean, wouldn’t it be great to see what is trending on Facebook, just like Twitter? Well, we found a new Facebook public search engine that claims to do just that called booshaka!

Booshaka!.com

With booshaka! (laka)— so fun to say—you can search specific keywords. If someone’s profile is public, and they are chatting about that keyword, their conversation will show up in your search results. But if you just want to search a broader topic like news, music or sports, you can also search by category.

The biggest difference I’ve noticed between Twitter search results and booshaka! is the length of the results. With Twitter search results, it’s easier to get a snapshot of what’s going on because the results are only 140 characters in length. With booshaka! the posts are naturally longer because Facebook allows longer posts.

Twitter Search Results For Movies

booshaka! Search Results For Movies

So as you can see, there might be a little more scrolling going on while using booshaka!. Then again, who would want to scroll when Vin is the top post? He’s so… beautiful.

Another difficulty booshaka! might encounter is the privacy issues that Facebook has had to deal with. Services like booshaka! only make Facebook users more aware of how public their information is. Which, I maintain, would not be a problem if Faceabook would have operated without subterfuge concerning the Open Graph. Let people know up front that their information is public, and they won’t be so surprised when they find out it is. Seems simple enough to me.

booshaka! also offers the ability to sort search results by most popular, trending now, most buzz, and most recent—as seen below. Also seen below is Vin laughing. You’re so funny Vin, you always know how to make us smile.

booshaka! Filtering Options

The ability to search public Facebook posts for keywords that are relevant to the user is pretty cool. And I like the filtering options as well. For making it easier to stalk celebrities… I mean search Facebook for Vin Diesel related news… I mean, awe forget it. We give booshaka! a…

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up

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Aug
10th

Oneupweb Reviews: The Teen Choice Awards Get Social

Posted by Adam D on August 10, 2010 at 2:19 pm

After this weekend’s Teen Choice Awards, there are a few things we now know to be true. Bieber fever isn’t going away (don’t stop believing, though), vampires rule and social media needs to be a part of every business marketing strategy.

It’s abundantly clear—the Teen Choice Awards heavily markets to the teenage demographic. It’s the demographic the show was built for, so no surprise there. But this year, like Pepsi moving much of its budget from TV to social media, the Teen Choice Awards moved its focus to where its target market is—online. And to do this, they took the awards social.

In fact, the combination of social media services used to promote this event is dizzying: streaming live through UStream, then on to Fox’s Teen Choice Awards Facebook Tab, and finally integrating Facebook’s Live Stream plugin. Wow! Take a look at the Facebook tab below.

On Twitter, they created an account to share news concerning the Teen Choice Awards. Then, Fox took it one step further by creating a persona called the Teen Choice Girl. This persona claimed to have the inside scoop on all the latest TC news. It’s smart marketing, since much of Twitter consists of a younger female demographic. Check out the Twitter profile below.

Though much of MySpace is a desert wasteland compared to Facebook and Twitter, for music, it’s still an ideal place. Which is exactly why the Teen Choice Awards chose to create a MySpace profile as well.

Facebook, Twitter and UStream were strong for The Teen Choice Awards, but I think that they missed out by not using YouTube. While they did have the host of the popular YouTube show What the Buck hosting live on the red carpet, they simply did not have any sort of YouTube presence, which is unfortunate. I think it’s safe to assume that Fox was nervous about copyright laws, etc—but why not have its own channel featuring stars, or even internal employees, talking about the upcoming show?

We shouldn’t pick on Fox too much, though. After all, not utilizing YouTube is a small missed opportunity when you compare it to all of their other great uses of social media this year. So we give the marketing strategy of the Teen Choice Awards a…

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up

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Jul
27th

Oneupweb Reviews: StarCraft II Wings of Liberty – The Social Media Strategy

Posted by Adam D on July 27, 2010 at 4:09 pm

It’s a big day for geeks all around the world. Today one of the biggest games in history is being released: StarCraft II Wings of Liberty. 11 years in the making, the newest version of this epic strategy game played by millions has finally arrived, and geeks like me can’t wait to get their hands on it.

The YouTube video above has received over 3 million views in 6 days. StarCraft, the original game, also holds several marks in the Guinness Book of World Records.

StarCraft II YouTube Channel: Total Upload Views = 4,602,811

In addition to the StarCraft II YouTube channel, the game has made waves by effectively using social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. With over 370,000 Facebook Likes, it’s safe to assume creating StarCraft II’s Facebook page was a good move for Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of the game series. Blizzard has also setup individual Facebook pages to target several countries, including Korea, Italy, Singapore, and Russia.

StarCraft II’s Facebook Page: Over 370,000 Facebook Likes

Last night, Blizzard Entertainment held midnight premiers all over the world to kick off the launch of the highly anticipated game. Photos of the Global Midnight Launch events were also uploaded to Facebook.

StarCraft II’s Twitter profile has also been very effective – having already acquired over 38,000 followers. Similar to its Facebook Page, separate Twitter profiles have been created to target several different countries.

StarCraft IIs Twitter Account: Over 38,000 Followers

Being a Gold Level beta tester (this simply means I’m awesome, he he) I can vouch for the game itself. It really is something else, and certainly lives up to all the hype. But the use of social media for marketing and promotion of the game is what I wanted to focus on with this review.

Blizzard Entertainment has done a great job connecting with fans of the game on almost every social media channel possible. For great use of YouTube videos, Facebook Updates, Tweets, and much more on Starcraft2.com, we give the marketing strategy for this epic strategy game a…

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up!

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Jul
20th

Oneupweb Reviews: 4 Ways To Schedule Tweets And Facebook Updates

Posted by Adam D on July 20, 2010 at 4:04 pm

Have you ever just wanted a simple way to send your Twitter and Facebook updates at a later time? Maybe you’re going away for the weekend, or you’re at work all day but you still want to send your friends and family updates. Here are a few of our favorite ways to schedule tweets and Facebook updates.

FutureTweets:

The great thing about FutureTweets is that you can schedule tweets simply and months in advanced. For example, you can schedule all your family and friends’ birthdays, then let FutureTweets remember them for you. I’m pretty sure my grandma does this somehow with snail mail cards. She never forgets a birthday (you can’t keep this secret forever grandma!).

Twuffer:

Twuffer is another free, simple, and easy to use way to schedule your tweets. The layout is clean and professional. It also includes a calendar and lists the tweets that have already gone out.

Su.pr:

StumbleUpon is really starting to grown on me. I’ve always enjoyed using this site personally but now they are adding some nice features that help to simplify your social media world. For example, you can schedule updates through StumbleUpon using their URL shortner, Su.pr, and share it across your Twitter and Facebook profiles.

LaterBro:

The thing I really like about LaterBro is its simplicity. You login with either your Twitter or Facebook account. Next, you’re taken to an intuitive scheduling interface. You will have no problem figuring things out from there. It doesn’t get much simpler than this.

Let me give a warning to those interested in automating your updates. You don’t want to use these services too much, especially as a business. People are looking to connect with another person, not just automated news or updates. While these services can be useful and save time, they are not meant as a replacement for authentic tweets and Facebook updates.

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up (but use sparingly)

What’s your favorite Twitter/Facebook scheduler? Let me know in the comments below!

Read more Oneupweb reviews on other Twitter Tools.

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Jul
16th

Oneupweb Reviews Fun Friday Videos: New Spice & Steve Carell Spoofs Lebron James

Posted by Adam D on July 16, 2010 at 1:34 pm

The biggest thing in video this week (even this year) is the Old Spice Man responding to tweets through personalized YouTube videos. I know, I know we already talked about it earlier this week. What’s there left to say? Well I’m glad you asked. (Don’t worry you didn’t forget, I asked for you.)

It’s been interesting to see how these videos have played out. While Old Spice’s personalized video campaign started and ended this week, that didn’t stop a certain Harold B. Lee Library from making its own version of the original commercial.

New Spice | Study like a scholar, scholar:

Very nicely done. I especially like the guy lying next to the plant around 0:18. It is a library; he knew the risks going in there.

To give you an idea of how popular the Old Spice campaign has become, take a look at this screen shot of YouTube’s Most Viewed videos.

The guy with no shirt, standing in a towel, represents the video responses from The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. That’s a lot of Most Viewed Old Spice videos.

Another popular topic this week has been Lebron James and his decision. I’m not going to pretend that I know a lot about tennis or what doubles team Lebron James was traded to, but I will say that this next video is hilarious. Steve Carell is truly a comic genius.

Steve Carell spoofs Lebron James The Decision during ESPYs:

Oneupweb Reviews: Thumbs Up

To view other Fun Friday videos click Oneupweb Fun Friday Blogs.

And I would love to hear your thoughts, leave me a comment below! Seriously… right there. Just type something. Okay fine, just copy and paste this:

Great article! You might find this interesting (insert your website here).

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Jul
2nd

Oneupweb Reviews: Social Networking Sites for Families

Posted by Adam D on July 2, 2010 at 9:41 am

Last week I was arguing with the wife about something I’m sure you’ve thought about: How cool would it be to be a Care Bear? Looking at an awe-inspiring cluster of cumulonimbus clouds I was thinking about how lucky those bears are – to live in the clouds, now that’s the life.

Well the wife disagreed, and countered with the fact that there is no diversity in clouds. No rivers, no trees, no variety. I was shocked, and thought how could anyone not want to live in the clouds? Besides, staring up at the clouds I have seen all kinds of shapes. There’s no reason there couldn’t be rivers, trees or whatever. Ahh, good times with family.

It’s nice to have family to share your crazy with. Or as I realize after seeing my family, I’m not that crazy after all. And that’s what Fourth of July weekend is all about, right? Spending time with family and getting some perspective on how blessed we all really are. In today’s review let’s see if we can’t help bring your family together by listing some of the top social networking sites for families.

Famiva:

Famiva allows users to build a family tree that shows how everyone links together, use a map tool that shows where family members are located, share photos, blog, create event reminders, and much more. And it’s free to use.

Family Crossings:

Family Crossings has many features that make for a great family social network. Users can share news, videos, photos, live chat, exchange gift lists, share daily calendars and more. The site offers Free and Premium versions. The Premium version allows for more storage i.e. more videos, photos, etc. and includes more features like family history, family polls, and games. Premium version pricing starts at $9.95 per month.

Shutterfly:

If it’s mostly images you’re looking for, Shuttlerfly is a popular site for storing and sharing photos. You can create a unique site with family updates, pictures, videos, and a family calendar. Shuttlerfly promises to never delete your photos. And the free services are robust and useful.

BuddyPress:

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you could always build your own family social networking site using BuddyPress. BuddyPress is an extension of WordPress – the popular blogging software. With BuddyPress, you can create your own social networking site complete with profiles, activity feeds, and much more. There are several plug-ins that you can use to add new features to your newly created social networking site. With Ning going to strictly paid accounts only, many users are going to be searching for new alternatives.

Does your family use any of these services? If so, let us know what your thoughts are in the comments section below.

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Jun
14th

Oneupweb Reviews: Social Media & the 2010 World Cup

Posted by Adam D on June 14, 2010 at 3:56 pm

The FIFA World Cup is one of the most watched events in the world. Though soccer (or football as it’s known outside the USA) is only recently catching on in the United States, it is one of the most popular sports around the rest of the globe. It’s no wonder that the 2010 World Cup, taking place right now in South Africa, has caught the social media bug. It’s not uncommon these days for promoters of large events to utilize social media. Both the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and MTV Movie Awards were integrated with social media marketing campaigns.

Here are a few ways to stay connected with what’s going on in the 2010 World Cup.

There are several World Cup News feeds. You can subscribe to the latest news, interviews, photos, and videos. You can even follow individual team news, photos, and videos.

Twitter has created a World Cup 2010 page to encapsulate every second of the world game action.

Click on a flag to select a country and view only tweets pertaining to that country’s hash tag. The feed you see in the screenshot above is tracking the hash tag #USA, which doesn’t always apply to the World Cup, but can be helpful if you’re looking to chat with people from your country. If you click on “View Match” on the far right of the page you can see tweets from both competing countries.

Though YouTube didn’t create a separate page specifically for the World Cup, ESPN’s YouTube Channel has done a decent job of covering the news from South Africa.

However, in my opinion the social media integration for the World Cup has been disappointing. I haven’t seen any creative innovations like the Olympic Tracker, or the MTV Movie Awards Tweet Tracker. All in all, the FIFA’s social media integration is pretty basic. RSS feeds and… that’s about it. Everything else was created by parties outside of the World Cup Committee. At the very least, I would like to see Facebook’s Like button under World Cup photos, videos and articles. You can click on the share button located on the World Cup’s home page but, again, basic integration would be nice.

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Down

For being one of the most popular events in the world, this really should have had more social media integration. I can think of a dozen different ways that the 2010 World Cup could be spread virally through the web. Perhaps they felt soccer was already popular enough, but I really have no idea why more wasn’t done.

At any rate, here’s a summary of what happened last week in the England vs USA match.