YouTube upgrades its comments!

Read the full article on our Online Marketing Blog

Since its creation in 2005, YouTube has been one of the most visited websites in the world, as well as the most popular video sharing site. 

Until now, the very nature of the YouTube comments section has been somewhat shaky. Because it is open to the public, the comments section of this (like many other websites) site is usually home to many different kinds of reactions to videos, many of which don’t even pertain to the video content at hand. 

In recent years, the act of ‘trolling’ (typically characterized by intentional attempts by some commenter’s to cause a reaction from the rest of the community) has become more popular, as well as the mass marketing practice of flooding every possible format with links and advertising. 

These types of comments are usually never linked to the content of the videos they get posted to, and as a result, moderators and video owners have to work hard to keep their comments free of harmful and useless material, since it is always important to posters and YouTube employees alike to maintain a stable and functioning forum.

Read the full article on our Online Marketing Blog

Tips and Tricks for iOS7

Read the full article on our Online Marketing Blog

It was a long wait, but finally iOS 7 arrived! Users have reported it as a strange new land that they eventually got used to. 

Favourite apps appear completely different and if you are not extremely tech savvy, you might not know that iOS 7 has many little tricks tucked away in no obvious way. 

Let’s take a look at a few you might know and a few that might be new to you.

1. To search, swipe down

Spotlight search can now be accessed from anywhere on the homescreen. All you need to do is swipe down in the middle of the screen. Spotlight can be used to do a quick search across your iphone’s apps, emails and contacts. Funny enough, it seems that Apple removed Spotlight’s ability to search the web. Many users didn’t even know Spotlight could be used for that, so it’s probably not a big miss.

2. Message timestamps

The iphone has always been strange when it comes to seeing when a message was sent or received. Some messages have a timestamp, but it will most likely only show it for the first message in a conversation. iOS 7 allows you to reveal the timestamp for each and every message. All you need to do is hold one of the speech bubbles in the tread and swipe to the left. Now you will always be able to put a time with every message.

Read the full article on our Online Marketing Blog

Social media is the new word of mouth

Read the full article on our Online Marketing Blog

Any business owner will tell you that the best way to steamroll your way through the competition is through improving word of mouth exposure. 

Potential customers tend to trust the advice given to them by their friends and family more than anything a company might say to convince them of the superior quality of their product. Most of the time, these tactics are seen as marketing tactics that are used to hype up the product and downplay anything bad on the part of the seller. 

It is easier to convince someone to buy your product if they are already aware of it working or being good quality from experience, or from the experience of those they trust.

In the 21st century, what better place is there for any one person to communicate easily and effectively with as many people as possible than over the Internet – more specifically, on social media networks? 

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5 ways Google Plus needs to be more like Wilson™

Google+ has been around for a while now, and recently reached one billion users. This is not surprising at all, since Google is still the most widely used search engine in the world, and owns the second biggest cut of smartphone market share with its Android devices.

 

Google is everywhere, so is it really fair for them to claim to have a billion users? 

 

If Kim Jong Un has security cameras on every street corner in North Korea, and those cameras catch every Korean bending down to pick up their newspaper in the morning, can Kim Jong Un say that they are all ACTUALLY bowing before him? Actually yes…because if they don’t there might be trouble!

 

Remember watching the movie Castaway, where Tom Hanks survives a plane crash and somehow grows a beard that would make a homeless man jealous in less than two hours? The only way he survived that island for so long was because he had a friend with him - Wilson, the all-knowing beach volleyball/silent type.

 

 

1. Wilson never appeared in any of Tom Hanks’ other movies

 

Say what you want about Wilson, but he knew his place, and he stayed there. Mainly because he didn't have any arms and couldn't swim off the island even if he wanted to. Google+ on the other hand, is not only a social network, it appears in every Google app, every section of Google’s services, and is even changing the standard for interacting on YouTube, Google’s latest acquisition. It’s fine if you want your social network to include connectivity with all of your products. After all, Facebook made attempts at being a search engine, an e-mail client, and a video blogging site, but at its heart, it remains a social network, and you actually have to want to type in the Facebook URL or download the Facebook app in order to access it. Too much of Google+ is making it seem as if they’re trying too hard, and the novelty is running out quite quickly.

 

2. Wilson had a face, some grass for hair, and that was all

 

Lets face it, Wilson was pretty much a product of Tom Hanks’ wild imagination. Google+ is a product of Larry Page’s imagination too, but one of them seems so cluttered with buttons, icons, pictures and representations of actions that it is very easy to get distracted. Tom Hanks knew that what he needed in an imaginary friend was a constantly smiling face, and that was all. Google+ on the other hand is a smiling face with a speech bubble, a video camera attached to his head, a bulletin board, a notebook full of your acquaintances names and carrier pigeons all in one. Even though Google+ isn’t particularly bad at doing any of those things, or even all of them at once, Google already has each of those services at their disposal, and forcing them all into one room together to make friends is likely to leave one or more of them standing awkwardly in the corner because they really don’t fit in with the rest of the kids.

 

3. Even without a face, Wilson would be fun to play with

 

Have you ever tried hitting around a volleyball? Its quite fun! Does it REALLY matter if that volleyball has a name and a face? Not really. Have you every tried using Google+ on a feed where there were no pictures at all, and just a wall of text? No? I have a feeling that Google actually tries its hardest to avoid this happening. Every time I go through my feed, I get distracted every two seconds by the next picture that pops up in a new post, or a thumbnail to a link that I really don’t care about. Even though I really would like to not have all the constant distractions, I think that if I ever saw a Google+ feed without any of it, it would bore me to death.

 

4. Once you’re done with Wilson, you can deflate him and put him back in his box

 

I’m sure I’m not the only person that has created a profile on a social network just to see what all the hype is about, only to realize that I really don’t like it. Have you ever tried deleting your account? Nine times out of ten, it won’t let you, and you’re stuck with it forever. Your friends will ask you why you never post, and you’ll have to make up some excuse about how you really meant to wish them a happy birthday, but you couldn't remember your password… Why can’t we opt out? Because they want to force us to be their friends, like that one kid in school who you just couldn't get away from.

 

5. The only reason Wilson was around is because Tom Hanks wanted him there

 

One problem I have with the Google+ magic one billion-user number is that it is probably a bit of a misrepresentation of the facts. Facebook has over 1 billion users. That is because over 1 billion people decided, “Hey, I should create a Facebook profile because I want to use Facebook”. Google on the other hand are sneaky…they’re useful for looking up that word you think you used incorrectly when arguing with someone on Facebook, but they’re sneaky! I think that the reason for a large chunk of those ‘users’ claimed by Google+ is that people who spend all day looking at videos of people falling off of things (not me, obviously…never!) on YouTube wanted to comment and tell people how much they love cats, but Google would only let them comment if they created an account. Once they created the account, along came Google+ to steal the credit. I’m sure that if Wilson even knew what credit was, let alone how to steal it, he wouldn’t!

 

 

Written by: Wesley Geyer

Creative writer at ATKA SA

 

Will anyone dethrone Facebook as THE Social Network?

 

Almost 10 years ago, Mark Zuckerburg and Eduardo Saverin started what would become one of the most visited websites in the world from their dorm at Harvard University. 

 

Now with over one billion users, Facebook is widely considered to be the social network that changed it all, and put social media on the map. However, since 2004, a lot has changed, and a variety of different networks catering to different audiences have started up, many of which have become increasingly more popular. 

 

In 2013, the three social networks that are considered to be Facebook’s main competitors are Twitter, Google+ and YouTube. But do any of them have the ability to unseat Facebook?

 

Firstly, it should be noted that even though Facebook is considered the most widely used social network, these competitors are not exactly vying for exclusive audiences. Most people who actively use one social network typically also use another one, and in some cases, even maintain active profiles on multiple networks at the same time, so the number of users or profiles doesn’t exactly dictate which network is the most popular.

 

GlobalWebIndex research has shown in the first half of 2013, close to 70% of active Internet users have Facebook profiles, compared to around 53% who have Google+ accounts, and 50% who have YouTube accounts. Around 62% of Facebook users are active Monthly, compared to under 50% for their two closest competitors. 

 

What is interesting, however, is that Twitter and Google+ both currently beat out Facebook in terms of increasing active user-ship. From mid-2012 to mid-2013, Twitter increased its active user-ship by almost 50%, and Google+ by around 35%, whereas Facebook active growth was only around 15%. 

 

However, since Facebook has more overall users, even the lower percentage translates into similar real world numbers. Meanwhile, photo-oriented networks Pinterest and Tumblr are the fastest growing networks, each increasing active user-ship by  88% and 74% respectively over the last year, but since neither are complete networks (relying solely on photos), the likelihood of them replacing Facebook is slim.

 

Google+ and Twitter, however, have constantly been at Facebook’s heels over the last three years, and many people have predicted that Google+ is turning into the social network that they feel Facebook could be, so it will be interesting to see how the dynamics change over the next two years. 

 

If one of them do manage to bump Facebook off its throne however, they shouldn't expect Zuckerburg and Co. to step down without a fight.

 

 

Written by  Wesley Geyer

Creative writer at ATKA SA

New Social Media Platforms

Social media has become such an integral part of our lives. It has introduced to us its own language with terms such as “tweet” and the well-known Facebook “like” and has become a part of not only the way we talk, but also the way we interact. 

 

Let’s take a look at some of the newer social networks that were recently introduced.

 

First, let’s look at Pheed – launched in October 2012. It’s a pay-as-you-go network where you actually sell your photos, videos and “statuses” instead of just sharing them, which is the main logic behind this network. Many celebrities, musicians and entertainment personalities make use of this network. For a monthly subscription, “pheeders” can offer subscribers access to a media-rich stream of text, photo, audio, video and even live broadcasts. Celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Paris Hilton are already making use of this new network.

 

Thumb is a social network making use of personal crowdsourcing. Not sure if your blouse matches your skirt? No problem – take a selfie, upload to Thumb and crowdsource your decision. Simple questions generate hundreds of thumbs up or thumbs down, plus comments from the network’s active user base within mere minutes. Thumb appeals to the two main social impulses – vanity and voyeurism, which generates serious engagement amongst users. When compared to Facebook, it is said that users spend most time on Facebook per month with Thumb following as second with four hours a month.

 

Evan Williams (the co-founder of Blogger and Twitter) created a new blogging platform called Medium, which hosts stories quite a bit longer than Twitter’s 140 characters. This network was also launched in October last year and touts a simple, stark design and stripped down editing mode designed for everything from cooking recipes to political manifestos. This network is invitation only and emphasizes longer form, carefully crafted content from users who seek more from their social media network than cat photos, Miley Cyrus twerking and Justin Bieber spitting. Creators are limited to the select few, but everyone can read and comment on the blogs.

 

 

Chirpify takes the one click payments for online shopping from Amazon and introduces it into the social media era. Sellers offer items for sale on Twitter or Instagram, buyers reply with the word “buy” and Bob’s your uncle. No credit card, no “proceed to checkout” and no “add to cart”. The transaction is conducted entirely through your Twitter or Instagram account. This social media network can also be used for fundraisers, giveaways and even peer-to-peer payments. It’s free to use, but takes a 5% cut anytime you get paid via this network.

 

Lastly we’ll look at Chirp – sharing using sound. Your phone emits a high-pitched, two second-long, robotic squeak. Other phones within audio range pick up the sound and instantly download the content shares. Chirps can be shared in any space, from boardrooms to crowded bars and can even be embedded in YouTube videos or TV programs.

 

 

Now that you’re up to speed with all your options out there, get ahead of the crowd and expand your social networking options!

 

 

Written by Marleen Theunissen

Creative writer at ATKA SA

New Developments in Social Media

Social media finds itself in the predicament that it is extremely popular, but due to that exact popularity and the fact that it can change momentarily, the founders of these networks are under a lot of pressure to develop these networks even further. 

 

This is done to ensure that the visitors keep coming back to their popular networks. Let’s take a look at what the three biggest networks have done this year.

 

When Facebook switched its apps from HTML5 to native, it lost its ability to move fast. But its recent announcement of a big iOS7 style app redesign gives it its mojo back. It features a bottom-screen “tab bar” navigation, built with an advanced native mobile testing framework. 

 

 

This new version is luckily not only for iOS 7, but is also rolling out to iOS 5 and 6 with a black tab bar that matches the old iOS style. The new tab bar will not be released for the iPad yet, as the drawer is seen as the best solution for the bigger screens. The new tab bar offers a “More” button on the far right next to the buttons for News Feed, Requests, Messages and Notifications.

 

The “More” button reveals app bookmarks just like previously, but now with the option to save your place in whatever product you browse. This is a nice add on after previously losing your place after opening your drawer to look at something else. It essentially opens tabs over the top of the feed. Facebook has also made the top title bar translucent and redesigned many of the icons to match the line and arc style of Apple’s new mobile operating system.

 

As for Twitter, it boasts with a brand new search experience that blends the most relevant content - Tweets, user accounts, images, news, related searches, and more - into a single stream of results, which is a major shift from how results were previously partitioned by type. 

 

A typical search on Twitter scores items sorted by type and then picks the top-scoring results. In the blended search experience, it’s a little more complicated. The scores of different content types are computed by different services and are therefore not directly comparable for blending. The other challenge that is being faced is deciding which type of content to mix, because not all content types are always suitable for display. 

 

To solve this, different types of contents are searched separately when a user enters a search, and returns a sequence of candidate results for each content type with a type-specific score for each. Once the results of the different types of contents are prepared, each type-specific score is converted into a uniscore – a universally compatible score and is used to blend content types as in a merge-sort, minus the penalization of content type transition.

 

Lastly we’ll look at YouTube, which has announced the launch of a new feature on its mobile app which enables viewers to watch videos even when offline. This update will be available in November and will let viewers add videos to their devices to store and watch for a short period without having to be connected to the Internet.

 

This is something to take note of, as downloading videos is currently against YouTube’s rules, despite the many third party apps designed for this purpose. YouTube has distinguished between their new feature and complete downloading of videos by requiring its viewers to be online for at least the first second of the video. Besides this, YouTube has also recently made it possible for users to browse video recommendations even while a video is already streaming, which will definitely encourage use of their mobile app.

 

 

 

In the ever-changing world of social media, it is important to make sure you are up to date with every single new release. Whether you use social media to play or to work, these updates can make a big difference to your online experience!

 

 

Written by Marleen Theunissen

Creative writer at ATKA SA

What makes ATKA SA one of South Africa’s leading Cross Channel Marketers?

 

Cross channel marketing is a relatively young industry, especially in South Africa. While the rest of the world has been focusing on the newly developed use of social media as a tool for marketing to targeted audiences, some companies and individuals have recognized the place social media has in the bigger picture.

 

Cross channel marketing makes use of a variety of media channels, not only to target audiences that are more likely to use each one, giving the same information to every channel, but by understanding the abilities of each of the different channels, is able to cater to audiences by integrating all the channels to paint a complete picture.

 

ATKA SA is not only one of the most successful Cross-Channel marketing company in South Africa, but is in fact one of the pioneering agencies of the field in South Africa. 

 

As a relatively young company, ATKA SA has lived up to its hype as a pioneer, being recognized through various awards, both as a business, and through the awards and recognition given to the company both being nominated and awarded to various degrees for the ‘Business of the Year’, ‘Small Business of the Year’ awards consistently for the last three years, as well as managing Director Leon Marinus winning the silver 2012 ROCCI & FNB ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award, and Gold winner of the 2011 ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.

 

With a small, dedicated team of professionals who understand the market at the helm, ATKA has been able to provide some of the most extraordinary results on behalf of its clients, providing unrivaled personal service and high levels of marketing exposure at low cost.

 

While ATKA SA is still young, the potential shown by the company going forward in unrivaled, especially with the knowledge base that have allowed the company to prove its astounding success so far.

 

 

Written By  Wesley Geyer

Creative writer at ATKA SA

Tips for CEO’s using social media

 

 

Recent studies in the field of public relations have shown that CEO’s and individuals holding key positions being active on business affiliated (as well as personal) social networks greatly improves information transmission both internally and publicly, and also creates a more open relationship between the business and its potential customer base.

 

It may not always be possible for a CEO to be constantly active on social networks to the extent that customers and followers might like –many people believe that the person holding the highest position should be the primary information source for any company –since the pressures of these high positions often overshadow the need for hourly or daily updates. 

 

However, any CEO who has familiarized themselves with social media will understand that it is not necessarily time consuming to post one or two updates or messages a day, even during a lunch or coffee break.

 

Creating a system where your company’s CEO has access to social networks, both personal and business-affiliated, will allow them to post whenever they want while your social development team works on the social networks for the rest of the time.

 

Successfully social CEO’s understand that posting one or two updates to Twitter or Facebook does not satisfy the extent of social media and online exposure. Having an extensive range of social network access as well as long-form blog updates and a central access website (as this is still arguably the first port of call to any business) will help promote social growth, exposure and accessibility.

 

Another recent trend on social networks that has expanded brand reach and interaction between brands and their customers is the ‘social takeover’, in which one member of staff or an associated company would take over a Twitter, Instagram or Vine account, showing fans how things happen behind the scenes, or provide an entertaining look at what happens in a regular day. Having a CEO do this will allow fans to see at least some of the effort that goes into making the company run smoothly.

 

 

Written by:  Wesley Geyer

Creative writer for ATKA SA

6 marketing revolutions in 2013

The digital media race is on. Some of the biggest companies in the world have spent the last few years honing their products in efforts to outsell their competitors, and as a result, the consumers have gotten much more than they could have asked for. Because of the developments in every area of communication, whether digital or analog, has drastically improved, and most significantly in the last 18 months. 

 

The following is a list of 6 of the most notable trends in marketing and communication that have been developed or more widely applied, or will become commonplace within the next cycle of product releases.

 

1. The digital wallet

 

 

Google has called it the Google Wallet; Apple uses Passbook. The idea behind the digital wallet is that we will no longer need to keep all kinds of identification, credit or debit cards, gift cards, plane tickets or loyalty cards with us at all times to get by. By simply syncing your smartphone with your bank account, adding the relevant application from Starbucks or participating airlines, this technology will allow you to pay for (almost) anything you buy by simply scanning or using the NFC (Near field communication) chip in your smartphone to communicate with purchase points, keeping every valuable card or access detail you need in one place so that you don’t have to worry about any of it. While this technology is still in development, it shows promise for the future.

 

 

2. The emergence of big data management

 

IBM studies have shown that 3 quintillion (that is 3 followed by 18 zeros) bytes of data are produced every day. As this number increases rapidly, we will need to find more effective ways of storing the data – more effective than hard drives and ordinary servers that we have traditionally used.

 

Cloud computing is a step in the right direction, giving us access to storage space without bulking up our offices or work spaces at arguably cheaper prices. This kind of storage is also more reliable over a longer period of time (when was the last time you spilt coffee on your iCloud account?), and gives us much more effective ways of reassessing the data we have. As time goes on, we will be able to use stored data to understand competitors, customer habits and the markets in a much shorter time than we have been able to before.

 

 

3. More intricate social media

 

Many companies have found social media as the most effective marketing technique due to its explosive growth, interactivity and instant feedback. However, some of the most notable uses of social media marketing will come in the form of something mores significant than ‘Likes’ on Facebook. Analytics, loyalty programs and transactional marketing have all become integral ways of promoting a company on Facebook Twitter and other notable social networks. However, there will come a point (and it has already shown signs of becoming more common) where new ‘Likes’ will be less important than interaction and actual results from social media.

 

 

4. Bigger mobile integration

 

Mobile web browsing has picked up a significant chunk of the total Internet browsing space in the last few years, with the introduction of tablets, smartphones and cheaper, faster data plans. As a result, companies have, and will continue to need to develop internal talent for app development, website integration with mobile platforms and looking at new ways of catering to the mobile market as people move away from the desktop browsing culture of the past.

 

 

5. Real time interaction and customer marketing

 

With location based services on mobile devices and GPS-enabled cellphones and computers becoming increasingly more accurate, marketing campaigns have begun focusing on allowing users to broadcast when they visit certain places to their friends. This lets the social media user to tell their friends where they are and what they are doing, and also gives the company they are visiting or buying from exposure for free. Come campaigns even allow users who ‘check-in’ at certain places enough times, or at certain times of the day to earn discounts or special prizes. Foursquare allows huge opportunities to companies wanting to get their locations trending on networks by enabling promotions and discount vouchers to be accessed directly from their mobile applications or website profiles.

 

 

6. Internal competition and directed marketing

 

Traditional marketing teams usually consist of a number of individuals working together on brainstorming projects, coming up with campaigns and promoting them to their targeted audiences. However, as markets become more fragmented and individual marketing becomes the norm, marketing teams are being broken down and changed into multi-faceted entities.

 

Many successful companies allow internal groups of employees to compete for funds with different ideas that would cater to a different market or would satisfy a different need within the company’s framework. These competing groups will then be pushed to create the best possible campaign in order to get their group chosen to lead the next strategy into fruition. Not only does this encourage critical thinking within a company, it also allows more focused market targeting based on smaller more specific socio-economic groups or individuals, and gives companies the opportunity to cover more ground more effectively.

 

 

Written by: Wesley Geyer

Creative writer for ATKA SA

How Google Cards makes the Internet more personal

 

Simply put, Google has been the leading Internet search engine for pretty much its entire life. 

 

It has become such an integral part of our lives that we now refer to the act of looking for a bit of information online as “Googling”. 

 

In recent years, there has been a lot of talk of innovation in the online world, from personalized search engines to adaptive results that learn your behavior and give you the results you are more likely to pick out first. Google has been at the forefront of all of these innovations.

 

In 2012, Google’s innovation struck a new level of personalization that went by pretty unnoticed at first, but through updates and additions, has become one of the major selling points that the company has to offer, both in the mobile and desktop search arenas.

 

Google Cards is a simplistic innovation by Google that has taken what Google does best – searching the Internet – and combined it with the idea that people now expect to be told what they want to know before they even ask. 

 

Imagine, for example, you are on your way to the airport, but you are stuck in traffic on the way there. You wouldn't have time to go to your airline’s website or to sit on hold for 20 minutes to find the status of your flight. If Google knows that you are supposed to be flying at a certain time on a certain day (through integration with Gmail) it can give you a little index card in your Google Search app on your smartphone (and all indications point to the Cards being available on Chrome in the near future too) showing you the details of your flight, the traffic level on the way to the airport, as well as any recommended routes, times and conditions relevant to your journey.

 

While Google Cards isn't going to show you information based on every single search you do, your regular search tendencies, favorite places, teams, websites, stocks, cities, etc., will all be used by Google to give you on-the-fly information without you even needing to ask for it. 

 

It may still be early days for this seemingly simple idea, but we may even be headed towards an Internet ecosystem that will allow us to pull up information based on our habits in other social areas as well.

 

Google has proven that it is not only comfortable with learning your search results, but through the use of location-based tracking, it will even be able to tell you (hopefully sometime in the near future) about the upcoming features at your most frequented theatre, or tell you if there is a table open at your favorite restaurant.

 

 

Written by: Wesley Geyer

Creative writer for ATKA SA

The Youth and Social Media

 

The youth (shall we say under 25), make up a large portion of active social media users are often the trend setters.

 

Where are the youth at the moment? What portion of social of the social media pie belongs to this segment and is there any marked trends in the movement of this group of people? Are they leaving Facebook? Where are they going?

 

 

Teens and Twitter

 

In Piper Jaffray’s 25th Semi-Annual teen research project, 30% of the 5000 teens interviewed named Twitter as their most important social network. The trends favour Twitter as it is keeps building its popularity. 

 

Compared to 2012, Twitter’s popularity has grown by 3% according to these votes, which are taken as a leading indicator of future trends. A recent poll amongst young Japanese social media users has showed that Twitter is their most popular social network by far, with many not even having tried Facebook. This is not surprising as Japan set a record with 25 088 tweets per second in 2011 during a television screening of a movie.

 

 

Facebook and the youth

 

86% of the 18 0 29 year old age group demographic is claimed by Facebook as the most popular social networking site. However, Facebook themselves have said that they have experienced reduced activity in favour of other products and services. 

 

The benefit of these other services is that they communicate more in SMS-style rather than being centred around status updates such as Facebook and Twitter. It seems that for teens, there are new social media options on a daily basis. Teens have recently shown increased interest in a few other social media platforms as a means of finding alternatives to Facebook. Let’s take a quick look at those.

 

The first is called Habbo Hotel and is a social networking site from Finland. It’s a game aimed at teens and kids to create a world in a hotel. The game starts by providing a user with a small room and an avatar which can be improved by earning points. The site has 25 million users.

 

The second alternative is quite familiar with most social media networkers. It’s a photo-sharing app called Instagram and has a wide variety of filters for use, causing its popularity with teens. The company was recently taken over by Facebook.

 

The third and last alternative we’ll look at today is called Tumblr and is also familiar to most. Half of this blogging site’s traffic is composed of users under the age of 25. It has 78 million blogs accessible on the site, with new ones starting everyday based on trends in memes or virtual sound bytes.

 

It seems like the only constant that one can be assured on when it comes to the youth and social media, is change. The youth feeds on change and are constantly looking for something more interesting or better than what is currently available. 

 

While this is not a bad thing, it simply means that there are no guarantees that today’s trendsetters will still be seen the same way tomorrow.

 

 

Written by Marleen Theunissen

Will Verified Accounts Save Facebook From Clone Profiles?

 

A recent spate of cloned profiles on Facebook has raised security issues with many users, this coming off the back of a number of different complaints against Facebook and other companies being used by the NSA to collect information. 

 

Both ordinary individuals and popular personalities have claimed in recent months that information on their Facebook profiles was being duplicated to another account, which was then used to produce false information in their likeness. 

 

 

Facebook’s response to this has been to introduce a profile verification system that will allow certain users to provide Facebook officials with the relevant information to allow them to indicate on their pages that they are, in fact, the real deal. 

 

This is not a new idea, as social media rivals Twitter have used it for a number of years to verify the accounts of prominent celebrities and individuals in a number of fields. 

 

Facebook’s use of this system doesn't seem to be much different from Twitter’s, except for the fact that, for the moment, any attempt to have a profile verified must go through the Facebook help center.

 

It still remains to be seen which criteria will be used in-order to qualify as one of those lucky few who will have their accounts verified. However, it is almost certain that the only accounts to be verified belong to or are affiliated with prominent people or groups. 

 

The verification system will however not help ease the pressure felt ordinary people and perhaps less influential celebrities or public figures that don’t make the cut.

 

While the verification system may help users and fans identify the official account of their favourite singer or television personality, these are not the only kinds of accounts that are causing issues, either on Facebook or on Twitter. 

 

This is no doubt a step in the right direction by the social media giant!

 

Maybe the future holds a system that will allow every user to willingly submit relevant information in order to verify that their accounts are legitimate, or one that will allow friends and family members to differentiate between identical accounts by more than just the optional URL identifier that Facebook currently uses.

ATKA SA | What Does Windows 8 Mean For The PC

 

In recent years, Microsoft has come under fire for some of its questionable choices when it comes to Operating Systems.  

 

After its release in 2006, Windows Vista, the Windows OS that was unlucky enough to follow the massive success of Windows XP, was plagued with bugs, and quickly became the least liked OS of its time. Three years later, Windows 7 saw significant improvement, both to User Interface and performance. 

 

A mere two years after that, in the midst of the smartphone and tablet revolution, Windows 8 defined it’s self as a touch interface based OS.

 

 

 

While this move towards integration between mobile and desktop computing could provide a useful shifting point towards a fully touch computing market, the popularity of smartphones and tablet PCs has not been enough to completely crush out the need for desktop computers, and with them, the need for peripherals and peripheral friendly Operating Systems.

 

Windows 8 has made it much more difficult for the casual, and even professional user to make sense of the interface and functionality while using a keyboard and mouse, and the trashing of the traditional Start button (which has been a staple of the Windows OS since the step-up from DOS) in favour of the ‘Metro’ style interface has angered many users, and dampened Microsoft’s hopes of making Windows 8 their most successful product. 

 

In recent years, smartphone and tablet sales have outperformed desktop computer sales and shipments worldwide, making the shift even more apparent.

 

While Windows 8.1 (code-named ‘Blue’), which is ultimately a service pack for Windows 8, brings back the Start button (although not to the extent that it once existed), the anger shown over the dramatic shift indicated that the need for a single OS for touch and peripheral-based computing is not quite there yet.

 

Surely, Windows 8 does show that Microsoft, more so than their main competitors such as Apple, are beginning to shift slowly towards a more unified system and the next few years will show how much. 

 

Whether or not the popularity of peripheral-less computing takes off in time for Microsoft to make this generation of OS’s a success is yet to be seen, but the writing is already on the wall.

 

 ....It may be time to get used to the idea of change...

ATKA SA | Why Facebook Home Doesn't work

 

Since Facebook’s arrival as a public corporation, there have been various rumours of innovative products and hardware in the works, from the social media giant, that may help push their stock prices up.  

 

Earlier this year, we were introduced not only to an application called ‘Facebook Home’, but also a smartphone by HTC, the ‘HTC First’ that came with a built in Facebook Home application.

 

The Facebook Home concept, only available on compatible Android based devices, integrates the user’s Facebook profile into the OS of the device itself, cutting out the need for a standalone Facebook application.

 

Photo and news feeds run in the background like a moving wallpaper while all messages, whether Facebook-based or not, are handled like the Facebook style inbox and notifications come through via the Facebook method for all applications.

 

However, since the application was introduced earlier this year, it has garnered over 200 000 1-star reviews, with the majority of the comments stating that the use of Facebook Home had started slowing down their devices, confusing their user interfaces and needlessly running down the battery life, while the standalone Facebook application performs all the tasks that Home does, and is much more pleasant to use.

 

Facebook Home is now standing at number 338 in the Google Play store, and is a prime example of why it is not always a good idea for companies to diversify their product. 

 

The Facebook application is popular with Smartphone users because it gives them the choice to ignore Facebook for as long as they want to, but Facebook Home seems to be the Operating System that simply won’t let you forget that it’s there. 

 

The idea hasn't taken off, and even with updates, bug fixes and feature additions, many Facebook users are uncomfortable with allowing Facebook to dominate that much of their communication experience.

ATKA SA | SEO 101

 

SEO can seem like a major challenge to a new marketer. But do not despair – we are here to help! 

 

 

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is the process of optimizing your website so that it can get good organic rankings and appear on the first page of Google.

 

The big thing to remember with SEO is that it’s all about keywords. Everything can be found on the internet using a keyword, whether it be images; websites; videos; items you’re shopping for or places you want to go – literally everything! 

 

Keyword research is the process of discovering which keywords will work best for the product or service you’re selling. It is probably the most important step in setting your SEO-stage.

 

The SEO process can be divided into two groups – on-site SEO and off-site SEO.

 

On-site SEO:

 

1. Content

The search engines crawl your pages to see how well your content is written, if it is accurate and relevant to your keywords. Make sure the content on your website contains your keywords, but it’s important to still write your content for humans, so don’t stuff your page with keywords.

 

2. HTML

Search engines use Meta titles, Meta descriptions, tags and headers to scan through your content. These tags must contain your specific and relevant keywords, so that the search engine can understand what your landing pages are about.

 

3. Site Architecture

Your website should be structured in such a manner that the spider crawling it can do so easily. Make sure your layout is simple and that your URLs are not too long or complicated and that they contain keywords relevant to the specific landing page. Also ensure that your pages load fast enough as you will be penalized for pages that load too slowly. You can do this by not adding too many images or text in the background.

 

Off-site SEO:

 

1. Link Building

Link building refers to the amount of websites that link back to yours. It’s like votes that proclaim the relevance of the content you are posting. The important thing here is qualitative links – a website like Amazon linking back to your site is more valuable than a link from a small business directory.

 

2. Social Media

If search engines could get married, they’d marry social media platforms. More often than not, websites ranking in the top three positions of Google’s first page are present on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Manage these pages and post at least once a day to gain a social following that can be directed to your website.

 

3. Trust and authority

The older your domain is, the more authoritative it is seen by search engines, because the longer you stick around, the better the chances of your business being successful. The number of times your website is shared and the amount of back-links to your website are, is also considered as important by the spiders.

 

 

Now that you know enough about SEO to get started, test these tips and watch how your ranking improves and your website is visited more and more!

5 Mobile Marketing Tips

 

 

The Inbound Marketing Summit, which took place in New York, in April, offered terrific presentations from a variety of industry thought leaders.

 

Amongst a number of interesting topics, the most impressive presentation was the one titled “best practices for building a mobile-focused inbound marketing strategy.”

This touched mainly on the importance of considering the customer’s point of view, when building your mobile marketing strategy.

 

 

Here are five tips to consider when building your mobile marketing strategy:

 

 

1. Focus first on mobile, then desktop

 

Consumers in the US currently spend twice as much time with desktop media as they do with mobile. So why then focus on mobile first? Because the amount of time that consumers spend on their mobile devices is growing at 14 times the rate of the desktop. 

 

Marketers should focus their efforts on marketing on mobile platforms ahead of traditional desktops.

 

2. Customers want to do little and get a lot

 

Make it easy for your customers to access your mobile content – the fewer links they have to follow to get to specific content, the better. Make it easy to download content onto mobile devices.

 

3. Remember: Immediate and Intimate

 

Location-based marketing and delivering engaging content to current events are just two of the examples of how to leverage immediacy. 

 

Customers are more often than not with their mobile devices throughout the day and even view it as an extension of themselves, so marketers should seize on the intimacy aspect of mobile and provide customers with personalized and relevant content.

 

4. Call to action

 

Including a call to action in your content has become a rule in marketing. Make sure your call to action is easy to follow through on, so that customers do not struggle to get hold of your products or services.

 

5. Cross-channel market!

 

Make use of other marketing tools like QR codes, SMS’s and niche product applications to make it easier for your customers to access product information or customer service. 

 

Remember to include share links to all your social media platforms so that your customers can share their purchases with their friends, which will in turn drive exponential traffic.

 

 

Mobile marketing is one of the most popular marketing avenues at the moment and if you follow these tips and do it right, you will see why!

How social media has changed the way we watch TV

 

Over the past ten years, the world has become increasingly social, not only in terms of our ability to access information and interact with people on opposite sides of the world, but also our willingness to put ourselves out there on social networks (many of which have only been around for a decade at most).

 

Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and (to a lesser extent, due to its relatively young age) Pinterest, have all had a massive boost in users over the last three to five years. This increase in tendency towards social media could be seen as a result of increased media exposure coupled with an increase in Internet access worldwide.

 

However, the increase in social media activity will have to have caused a dip in one of the traditional entertainment and news mediums that had been around before it. The most definitive change in traditional media caused by social and new media is the change in television viewership. The change in viewership should not necessarily be considered a bad one, however, but it has created a need for the traditional media to adapt to their audiences new habits in order to remain relevant.

 

For instance, one of the main reasons for the relatively stable state of television viewership despite the increase in social media is the fact that television networks have learned to make use of social media trends and the strengths of instant access to communication in order to attract social media users to their programming. The most popular incorporation technique used by television broadcasters is the use of hashtag keywords that allow viewers to live tweet comments and ideas, which has effectively turned every broadcast into an opportunity for exposure on multiple social media networks.

 

Ultimately, the effects of new and social media on the state of television have played a major role in the adaptation of the broadcasters to the idea of social interaction instead of the traditional broadcaster-audience model.

New on Facebook

True to form, Facebook has yet again done some upgrades on their look. Here is what to expect:

 

 

1.    Graph Search

 

 

Graph Search is probably one of the most important features that have been released by Facebook this year. It allows for users to connect with friends on Facebook who share common interests, while also making it easier – previously it was difficult to search information put up by friends on Facebook, because if a person is not browsing their newsfeed while the content is posted, it could be missed. Not anymore! By typing in specific search terms, Facebook will return a list of friends whose posts match the criteria you entered. This open search feature does mean that users will need to be more mindful of what they post on their pages, as well as the limitations of their privacy settings.

 



2.    New look of newsfeed and timelines

 

 

The new News Feed on Facebook is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also gives Facebook a clean intuitive look of a high-end interactive magazine. Sports have been revamped to a new navigation bar on the left-hand side where numerous icons (such as Facebook Messenger and Friends) are located. On the right hand side, the new exciting tabs include options for Photos, Music and Gaming. In the centre, news items like photographs, check-ins and events are being presented in a larger, colourful manner than before. The News Feed also provides users with the capability to share news on music they are currently listening to and upcoming concerts of their favourite artists. The biggest benefit of Facebook’s new News Feed is that it allows users to keep better track of friends and limits the chance of missing out on interesting stories.

 



3.    Facebook Ads

 

 

Facebook’s News Feed has been modified to allow for paid promotions. If you are running a paid ad on Facebook, you can now view a snapshot of how the ad is doing on your homepage. This new upgrade in ads means that advertisers are now able to pitch users directly from the News Feed as it brings Facebook Exchange-targeted ads to the desktop version of the News Feed. Advertisers now get to advertise in the News Feed – the most engaging place on Facebook.

 



4.    Interactive Chat

 

 

The new Chat feature is a lovely touch that adds a layer of interactivity to Facebook’s mobile offering. It allows users to keep a list of conversations going on without having to switch apps. When viewing a friend’s profile, a circular “chat head” appears. A user can tap on the chat head to reply, reposition it on their screen or flick it down to close. No longer do users have to use Facebook Chat in a separate window!

 



There are many different opinions on the recent changes of Facebook, but the best way to find out if you “Like” these, is to check it out for yourself!

 

Ten Myths About Social Networking for Business

The most important thing to remember about social media is that it is still in the process of evolving.  We learn new things on a daily basis!  To keep you from any social networking misconceptions, read this comprehensive guide that reveals 10 myths of social media use and how to avoid them.

 

Myth #1: Everyone is using social media



Although social media has become a huge advertising platform, it is important to distribute your attention wisely when it comes to advertising.  Your first step will be to make sure the keywords on your website is optimized for Google Searches.  You can do this using the Google Keyword Tool. Make sure you choose relevant keywords that describe your product or service and choose keywords that are not used too frequently.

To increase the number of links to your site, you can start by building rapport with relevant bloggers. Send them a short note with a link to your website.



Myth #2: Social news aggregators are dead



Less popular sites like Digg and Stumbleupon don't get the same level of mainstream media coverage that Facebook and Twitter do, yet some of the most shared content on these large sites is initially submitted to these and similar social aggregation platforms. When you start using these platforms, make sure you integrate yourself with the other users. Vote on articles and other contact that Digg users submit, and also your own.  Votes will lead to more votes and increases your chances of getting your article bumped up to the “popular” section of the platform!



Myth #3: You can't do it all in-house



Social media networking is not as complicated as it may sound.  Try this: go to Google and type the following: [your product or service keyword] social network. In your results, notice how many people are registered, currently online or even replying to a conversation thread.  What are the topics of the threads with the most responses? Post a question to the forum and link to your own website and websites of people who inspire your work.  You are bound to receive a positive response to your acknowledgement.



 

Myth #4: You have to spend hours a day on Twitter



Although Twitter can be fun, you don't need to spend your whole day tweeting.  Spend an hour a day sending your customers and social media contacts and anyone else interested an invitation to a weekly chat on Twitter.  Prepare for this chat by having informative tweets about your business handy and by ending your chat with a call to action.

 

Myth #5: Social media is solely a broadcast channel



One of the important things to remember about social media, is that people love to be involved.  If you turn your Facebook page into an announcement board, don't be surprised if you don't get many likes. Use your social media platforms for having competitions that require your customers to enter on the Facebook page.  Ask questions, have surveys and giveaways – keep everyone involved!

 

Myth #6: Social media can replace your website



Social media might be the shiny new toy everyone is playing with, but don't forget your old toys either. If you have a customer database of email addresses, you can send frequent emails with information on products or any specials running.  It's not so hard to get these email addresses.  Simply add a form on various pages of your website that ask your visitors to record their details.



 

Myth #7: You can’t measure your return on investment in social media



Many people use social media for social purposes only.  To see whether your marketing is targeted correctly, you can follow three simple steps. The first step is to track where your users are coming from.  You can do this by creating trackable URL's with Google that you place in all the links leading to your website. The second step is to identify their actions on your website and then calculate the value of that activity.  This way you can see what value social media networking adds to your business.

 

Myth #8: Blogging is a waste of time



Although blogging can seem like useless blabbering, it gives you a voice and social control of your product. Using Wordpress, create a blog that answers some of the best questions your prospects have asked.  Ask a question to end off, which will encourage them to comment. Share the content with others in your network and repeat the process.



Myth #9: You have to be on every social network



Being everywhere concerning social media will take up your entire workday.  Rather focus your efforts. Go to Facebook and Twitter and search targeted key words in the search field that describe your product or service. When viewing the results, take note if the pages resembles your target community and if they are the type of people who usually buys your product or service.  If they are, interact with them.  Stay away from other networks that do not resemble your business.

 

Myth #10: Social media will replace real-life networking



Social media can never replace face to face contact.  Use social media to generate face to face meetings.  Schedule gatherings, invite prospective customers and maybe have them test your product for free. You will be rewarded.

New iPad5 to be Released March 2013?

If a new report out of Asia is to be believed, we could be staring at the new iPad 5 by the end of March this year! The report from Macotakara in december said that Apple would release a fifth generation iPad in March 2013, which would be thinner and lighter. It seems that the tech gaint is trending towards bi-annual release cycles for its tablet line, seeing as it only recently launched its iPad 4 in October.

Here is an excerpt from the report:

“However Chinese news ZOL (CBS Interactive) reported next iPad mini in AppleInsider's article, according to my inside source, iPad (5) may be released in March 2013. Source told that, design of this new iPad will be like iPad mini in detail, and be thinner and lightweight [sic].”

Lets say the rumors are true, we could be looking at a next-generation iPad as thin as 7.2mm and see the implementation of less LED lights to save your precious battery life.

While Steve Jobs’ focus was on visionary products, CEO Tim Cook, with his expertise in managing the supply chain, could differentiate Apple “by launching premium products that are continuously refreshed,” the report added.

The Macotakara also claimed that a second generation iPad mini was also being prepared. The smaller iPad would likely feature an all-new 7.9-inch Retina display with the same resolution as the third and fourth generation iPads (2048 x 1536 pixels) and an A6X processor.

In November, DigiTimes also reported that the upcoming version of the iPad could be released in the "Middle of 2013,” boosting “demand for ICs– in particular communication-related chips– during the latter half of the first quarter.”

How will Facebook’s Graph Search affect businesses and Marketers?

At a special press conference earlier this week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg unveiled the company’s newest feature – the Graph Search. The feature will utilize the social media giant’s massive database of information (called the Graph) which contains details of connections, check-ins, likes, etc., all of which have been shared by Facebook users over the course of the company’s history.



For instance, one could use the Graph Search function to look for ‘restaurants that my friends like’ or ‘retailers that my friends have been to’. These searches will rely on that person’s friends’ habituation of liking pages and using the check in function when they arrive at a destination. While Zuckerburg specifically noted that Graph Search “is not a search engine”, its relationship with Bing seems to hint at it growing into a more definitive search tool in the future, which will allow Facebook to keep users on their site for longer periods of time and to eventually break what they call the ‘Google habit’.



While social media marketers and SEO’s might not want users turned away from Google, the increase in activity sharing between connections of Facebook may be beneficial if used in the right way. Companies will undoubtedly benefit from the graph Search if they are able to do at least two things correctly: getting the right users to ‘like’ their pages or share and interact with their content, and by offering some sort of incentives or unique opportunities that will encourage Facebook users to check in with them upon arrival at their stores/premises, etc. By doing this they not only ensure that they keep their brand appearing in their fans timeline feeds, but also effectively turn their fans into word-of-mouth promoters of their brand. After all, people are more willing to trust a friend’s recommendation or taste than a random Internet algorithm.

What is Social Media Marketing?

 

Social Media, as it has exists currently has been around for just over ten years, with pioneers such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube being the most notable since the early part of the 21st century. However, as with all other forms of media, especially those utilizing the Internet, various ways of capitalizing on their existence have come up over the years. Marketing, an aspect of business, has traditionally been centered on the physical aspect, such as print, and as they grew in popularity, the broadcast mediums of radio and television.

 

However, the idea of social media has provided the marketing world with a unique opportunity that has allowed them to successfully capture not only the core of what they could potentially offer, but to expand in unique ways in order to beat out competition, reach new client bases and provide more brand exposure.

 

The term ‘social media marketing’ is an interesting phenomena that has only existed for probably less than a decade. Social media, in and of itself describes a type of network that allows individuals and groups to instantly connect to each other and not only choose exactly what they would like to be broadcast, but also who they would want to receive their message. By using this aspect of it, marketers and companies all over the world are now able to break the traditional seller/buyer paradigm, and form a personal relationship with their customers and potential users (something that before social media was not thought to be possible on such a large scale). It also removes the traditional hierarchy of the marketing process and allows users to affect the decisions made by the business/group being marketed to varying degrees.

 

It provides marketing strategists with an infinitely large number of potential customers, while at the same time giving the end-user the ultimate choice in their ability to choose which campaigns to be subjected to.