Texting remained the most common activity, used by 74.6% of US mobile subscribers, up 3.9% from 71.1% for the three-month average ending in October.
The Psychology of Sharing
We share a lot online, almost to the point where it feels excessive. Is it vanity, self-expression, or more?
It turns out there isn’t just one type of sharer on the Internet. People share information with others for a number of reasons, at various times during the day, and with differing intents. And people even choose not to share things they’re too embarrassed or scared to share.
To understand why people share online, we pulled up all of the latest and greatest studies on the arena. Here’s what we found.
New Trends in Privacy Management on Social Media Sites
Social network users are becoming more active in pruning and managing their accounts. Women and younger users tend to unfriend more than others.
About two-thirds of internet users use social networking sites (SNS) and all the major metrics for profile management are up, compared to 2009: 63% of them have deleted people from their “friends” lists, up from 56% in 2009; 44% have deleted comments made by others on their profile; and 37% have removed their names from photos that were tagged to identify them.
Some 67% of women who maintain a profile say they have deleted people from their network, compared with 58% of men. Likewise, young adults are more active unfrienders when compared with older users.
A majority of social network site users – 58% – restrict access to their profiles and women are significantly more likely to choose private settings.
More than half of social networking site users (58%) say their main profile is set to private so that only friends can see it; 19% set their profile to partially private so that friends of friends can view it; and 20% say their main profile is set to be completely public. Women who use SNS are more likely than men to set the highest restrictions (67% vs. 48%).
Half of SNS users say they have some difficulty in managing privacy controls, but just 2% say it is “very difficult” to use the controls. Those with the most education report the most trouble.
Ogilvy & Mather Staffs Up in Social Media and Youth Marketing
By STUART ELLIOTT for the New York Times February 13, 2012, 9:00 AM
One of the biggest advertising agencies, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, is starting practice units that are devoted to helping clients navigate two areas that are rewarding but confusing: social media and youth marketing.
Ogilvy & Mather, which is part of WPP, the world’s largest ad-agency holding company, is to announce the formation of the social media unit, called Social@Ogilvy, on Monday morning.
The other unit, Ogilvy Youth, is in a nascent stage, or, in keeping with the vernacular of younger consumers, “in beta.”
The new units join others at Ogilvy & Mather that are devoted to areas like cross-cultural marketing (OgilvyCulture). The formation of the units is indicative of efforts by large ad agencies to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of marketer clients, who must grapple with the seemingly continuous changes in consumer behavior.
“Thinking across the disciplines is critical,” said Miles Young, global chief executive at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in New York. “You have to redesign your agency around content and domains.” …blah, blah blah
Click here to continue reading.
For even more laughs, click here to see the “tragically hip” Ogilvy Youth Tumblr
15 Reasons Why Twitter is #Winning
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” - Oscar Wilde
1) Anonymity is still desired by web users. Twitter allows you to be yourself or whomever you want to be. True to the original roots of the Internet.
2) Easy sign up process. User Name and login is all you need to get started
3) Fewer design choices which helps a user base that is overloaded with options.
4) Less curated and more spontaneous than facebook
5) Open web based system that doesn’t require a login or a download to participate
App Taps Your Twitter Network to Find You A Job
The infographic PSFK featured last month demonstrated the high likelihood of landing a job via social media sites. Nearly 8 million Americans claimed that Twitter got them their current job. A new web app called WorkFu has caught onto this and plans to tap into your Twitter connections to help you find jobs that are relevant to you. Each opportunity is given a relevance percentage rating and shows how well connected you are to the job poster. Applying for the job is as easy as clicking a button to register your interest, without the need to submit any resumes or cover letters.
Adam Martin, co-founder of WorkFu, explains that, “400 jobs are posted on Twitter every minute. We’ve built a web app that orders each job posted via WorkFu to Twitter by its relevance to you and lets you apply with one click.”
The site is due to launch in early February in beta-mode. In the future, WorkFu hopes to add more social networks to its platform.
Source: PSFK
Global Social : US And EU Mature, Emerging Markets Show Lots Of Activity
Last month George Colony, CEO of Forrester, talked about a “Social Thunderstorm” at the LeWeb conference in Paris .
In the six years that Forrester has been collecting data, a lot has changed in the world of social media. Social networking has morphed into a global phenomenon. Today, 86% of online US adults and 79% of European online adults engage with social media. And consumers in emerging markets are also on social media — not just catching up. In fact, they lead the world in social media usage and engagement.
Comparing social behaviors in the US and Europe, we see that the majority of online Americans and Europeans are Spectators — meaning they consume social media content but do not necessarily create it. In fact, less than one-quarter of these consumers are Creators — the individuals who generate social content. We also found that while Americans and Europeans take a more passive approach to social media, this is different in emerging markets. For instance, more than two-thirds of online adults in metro China and India create social content. The message is clear: Companies can’t afford to take a “one-size-fits-all” approach with social media.
Students’ Lives are Mobile and Social
Click to enlarge the infographic
Surveys show students want learning and schools to follow suit.
The challenge:
How can schools harness this social force for learning while attending to some persistent concerns?
