On Twitter, Facebook, and dozens of other social sites, normal consumers often choose to keep tabs on the brands they love. In fact, many brands have highly optimized their marketing and PR strategies to accommodate that behavior, even going to far as to do one-to-one CRM (that’s customer or consumer relationship management ) through avenues such as Facebook and Twitter. As social CRM specialists Get Satisfaction found, many consumers who follow brands online are only in it for the perks. Around 40% of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter users in a recent study said they followed brands to get access to discounts and special deals. SEE ALSO: The Biggest Brands on Facebook [INFOGRAPHIC] Another common response in the same survey indicated that many consumers will follow a brand if they are current customers. And creating interesting, entertaining content online is another great way for brands to earn followers and fans on social services. Check out this infographic from Get Satisfaction and design shop Column Five for more details on why and how ordinary folks follow brands online. Click image to see full-size version. [ source: Get Satisfaction blog ] Top image courtesy of iStockphoto user Ridofranz . More About: brands , get satisfaction , infographic , MARKETING For more Business & Marketing coverage: Follow Mashable Business & Marketing on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business & Marketing channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad
Google is getting more social , and its web analytics tools are no exception; Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools have added new tools for tracking the impact of tweets, likes, +1s & more on your website’s traffic. Google Webmaster Tools now has a “+1 Metrics” section, which provides reports on the impact of the +1 Button on search. The new analytics show how +1s affect your website’s clickthrough rate (CTR).
After finding success revolutionizing restaurant reservations, OpenTable founder Chuck Templeton has taken up a new challenge: to bring neighbors closer together through hyperlocal sharing. Templeton’s new startup, OhSoWe , quietly launched earlier this month. At its core, it’s an online community platform for neighborhoods to network and communicate online. Instead of providing local news (like AOL’s Patch), OhSoWe provides a website for posting items to share or starting a local discussion. Templeton told Mashable that a big part of the problem he sees is with the unused hammer, lawnmower or shovel simply collecting dust in the shed. Most tools only get used for a few minutes per year; why not make it easier to share or lend those items to neighbors? Why aren’t neighbors sharing and lending their stuff more often? OhSoWe is an attempt to solve that problem. It has three key sections for connecting with the people who live closest: Neighbors, Communication and Shareables. Neighbors is simply a list of people who live near you. OhSoWe takes verifying a person’s address seriously; you have to either use a credit card or a postcard to verify your address. Communication is a public message board for your “Neighborstead” (OhSoWe’s term for its hyperlocal groups). Shareables is like a local Craigslist where you can offer items to lend or sell
The rumor mill has been churning Monday afternoon with reports that Twitter is working on its own photo-sharing service that would compete with the likes of Twitpic and Yfrog . TechCrunch first reported the tip, citing multiple unnamed sources, Monday afternoon.
The number of adults in the U.S. who make phone calls over the Internet has risen exponentially in recent years.
In the competitive world of business it can be hard to stand out. A creative business card can help differentiate you from others and one way in which we’re seeing people attempt this is through augmented reality. Augmented reality cards can provide a wealth of information including additional text, images and even video just by holding the card up to a webcam.
Looking forward to buying the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1? That device might become obsolete sooner than you think: Samsung plans to launch a 4G LTE-equipped version of the Galaxy Tab in 2011. Samsung’s J.K. Shin revealed details about the upcoming tablet in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires. Shin also says the successor of Samsung’s latest Android smartphone, the Galaxy S II, is slated for release in the first half of 2012. With a new version of Galaxy Tab 10.1 replacing an older model this summer (after Samsung decided that the original was not good enough to compete with the iPad) in 2011, another version of the device in the same year seems a little too hectic, especially for customers who are always on the lookout for the best value for money. However, the details on the the form factor and the specifications of the upcoming devices are still a bit vague; we’ll just have to wait a little to see what Samsung has prepared for the near future. Shin also addressed the recent lawsuit from Apple, who claims Samsung has infringed on several of its patents when designing both its smartphones and tablets. “We have used many similar designs over the past years and it [Apple's allegation] will not be legally problematic,” he said. [ WSJ via BGR ] More About: galaxy tab , Mobile 2.0 , samsung , Samsung Galaxy S II , Samsung Galaxy S III , Samsung Galaxy Tab , smartphone , Tablet For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad
3D is no longer exclusive to movie studios. If you can scrape together two camcorders, some sticky tape and access to a hooked-up computer, you’re just a few steps away from making your own three-dimensional cinematic works of art. This is largely thanks to YouTube ‘s free online 3D Editor suite . Mashable spoke to Samuel Kvaalen, YouTube software engineer who helped develop the product. Kvaalen told us why the video-sharing company created the tool in the first place: “The idea was trying to make creating 3D videos accessible to as many users as possible in a simple, easy manner.” So is it really easy to make your own 3D YouTube video? After a quick walk-through of the software with Kvaalen, we tested it out. Here’s our super-simple, step-by-step look at how to shoot and edit a three-dimensional video. 1. Shooting As far as hardware goes, you’ll need two cameras, ideally the same model, although you can use any two that can record at the same resolution. You’ll also need some way of holding them together and some 3D glasses so you can edit and view the final result. We used two Cisco Flip MinoHD pocket video cameras. We separated them slightly with Blu-Tack in order to reach the power button on the side of the camera. Be sure to use a ruler or other straight surface to ensure the camera’s lenses are at exactly the same height.
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer
THQ has found a way to glom on to Zynga ’s popular “-Ville” franchises without impinging on any copyrights with a new social game, Margaritaville Online . The game, “inspired by the lifestyle of author and singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett,” according to a THQ release , and based on the 1977 hit song, will hit Facebook and iOS devices this fall. The release describes the game as “an immersive 3D paradise, filled with frozen concoctions, music and adventure.” The game’s introduction comes after Zynga has had a slew of successes with FarmVille, CityVille, FrontierVille and, most recently, RewardVille .