Mediaboss Marketing

In 2013, social networking took on a whole new meaning and became a veritable beast, hard to tame. For those who share their personal life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or all of the above, the internet has made it possible for anyone to keep track of them and vice versa. With new social networking platforms appearing from behind every corner, it may be hard for one to decide where to commit time and resources. As 2013 comes to an end, it's important to look ahead to where social networking is going, and how we can get on board.

Investment in social media will become a necessity

Arguably, investing time and resources into a social media strategy was a necessity in 2013 but it is believed that the tipping point in public sentiment from 'should have' to 'must have' will occur in 2014.

Businesses are already coming to terms with the need to integrate their social media efforts with their content strategy, and are seeing the impact of social media in terms of reach, referral traffic, and revenue. Seeing these very real and measurable benefits, there would be a change from social media tasks being assigned to existing employees to companies hiring social media strategists or full-time social media managers.

The benefits of social media are many and include company branding, improved brand awareness, and increased customer loyalty and trust. Social media is also one of the three pillars of SEO.

Google+

While Facebook continues to lead the pack in terms of number of active monthly users (1.15 billion at last count), Google+ is quickly gaining steam and now has the second highest number of monthly users (343 million).

With Google using the platform to collect personal information (demographics, location, etc.), Google+ should no longer be thought of as 'just' another social network. It's increasingly proving itself to be an integral part of Google's grand scheme in terms of SEO, social signals and providing a more personalised search experience. This is especially apparent with the growing importance of Google Authorship, which most likely would be one of the key components to Google's search ranking algorithm by the end of 2014.

Businesses who are finding themselves spread thin with their social media efforts will increasingly turn to Google+ as the closest thing to a 'one-size-fits-all' social network.

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Nigeria: Top Social Media Networks That May Dominate 2014

News

By Agam Shah

December 31, 2013 11:13 AM ET

IDG News Service - Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the survey results.

Facebook remained the most popular social networking destination among U.S. adults online, but users are also turning to other websites for their daily social fix.

Social networks are used by 73 percent of online adults in the U.S., according to a study released on Monday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project on Monday. The study was based on 1,445 adult Internet users interviewed from August 7 to Sept. 16 this year.

The full survey sample totaled 1,801 adults over age 18. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.9.

Facebook was the dominant social networking site, boasting an audience of 71 percent of online U.S. adults, growing from 67 percent late last year.

While Facebook was a universal favorite, some 42 percent of online adults used multiple social networking sites, the study said. Pinterest attracted women, Twitter and Instagram were heavily used by young adults, African Americans and city dwellers, and LinkedIn was favored by college graduates, older users and high-income households.

Usage of all Facebook alternatives grew, according to the survey. LinkedIn was used by 22 percent of U.S. adults online, Pinterest by 21 percent, Twitter by 18 percent and Instagram by 17 percent.

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Facebook tops U.S. social networking charts, but users eye other sites, too

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Nearly three-quarters of online adults now use a social networking site of some kind with Facebook the dominant platform, a survey found.

Seventy-three percent of Americans over age 18 on the Internet use at least one social network, the Pew Internet & American Live Project said in a release Monday.

However, a significant number of users are now diversifying onto other platforms and about 42 percent of online adults hop on multiple social networking sites, the survey found.

While Facebook is the preferred network, used by 71 percent of online adults, platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter are making gains, Pew said.

Facebook use rose from 67 percent a year ago.

Facebook and Instagram drew high levels of "user engagement," with a majority of users checking in on a daily basis, the survey indicated. Facebook owns Instagram.

The report is based on telephone interviews with 1,801 adults age 18 and older conducted Aug. 7 to Sept. 16. The margin of error is estimated at plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

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Social networking up in U.S., Facebook leads in total numbers

Wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is giving its more than 56 million subscribers nationwide free mobile access to the latest social networking apps and sites through its revolutionary new service called PowerApp, a mobile application that brings the most affordable unlimited Internet bundles to users today.

By installing PowerApp on their phones, users can get free access to the app and mobile sites of Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Path and Waze until January 15, 2014. The service is initially available to prepaid and postpaid Smart and Talk N Text users in the Philippines.

PowerApp is the worlds first mobile Internet storefront, which gives users the ability to access their favorite mobile apps and sites without the need for a WiFi connection, making the experience truly mobile.

Users no longer have to stay for several hours locked down to a table in a coffee shop or stay a little bit longer in the office to take advantage of the free WiFi connection.

A number of smartphone users today only use their smartphones for calling or texting, or wait till they reach their homes or offices to connect to the Internet. Through PowerApp and its affordable Internet bundles, subscribers can confidently keep posting, liking, or tweeting everywhere they go without the need for a WiFi connection, said Michele Curran, Data and International Services Head at Smart.

Subscribers can now post their photos on Facebook anytime, anywhere; tweet their thoughts on Twitter real-time; check in on any location via Foursquare; share common interests in Google Plus; avoid the chaotic holiday traffic mayhem using Waze; get their dream job with the help LinkedIn; and stay connected with their closest friends via Path with the help of PowerApp.

To activate the free unlimited access to social apps and websites, subscribers simply have to download Smarts PowerApp via Google Play or and register for the Free Social Package, originally priced at P20 for one day (Social20) or P10 for 3 hours (Social10).

iOS and feature phone users can also text FREE SOCIAL to 5555 (for Smart Prepaid, Postpaid, Infinity and Talk N Text) 9990 (for Smart Freedom Plan subscribers) or 7577 (for Smart Postpaid All-In users) to avail of the promotion.

With PowerApp, users can continuously enjoy these 7 social networking apps and services absolutely free.PowerApp provides free and unlimited notifications so users can continue to receive updates from background apps without having to incur additional data charges, Curran explained.

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Smart Powerapp gives free access to seven social apps this holiday season

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center Internet Project, 73% of "online adults" are now using social networking sites. Those adults are described as 18 years of age or older.

Even more interesting is the popularity of the networking sites they're using. Facebook (FB) still leads the pack by a large margin but Twitter (TWTR) only placed fourth on the list.

Seventy-one percent of the adults surveyed this year say they use Facebook. That's up from 67% a year ago. In second place was LinkedIn (LNKD) with 22% up from 20% last year. Privately-owned Pinterest registered a large increase year over year jumping from 15% to 21%.

According to the survey Twitter (TWTR) registered a 2% increase to 18% in the 2012-2013 study. In fifth place was Facebook-owned Instagram which saw an increase from 14% to 17% in the past year.

Pew researchers note that while Facebook is still the dominant force other networking sites have developed their own demographic user profiles:

As for crossover, 42% of online adults said they use multiple (two or more) networking platforms while 23% use only one. Of that second group, Facebook is the most popular choice registering a whopping 86 percent of single-site users. LinkedIn scored 8%, Pinterest 4% while Instagram and Twitter came in at 2% each.

The Pew survey results are based on data from telephone interviews conducted from August 7 to September 16, 2013, among a sample of 1,801 adults, age 18 and older.

-- Written by Gary Krakow in New York

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Facebook Dominates Adults' Use of Social Media