The Social Path

Facebook’s “Like” button takes on a lot more weight.

This week, Facebook made a few changes to the "Like" button to give it more power across the Web.

The first major change seems to be a natural addition: Users can now attach comments when they click “Like”. Essentially turning it into the “share” button, Facebook is letting users elaborate and relate the story to their community with a personal message.

The second major change gives more power to website administrators using the “Like” button. Now after a user has Liked an item, the administrators can push relevant information out to the newsfeed of the "connected users" (formerly known as fans).

Just as you already receive updates from Facebook pages you Like, you will now be subscribing to those items, blog posts, comments, etc. that you Like around the Web.

Attached to this change are some great analytics for administrators. Without violating any privacy terms Facebook can provide information to administrators on how the (anonymous) users came through Facebook to the site in the categories "home,” “profile,” “search,” or “other.” This has the potential to help administrators better communicate and understand their consumers in a big way.

However, it's important that administrators not abuse this privilege. As Facebook explained in their blog "We encourage websites with objects that people may want to more permanently connect with, such as a brand or product, to publish relevant updates to its connected users.” It's likely that your website does not lend itself to this definition and just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

From a user’s standpoint, I'm concerned that Facebook doesn't mention how to "unlike" an item should you grow weary of the updates. I assume this will be as easy as returning to the original post and unliking but we'll just have to wait and see.

All the same, this is a big move in the socialization of the Web. This opens up a line for simple two-way communication between users and brands that will change consumer life.

How new tech is helping mobile gaming go mainstream.

We have a bit of an obsession with emerging technology here at Luckie & Co., so I have to say I had a blast writing the cover story for Adweek's recent special issue on Gaming. The topic was "real-world gaming," the idea of building competition and fun into daily life — and how marketers are just starting to get involved.

If you didn't get a chance to read it while it was on the newsstand, be sure to check out the article online. (If you're a client of Luckie and would like a free copy of the print edition, just let me know by e-mail.)

I wanted to share one sidebar that's included with the piece. It's a quick summary of "the tools behind the gaming trends." If you're feeling a little behind on some of the technology, hopefully this will help feel up to speed:

GPS

Developed for military use in the 1970s, satellite-based Global Positioning System technology didn't get much public attention until it was added to mobile devices and car navigation in the 1990s. Today, GPS is the backbone for location-based applications like Gowalla, Foursquare and Yelp.

What's next: Facebook is finally rolling out its own location-based features, which could be a game changer in a field currently led by small startups.

QR Codes

Quick Response codes have been tremendously popular in Asia for years, but are just now hitting the American mainstream. Easy to create (just search for "QR code generator" online), these codes can link to almost any site or embed information such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Any mobile device with a QR scanner app can pull up the information.

What's next: Look for QR codes to start popping up on product labels, magazine ads, posters and just about anything else that wants to drive consumers to a site with more information.

Augmented Reality
 
One of the most buzzworthy tools in marketing today, augmented reality blends digital imagery with the real world. Using cues such as logos or GPS coordinates, programmers can make images and information pop up on screens in real time. So far, marketers have mostly used Webcam applications, such as Esquire's popular AR issue and Doritos' Blink 182 "concert on a bag."

What's next: Thanks to the addition of a highly accurate gyroscope and video upgrades, the iPhone 4 could be the first device to bring mobile augmented reality to the masses, creating endless potential for real-world games and virtual entertainment.

To learn a whole lot more about mobile gaming and technology, remember to check out the full article in Adweek, "Beyond Breakout: The world is like a giant game board. Why don't all marketers want to play?"

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

Putting Facebook's 500 million in perspective.

Everyone was buzzing this week about Facebook hitting an impressive landmark: 500 million users.

But how big is 500 million, really? Here at The Social Path, we decided to put it in perspective by digging up quite a few other "500 million" stats. Some are surprising, some are relevant — but most are just random. Hey, we all celebrate in our own ways.

Other things that are 500 Million:

• Amount of dollars offered by Facebook to buy Twitter in November 2008. Twitter declined.

• Number of app downloads in the first six months of the iTunes App Store.

• Amount of dollars earned by James Cameron’s “Avatar” within a month of its release.

• Number of stars (give or take) in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy recorded as far back as Ferdinand Magellan’s 16th-century voyage around the world.

• Gallons of coal ash sludge that spilled across a Tennessee community in December 2008, covering a wider area than the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989.

 • Number of times Web browser Firefox had been downloaded way back in February 2008.

• Amount of Amazon forest trees toppled by one incredibly violent storm in January 2005.

• Estimated age in years of fossilized carnivorous squid Nectocaris pteryx.

• Net worth, in British pounds, of former Beatle Paul McCartney at the time of his 2008 divorce.

• Audience size for Tiffany Jo Allen, the winner of the “Yahoo Yodel” contest who was featured on the Web portal’s U.S. home page.

• Total number of people living in “absolute poverty” in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

• Number of Web visitors in the first hour of registration for Michael Jackson’s memorial at the Staples Center.

• Approximate population of the European Union.

So congratulations, Facebook, on becoming the size of the EU, a coal sludge disaster and a small galaxy. You've earned it.

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

Is this the business directory of the future?

While it might not seem too revolutionary, I'm a big fan of this Social Media Directory page on Carnegie Mellon University's site.

Organizations of all sizes have really struggled with the fragmentation of social media channels in recent years, and sometimes the solution is good-old-fashioned organization.

Does your workplace have something like this in place? If not, could it use one?

UPDATE: Here's another great example from Texas.gov. Thanks to Luke Rosenberger for the tip.

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

New work: Tea Town USA Facebook app for McAlister's.

We don't normally plug our client work here on The Social Path (though if you're interested, you can find more of that kind of stuff on Luckie's agency blog, The ReThink Tank). But I wanted you all to get a chance to see our current promotion in real time, since we'll be shutting it down at the end of the month.

Tea Town USA is a Facebook competition among all 236 communities that have a local McAlister's Deli. Each vote for your favorite town is a point, and the town with the most points by the end of July will be crowned Tea Town USA, which comes with $5,000 for new shade trees or park improvements.

The response has been absolutely explosive, with more than 30,000 people casting more than 67,000 votes in the first two weeks. Some communities are really rallying to the cause, as you can see from news coverage in Charlotte, N.C., and Longview, Texas. 

Here's a video update posted today:

Best of all, the McAlister's Deli Tea Freaks Facebook Page has become a bustling hub of activity since the campaign launched, with thousands of fan interactions such as likes, comments and posts.

So if you get a minute to check it out, visit the Tea Town USA Facebook app or TeaTownUSA.com and cast a vote for your favorite McAlister's community. And if you haven't gotten to try McAlister's famous iced tea, you should swing by a location on July 29, Free Tea Day, for a 100% free glass. It's some seriously good stuff.