Earlier this month, Aaron Hahn wrote about Apple finally adding two-factor authentication. With tech giants like ‘The Fruit’ & Google implementing the added security measures, it was just a matter of time until social media got involved on a larger level.
Just last week, Twitter officially announced their own two-factor authentication. So who would be next?
That answer came earlier today as LinkedIn announced their two-step verification.
So, of course, the question becomes… who’s next?
On Monday, Matt Cutts (the head of search spam at Google) broke away from tradition and pre-announced some changes Google will be making regarding SEO and webspam later this summer. He briefly touched on ten or so changes that will be coming to Google’s algorithms and search results in the “next few months”.
As always, Matt added the usual disclaimer that priorities and timelines may change between now and then – but this is what is scheduled currently. Here’s a quick summary of the ten points followed by the video:
(Another) Major Penguin Update
Advertising Spam
A Harder Look At Spammy Queries
Going Upstream At Link Spammers
Higher Quality Link Analysis
Improvements On Hacked Sites
Authority Boost In Algorithm
Panda To Somewhat
Adjustments To Domain Clusters In SERPs
Improved Communication To Webmasters
Now more than ever, Google seems to be listening to feedback from webmasters. What other changes would you like to see regarding search results, web sites and web spam? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
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We’re pleased to announce that our new Twitter guidelines page is now live!
These are just some of the featured topics that are covered:
Managing Your Account
Following The Right People
The Differences Between Twitter and Facebook
Twitter Lists
Hashtag Usage
For these and all of the other Twitter guidelines, head on over to our How To Use Twitter resource page!
Just a brief update on an upcoming resource, as we’re currently finalizing our latest page which has to do with Twitter guidelines. Featured topics will include: how to keep your Twitter account manageable, following the right people, the differences between Twitter and other social media platforms, and much, much more. The page should be up next month and we’ll be sure to post here when it goes live!
In a move that some would view as “a long time coming”, Twitter recently confirmed integration with Facebook, such as the way usernames, hashtags, photos and more are cross-posted. Rich media features related to the first photo, URL, @mention or #hashtag in cross-posted tweets are now included.
As you may already know, we are very supportive of Twitter hashtags as social media resources for discussion and organization, so this just helps the cause even more!
Last week we posted a brief update to our Vegau Facebook page about the latest on Facebook offers. Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen Facebook testing this (latest) Offers feature, and now it appears that the offers are being rolled out to the general public. What’s interesting is that Facebook is keeping this rollout on the down-low. Given their track record with similar attempts regarding offers, this is probably a wise strategy.
As for the offers themselves, they are currently only available to advertising clients, but the good news is that they are free to run. These offers/coupons could be a big step forward for social commerce as we know it, for a couple of reasons. First off, the deals are very easy to reclaim – which will make users/consumers happy. Second, the offers will have the potential to become viral, allowing them to spread rapidly over the vast Facebook network.
While some are surprised that the feature is free to use, we feel that it makes perfect sense to start the program this way. Due to the nature of social media, word will spread like wildfire among advertisers. The fastest way for these businesses to get the word out will be to run an ad or sponsored story. Therefore, not only will businesses be able to monetize the enormous traffic of the social network, but Facebook will also end up benefitting over the long haul as an increasing number of advertisers spend more money.
What does all of this mean? We believe that the arrival of true social commerce is here, and it will be exciting to see how it plays out over time. Stay tuned!
Just about all of us nowadays use some form of social media, and most who do have accounts on multiple platforms. Being that I’m one of those multiple-platform people, I figured I would share some thoughts on some of the “not-so-good” trends I’ve noticed – in hopes of making the Social Media Universe a better place.
Do you know social media users who engage in the following?
#1) Connecting Twitter To LinkedIn
This may seems obvious to some, but I still know some very smart people who do it. The Social Media Universe will be a much happier place once people realize what each social media platform is for. For instance, LinkedIn is more for career-related items at a slower pace while Twitter has more of a current, micro-blog feel to it. Therefore, connecting your high-frequency Twitter account to your LinkedIn feed is not a good thing, as it is a sure-fire way to annoy many of your professional connections.
#2) Posting “Old News” On Facebook
It always cracks me up when someone posts a “breaking news” item to Facebook as if they’e the first to report it, when in fact the story is hours or even over a day old. Chances are, if you see something on the internet, you’re not going to be the first to break the story to all of your friends 
On the other hand, if you post a link to a story AND share a comment on it at the same time, then that’s a much better way to engage your friends in discussion – which is one of the purposes of social media!
#3) Posting What Songs You’re Listening To
I love music. I love all different types of music. I love discovering new music. However, I do not want to know about every time you listen to music. Sharing a new song with friends every now and then is a wonderful use of social – but tweeting or creating a Facebook post every three minutes as you go through music on Spotify is just reason for your friends to delete you from their Twitter stream or newsfeed.
#4) Posting What Articles You’re Reading
When it comes to social media, sharing should mean caring. Unfortunately, some users engage in over-sharing, which few people enjoy. If there is a great new song out there that you want others to listen to…by all means, share it! The same goes for a great article that you’ve read. But…as with music, when you share every single item you come across, it becomes tiresome. Therefore, I encourage you to check your sharing settings before you start getting removed from Facebook newsfeeds or Twitter streams for sharing countless articles you’ve read about Snooki.
#5) Harassing or “Trolling” on Twitter
I understand that Twitter can be great for one-liners and sarcasm. Heck, my friends and I do it all the time and some of the material is quite humorous. However, there is a line, a “Trolling Line” if you will, that some end up crossing. When you begin to single out a particular person and tweet them nothing but angry, pointless garbage, chances are that you’ll get unfollowed or blocked. That’s kind of NOT the point of social media, eh?
#6) “Going Political” On Facebook
One of the most polarizing things you can do in this day and age is to try to convince how dumb others are for not believing in your political views. “Polarizing” and “social” don’t mix, right? So, unless you’re ready to raise the blood pressure of your friends, be careful of what you post.
Yes, I get it, it’s a free country. But if you go the platform route as opposed to a discussion route, it usually doesn’t end pretty when it comes to social interaction. Believe me, I’ve seen plenty of cases. If you’re really into politics, then Twitter will probably be a better medium for you.
However, if you insist on using Facebook for talking politics, I encourage you to keep it short and sweet. That way, It is at least much more tolerable and less polarizing than if you launch into some long-winded commentary on how you disagree with so-and-so. That’s what blogs are for, eh?
#7) Checking In On Foursquare to “Fake” Locations
Although this one cracks me up initially, it gets old rather quickly. Foursquare is for sharing cool, fun places out in the world where your friends may be – whether it be a restaurant, shopping center, stadium, etc. What I don’t get are those people who check in to places like their college or home. Is that really worth sharing?
I guess Foursquare is partly to blame, as users can become the “Mayor” of the locations they check-in at the most, but still. In the words of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown… “C’mon, man!”.
Well, that’s it’s until next time. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. If you have any other “Social Media Sins” that annoy you that were not mentioned here, please share them in the comments section below!
Earlier this morning, we were pleased to formally announce our expanded SEO service lineup to the world. You can view the release here at Virual Strategy Magazine.