Here’s what has caught my eye in the past week.
Facebook Paper is here
The big news this week is that Facebook has finally announced its plan to launch Paper. Fed up of scolling through your newsfeed scanning through post upon post from Buzzfeed? Well soon you’ll be able to download an app that changes the interface. Those of you who know Flipboard will be familiar with the mechanic. In a broader look at this, it’s Facebook’s attack at becoming your main provider of news. Read here to find more and expect more buzz around this next week when it launches in the US. European launch plans are TBC.
Why should they share?
#HackTheSale is simple. If you tweet or share the deal, the price goes down. When you’re talking to brands about how they can get people to ‘engage’ you always, always always have to ask yourself: what’s in it for the sharer? They aren’t going to do it unless there is a reward. And in this case, the reward is monetary. Check out the site.
Instagram can make you money
Have you heard of foap? It’s like iStock / Getty images for Instagram photos. You can sign up and upload your Instagram images. People can then search and pay to buy them from you. Images cost $10 and you’ll get $5. They’re now working with brands and agencies on ‘missions’ in which you can get crowd sourced images for your campaigns. It’s well worth checking out, because this is the future of branded imagery. In a similar vein, you should take a look at this lovely site from Coach calledcoachfromabove. Simply tag your photo with #CoachFromAbove and your photo could be featured on the site. The call to action is simple, the reward is recognition.
Some news from Pinterest
Two bits of news from Pinterest this week. The first is the launch of ‘Interests’. It’s an Interest-Based Homepage and is designed to match your personal tastes. You’ll be able to find pins you like and is based on those you have collected before. Take a look here to find out more. The second piece of news is that Pinterest generates four times more revenue than Twitter. Not convinced? HERE’S AN INFOGRAPHIC (ergo it must be true).
Buzzfeed of the week: 31 Vines that are guaranteed to make you laugh
Vine continues to go strong. And brands are still trying to make it work. Here are some Vines that should provide you with a healthy dose of Friday funny. Note: none of them are from brands.
Wow of the week: How Nokia connects with its amazing community
OK, so this isn’t “wow” in the usual sense of the word, but I think Nokia, despite some questionable handsets and a rocky future, has really cracked brand advocacy. It’s a huge job, and they have a global network of “Nokians” who wax lyrical about the new tech to no end. Click here to read more but in summary, here are their rules:
Nokia’s “7 super rules of engagement”
1. We discover and get involved in relevant conversations.
2. We reward people who create amazing things with their Nokias by showcasing and amplifying their content.
3. We give people the opportunity to test out the latest Nokia products through device trials.
4. We inspire our community to be creative with creative content and challenges on Instagram, Vine, Twitter, Facebook and Nokia Conversations.
5. We take members of the community to key events around the world such as MWC, Nokia World, CES and Social Media Week.
6. We build real relationships through years of community management on social media, telephone, email and most importantly, one-to-one!
7. We provide our community with access to Nokia employees, from R&D to Product Managers to Marketing.
Asad Dhunna 