Facebook launches Workplace
Workplace by Facebook is a new way to communicate with your colleagues.
When was the last time you communicated with your friends by email? Ages ago, we bet. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, iMessage and FaceTime provide us with a simple way to talk and share images and videos with our friends and family. Workplace by Facebook combines all of these features but is designed for communicating with our colleagues. Instead of using Facebook before and after work, Facebook wants us to use the platform during working hours too.
Here’s how it works: Workplace by Facebook has the same look, feel and features as Facebook. Colleagues can create groups (e.g. “Advertising” or “A/W 2016 Ideas”), invite other colleagues and use the platform to brainstorm, share photos, arrange and hold meetings online, and much more. Think of it as a Facebook page just for your office.
Importantly, and quite rightly so, your personal Facebook and Workplace Facebook pages are completely separate. No more worrying that your latest drunken escapade will be on show to your bosses.
Workplace could replace all emails within your company.
Admittedly, similar services have been around for years. The difference is everyone is familiar with Facebook, making Workplace much easier to navigate and for newbies to hop on the bandwagon seamlessly. It involves very little training, meaning fewer costs for businesses.
We now have an excuse to spend all day on Facebook.
What about security? You’re probably hesitant to discuss business critical, highly sensitive information on a social network, right? The good news is that Facebook is serious about security. Companies control all of their data, meaning you can modify, delete or export your data at any time. You can read more about Workplace by Facebook’s security here.
We expect companies with a large workforce will benefit the most from Workplace. It seems like a great place to collectively brainstorm and communicate, which can be tricky and confusing when you have to factor in 50 members of a team via email.
If you’re still a bit confused about how Workplace by Facebook works, watch this video.
How to create an Instagram business profile
Finally, Instagram business accounts have arrived.
The change adds a call-to-action button to your page, displays your sector, and, most importantly, has analytics.
Making the change is simple.
- On your mobile, open Instagram
- Go to the profile you want to change to a business account
- Click on Settings (top right corner)
- Scroll down and click "Switch to Business Account"
- This will prompt you to login to Facebook
- Login to Facebook and allow the app to view your Pages
- Select the page you want linked to the Instagram account
- Confirm the details of your business
Done! Your page will now be a business account.
PLEASE NOTE: Be cautious when choosing an account to make a business account - you can only authorise ONE page on Facebook to be an Instagram business account. This means if you manage more than one Instagram account, only one will be able to be a business account.
Once you've made the change, your page will change slightly. There will be a call-to-action Contact button under your general stats, and you'll be able to explore analytics in the top right-hand corner or on individual posts.
Get snapping!
Nextdoor: Connect with your neighbours
Originally tested in the US, new social media network Nextdoor, aimed at encouraging social interaction between your neighbours, is launching in the UK.
Nextdoor enables you to interact with your neighbours via a mobile app. Neighbours can post about crime alerts, items for sale, required services (babysitter, plumber, etc), parking or building notifications, events, and much more.
Lost your pet? Found a child's toy? Maybe there's an issue with litter on your street? You can discuss this directly with your neighbours on Nextdoor.
Neighbours must verify their address via postcard or phone number, and once verified (and there are more than 10 members in one neighbourhood), the fun begins. The app has proved a great success in the US and has been tested in 500 neighbourhoods in the UK. It is thought that the timely launch of this app will help to rebuild local communities as a result of the Brexit vote.
We have social networks for close friends and family, for places we want to visit, for following celebrities, and for contacting businesses. Why not create a social network for our neighbours? Nextdoor is the ultimate community noticeboard.
The app is new to the UK so you might find that your neighbourhood doesn't have enough members to get started. So tell your family and neighbours that you (might) already talk to about the app to get the ball rolling.
More here: https://nextdoor.com/
We've signed up and below is an example of our neighbourhood.
10 Social Media Sins
Resident web development manager, Adam Leone (and self confessed social media grump) is having a bit of a moan and has come up with ten social media sins. These are just some of the things we experience on a daily basis on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
1. Referring to loved ones as "This one" or "These people"
Posting a picture of your friend or loved one, with a description that reads along the lines of "Found this one at the pub".
Ah, yes - only the true 10 or so friends will get what you're talking about. Good job you were so cryptic about your relationship with "this one".
2. Motivational posters, quotes and memes
An image of a sunset, someone walking down an empty road or someone looking longingly into the distance with a quote or caption by someone that we've never heard of.
We all have that one friend on Facebook who feels the need to preach through the use of memes or posters about how we can best live our lives.
3. Detailing your child's every move
It's become a trend now to upload images of ultrasound scans, followed by an image of the little one fresh out of the womb.
Here's something to consider before you next post a picture of your little one. No one cares about your child as much as you do.
4. Adding the word "Life" to hashtags
Uploading pictures of yourself on a beach, on a boat or somewhere else, accompanied with hashtags ending in "life". #YaughtLife #BeachLife #AnnoyedLife.
We get it, your existence on this earth is perfect because you've nestled yourself into whatever niche or fad that best suits your #QuirkyLife.
5. Uploading too many holiday photos
This is a fairly obvious one. Twenty photos is enough - not a 100.
Why is this annoying? Facebook is a place to pick and choose what you want people to see, not every little thing that goes on during your trip away - nobody is really that interested in you. Also, holiday photos just advertise the fact that your house is empty.
6. Duck feet
When someones feet are pointing inward in a photo.
This is meant to make the person look cute or slimmer by increasing the size of the thigh gap. Just stand properly please.
7. Over hashtagging
Using hashtags too much.
#When #You #Use #Too #Many #Hashtags #It #Just #Becomes #Noise #And #Looks #Like #Youre #Shouting!
8. The whinger
People complaining about their lives in a status - feeling tired of this.
People complaining about how they've only had three hours sleep or another arduous day at the office. These people actually serve a purpose by keeping things real on social media, however it's still a blatant cry for attention and shows a lack of perspective.
At least you have access to a phone or computer to upload your moans to the world. Some people in the world don't even have access to running water.
9. Voicing your political opinion
People taking a "higher ground" with their views during referendums or other times of political strife.
Proceed with caution. Know what you're talking about fully before doing this, or even better still, get a job in politics and make a real difference.
10. Speaking in the third person
Adam Leone is actually guilty of #thisone #ThirdPersonLife #SocialMediaGrumbles #SocialMediaSin #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram
A kicker of a social media manager slip-up
Every social media manager's worst nightmare is posting something on the wrong social channel.
With the click of a (wrong) button, a social media manager can unleash any number of posts, tweets, photos or videos to the wrong account for thousands to see. For an inexperienced manager, this is an easy mistake to make. For those of us more experienced, this is only a distant nightmare that we (touch wood) hope will never happen.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to the social media manager in charge of Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Man City's Ilkay Gundagon's social media channels. A post that was clearly meant to be posted on Gundagon's Twitter page was accidentally posted on rival team player Ozil's page. The link between the two is that both players are German-Turks, which makes it even more likely that this mishap was the working of the same social media manager.
Haha, whoever runs @Guendogan8 twitter, also runs @MesutOzil1088 twitter and just made a big mistake pic.twitter.com/9dji9lzJIs
— Daniel Melia (@danmelia) August 1, 2016
The interesting part of this story is the reaction from fans. Many were disappointed at the realisation that Ozil wasn't personally tweeting himself. Fans felt betrayed and annoyed that the persona they'd come to know and love was actually a random person at the end of a computer. The upside to this is that the social media manager must have been doing a good job to make fans think it was the man himself.
So, what can we learn from this all-mightly slip up? Firstly, take social media with a pinch of salt. It's highly likely that your favourite celebrity is paying for a professional to run their accounts for them. Secondly, remember that for many, social media is all business. Whilst the average Joe might use social media for its primary purpose - communication - celebrities, footballers, brands, bloggers, etc use social media for business purposes, and it can be very lucrative. Last but not least, if you do want someone to run your social media accounts, choose someone with experience and a good track record. I'm sure we know someone...
7 Social media marketing fails guaranteed to make you laugh (or cry)
Social media has many benefits for businesses big and small, but sometimes companies get it so wrong. Here are our top 7 social media marketing fails.
1. #SusanAlbumParty
A classic hashtag gone horribly wrong.
Susan Boyle, Britain’s Got Talent 2009 contestant (was it really that long ago?) innocently released an album and was holding an online launch party.
Unfortunately her social media marketing team seemingly overlooked the hashtag, which, when Twitter users typed without the capital letters, spelled Su’s Anal Bum Party. Got anything to tell us, Su?
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2. Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Here’s a lesson in how to alienate a large group of people (in this case, 4 million vegetarians and vegans) – stick loads of posters up around London and all over social media about how GREAT meat is and how vegetarians and vegans are missing out.
Way to p*ss off 11% of the UK population, GBK!
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3. Robert Dyas Christmas Advert
Good social media marketing campaigns usually leave customers with a feeling, wanting to take action, or start a conversation. But this? Nope. We STILL don’t know how to react.
Robert Dyas released this advert on Facebook as a present for us all at Christmas 2015. Apparently it’s a parody of American retailer Red House Furniture's commercial.
There's no such thing as bad publicity, right...?
https://youtu.be/_YS2dSa-Ud0
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4. Boaty McBoatface
Us Brits are great, aren’t we? When faced with the task of naming a brand new, state-of-the-art, multi-million pound investment polar research ship via online poll, which do we choose? Boaty McBoatface.
The name gained tens of thousands of votes, pushing it to the number one spot in the poll, and creating a massive wave of excitement on Twitter.
I guess the lesson of this marketing fail is… Don’t trust the Internet to name a boat?
NB: T&Cs stated that the Chief Exec got final say, who clearly didn’t think Boaty McBoatface was a good enough name (what?!). So they picked “RSS David Attenborough” – a worthy alternative, we say. But don't worry, Boaty McBoatface lives on via Twitter.
https://twitter.com/DoubleEmMartin/status/711796991903174656
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5. #AskSeaWorld
Oh dear. Who’s coming up with these awful ideas?
If you're not in the picture, SeaWorld has had a MAJOR backlash ever since the documentary, Blackfish, exposed the lives of the captured killer whales in their care.
In attempt to rehabilitate their image, they came up with the hashtag #AskSeaWorld to encourage Twitter users to ask questions about their park. Cringe.
https://twitter.com/BringtheFlag/status/581198861533908992
https://twitter.com/Vagabionda1/status/731167868738539520
https://twitter.com/KellisKupcakes/status/581137858666229760
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6. Microsoft's AI Twitter Bot
Science is GREAT, but when Microsoft combined science with Twitter, things went a bit wrong. And by a bit, we mean a lot. Car crash, if you will.
Microsoft launched an AI Twitter account, which is basically a robot account that learns what to say via its users through conversation.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, Tay (the AI) turned into a right knob, spewing racist tweets to the world. Safe to say Microsoft swiftly deleted these tweets and put the project on pause. See you later, Tay.
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7. South West Trains #SWT20
This is the icing on the marketing fails cake. South West Trains celebrated their 20th anniversary by asking commuters to share their favourite memories with the hashtag #SWT20.
They were asking for it really, weren’t they? Here are our favourite responses.
https://twitter.com/Jamescarragher/status/685074012544851968
https://twitter.com/Woody_woodo/status/685115063162789888
https://twitter.com/ol_king_col/status/685042269901209600
https://twitter.com/easterlauren1/status/685115024222875649
Five reasons why WordPress is the best for blogging and websites
Here at Terra Ferma we’re pretty evangelical about WordPress. As a free blogging platform and the backbone for premium websites, Wordpress has loads of advantages for different users: businesses and bloggers alike can benefit from its dynamic themes, SEO friendliness, fantastic functionality, incredible usability...the list goes on. In fact, 15% of the top 1,000,000 websites in the world use WordPress (including The New York Times and Time Magazine Blog). This can all seem a bit intimidating for the humble blogger, yet this evolving and expanding platform should still be the top choice for your blog.
Almost five years ago I decided that I’d like to channel a passion for cooking and eating into a blog. I’d admit it; I had no idea what I was doing. Since then I’ve learned a few things about how easy it can be to create, nurture and expand a Wordpress blog.
So here are five reasons why WordPress is the only word in blogging:
- You don’t have to be a computer whiz to use Wordpress
Creating a WordPress site; choosing a theme; and uploading your first post is simplicity itself. As long as you know how to open a web browser, you can create your very own blog. Of course, if you would like help developing your site, you can get all the support you need from WordPress savvy website development experts like us!
- Perfect for the technologically savvy
WordPress blogs can be as simple or as sophisticated as you want. With lots of additional functions, it offers the opportunity for users to gradually develop their blog. Whereas other blogging platforms leave you high and dry when you want to change things up a bit, Wordpress always offers easy ways to improve your site.
- It offers amazing themes
WordPress offers a fantastic choice of free designs as well as a huge catalogue of Premium themes. Whether you want a personal gardening blog, or one to showcase your business, there’ll be a theme to accommodate it!
- It’s incredibly popular
Wordpress really dominates the blogging world and has been around for over a decade. This means that users instinctively know their way around Wordpress sites, making it really easy for site visitors to navigate. You might have fantastic content, but if your reader can’t make head to toe of your blog’s layout, they’re not going to stick around.
- Content is easy to manage
In the digital world, content is king. It doesn’t matter how flashy your site is, if you can’t easily manage and clearly display your fantastic content, you won’t be able to draw the readers in. WordPress also have a great app – perfect for uploading posts and photos on the move!
Perhaps the best thing about WordPress is its potential. If you’d like to find out how to get the most out of your blog then please get in touch.
Can employers find you on Facebook?... Yes, they can now!
Facebook have carried through a threat to remove a privacy setting which kept user names out of the social network's graph search.
Users who use the "Who can look up your timeline by name?" feature will be notified of its removal.
What does this mean?
Facebook says that a “small percentage” of its users, who use the feature, will now be found on Facebook’s search engines when their names are punched into the search bar.
Facebook is trying to encourage people to control privacy settings through a post-by-post basis.
What can I do now?
Whenever and whatever you post up onto your profile should be checked as to whether it's for public view, friends or specific friends.
You may also want to think about 'timeline approval' which shows you what your friends may be posting with regards to location and who you're with.
Facebook has settings that let you review posts and photo tags before they're posted to your timeline.
How can I be more savy when it comes to privacy?
Another option within Facebook's privacy settings allows users to disable search engines from linking to their timelines.
That will at least cut down on the chance of someone looking for your profile outside the social network via a post.
Facebook says - “things you hide from your timeline still appear in news feed, search and other places on Facebook.”
They include some things you just can’t hide, namely profile pictures and cover photos, but also some news feed activity.
What do you think about the new privacy settings?
How can social media help your business?
Many business owners are concerned that are missing the social media boat but remain unconvinced the benefits. They often get side tracked by personal opinions about Facebook ("My daughter wastes her life on that thing!") or Twitter ("Who cares what so-and-so had for breakfast?!"). And with every passing month it seems that a new social media technology demands our attention. Instagram? Pinterest? Vine? The list is endless. Where do we business owners start?Read more
