Foursquare has launched its Tip Lists features today, attempting to capitalize on people’s unending desire to create lists about locations, like Top Five Coffee Shops in SF, etc etc. Up until now your Foursquare Tips have sort of roamed free on the app, without rhyme or reason or real incentive to add more. Today the company is trying to improve on the Tips experience and get users to fancy themselves local experts. After all, you must know something about some place in the city you live in right? - Foursquare Gets Into The Crowdsourced Curation Game With Tip Lists (TechCrunch)

Google has begun integrating Google+ into search results with public Google+ posts now appearing in Social Search.

Whenever a user publicly shares a link on Google+, an annotation will show up under that link when it appears in a friend’s search results. For example, if I share a Mashable article about Google+ eliminating pseudonyms publicly on my Google+ page, users who have added me to their circles will see a note that I shared that link if they stumble upon it in Google Search. – Google+ Posts Now Appear in Google Search Results (Mashable)

Here are the top Internet strategy, marketing and technology links for the week of August 13, 2011… [Read more...]

Facebook may be where you catch up with friends, but a new survey by The Creative Group confirms it’s increasingly a place for business. Close to half, 46 percent, of advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they currently use Facebook for professional purposes. Fifty-six percent of respondents expect to take advantage of this social network for business in the next three years.

When respondents were asked to estimate what percentage of their Facebook friends are business or professional contacts, the overall average response was 21 percent.

“Chances are, nearly everyone you know — from your dentist to your colleague — is a part of at least one online community,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. “Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or Google+, people are finding social networks useful for expanding their professional contact base, mining information that can help them in their careers, and showcasing their strengths and industry expertise.” – More Than Friends, Social Media is Increasing for Business

Are you confused about what your social media mission, goals, objectives, strategies and tactics are?

If so, you’re not alone. For years, many marketers have gnashed their teeth over the definitions and priorities of the various pieces of the puzzle.

Regardless of which end of the marketing spectrum you are on, it is important to understand ALL the nuances between the above components. Why is this important? A few reasons:

• Well defined plans set clear targets for everyone to achieve
• Common definitions keep everyone on the same page
• Thinking through everything helps avoid a “ready-fire-aim” mentality, with its heavy emphasis on tactics
• Doing a full assessment upfront allows you to determine how different marketing components—ranging from advertising to PR to social media—will fit together
• Planning ahead forces you to fully define what you’re trying to accomplish, and how you will measure results
• When things start to get crazy or go off course, a good plan will help you stay focused – Is Your Social Media Strategy Sailing In Circles?

A maths professor in Canada has set out on a task that is sure to bring a smile to the faces of brands and marketers the world over. Margaret Ellen Messenger has just received a grant to start a 5 year project to develop a set of formulas that examines how influence and connections work in social media. The aim of the experiment is to look at how social connections online translate into ‘real world’ influence and to attribute a value to these connections from a scientific point of view. It’s set to be a fascinating project, as Messenger will be looking into wider structures of society and how we now function through social media to build connections and communicate with each other. It’s by no means an easy task, but is she taking on the impossible? – Maths professor to find a formula for influence in social media

  Uptake of social media marketing among small and medium-sized businesses has become widespread. Research has suggested it’s a cost-effective, easy-to-use marketing channel that can boost customer acquisition as well as fulfill other marketing goals. But most small businesses still don’t see social media as a necessity.

More than half of the small-business decision-makers surveyed in June by small-business insurance provider Hiscox said they used social media for business purposes, but a plurality also declared that it wasn’t necessary to their business. Just 12% considered it a “must.” – Are Small Businesses Apathetic About Social Media?

With Foursquare topping headlines in the past year, many businesses are hopping on the location-based marketing (LBM) bandwagon.

While many merchants hope check-ins will immediately generate sales, most are finding that to be far from the case. Turning check-ins into real-world sales isn’t as easy as it sounds. – How to Make Sure Check-Ins Don’t Check Out: Five Location-Based Marketing Tips