Pylon Sounds

To celebrate 40 years of partnership with the French Open, banking group BNP Paribas is inviting tennis fans to personally get involved with Jo-Wilfred Tsonga’s training program – via Twitter.

The ‘Tweet and Shoot’ campaign sees social media users drag-and-drop a tennis ball on a virtual tennis court, positioning their shot and then firing the ball at Tsonga. The shot is encoded as a hashtag and put into a tweet, which is then sent to the tennis champ, along with a personal message if desired.

Then on May 23 an on-court robot, connected to Twitter via 3G, will randomly select users’ tweets and launch tennis balls at Tsonga, precisely mapping the positioning of the user’s shot. BNP Paribas is also running a community competition for ‘VIP trainers’ who will win a guaranteed shot at the star, rather than hoping theirs is randomly selected on the day.

Tsonga said: “I’ve always loved a challenge and when BNP Paribas asked me to take part in a world first experience to mark its 40-year partnership with Roland-Garros, I was immediately intrigued. Being trained by fans on Twitter a few days ahead of the French Open – what a daring challenge.

“I’m looking forward to taking on the technical prowess of Twitter users. Hopefully, sharing this experience with all these tennis fans will bring me luck for the tournament.”

Designed and developed by social media agency We Are Social, the Tweet and Shoot event marks a world-first for sport and mass participation, and provides interesting clues as to where future campaigns could go in bridging the online/offline divide.

 

It’s exciting to see that social media jobs are mainstream in companies of all sizes! The role has evolved into a number of specializations as many of us predicted it would. And companies are realizing the value and hiring people to solve the business problems that the social web has created. The evolution and adoption of a profession makes find a job much more competitive.

The secret to finding a job today in social media is really similar to any other profession. You need to understand what the company’s pain points are. And you need to be able to express the transferable skills that you have  that will help the business problems stated in the job description.

What is important:

• Experience – if you’re lacking in this area then try some of these:

Find a community in a vertical that you’re passionate about and volunteer there. Contact the admin and ask how you can help. Community Managers are always happy to accept help.

Search the web for internship opportunities. Many of these are remote opportunities.

Help a local business get started leveraging social media. (This may turn into a paid gig if you can show the value!)

• Writing skills

Blogging will be your best friend to hone your writing and story telling skills.

Reading other blogs is a great way to get ideas, tips and further your skill set

• Business knowledge and impact

This means the ability to show the value of your work in terms the business understands

For example, will you be responsible for building brand, lead gen, SEO or providing customer service on the web?

You need to know how to measure and show the impact of your efforts

Ideally, you will have proof points of this on your resume from your work experience

What is not important:

• Domain expertise

There was much debate over this a few years ago. Today’s job market requires a solid social skill set and the ability to be passionate about the subject matter.

The subject knowledge can be attained on the job.

• An amazing personal brand

It is important to have up to date profiles on LinkedIn and other social channels. (This is your profession and you should have demonstrable knowledge.)

Remember that the company is interested in having their business problems solved. If you have a great brand presence allow it to shine thru as expertise that you’ll provide.

What did I miss?

Have you went thru a job search recently or are seeking a social media role now?

What points would you like me to expand on?

In a bid to stave of overwhelming competition from the likes of Amazon and eBay, retailer Target is taking a punt at a social commerce venture which, they say, will “bridge the gap between digital and their stores.”

Cartwheel is an ambitious digital savings initiative between Target and Facebook, but its premise is simple enough. The program gives users personalized coupons to share with friends on the social network, and the scan in-store. When users claim an offer, Cartwheel generates posts to their newsfeeds. Predictably, the more coupons redeemed and the more friends invited, the more rewards on offer.

“Target recognizes that shopping is an inherently social experience,” Facebook said in a statement. “It’s been fantastic working with the company on the development of Cartwheel, and we’re excited to see how Target customers use the product.”

Well, points for effort for Target, which at least recognizes the need to create a strong presence in the digital world. But surely Facebook should know better by now – f-commerce has struggled to find its feet ever since its inception and with the rise of other social shopping models (P-commerce, or ‘participatory commerce’, in particular taking flight), many reckon that Cartwheel, with its mish-mash of commerce ideas, will fall flat.

Indeed, the editors of CIO Journal have already said the initiative is certainly “not a game changer”, citing claims from Forrester Research Inc that the service is “overly complicated”. Indeed, elsewhere around the web reports are trickling in that Cartwheel’s sharing function requires “a PhD from MIT” to turn off. Which means users’ entire Facebook networks will be able to see just how much booze they bought at the weekend, or how many packets of cookies they consider acceptable for a night in front of the TV. Is any coupon worth that kind of shame?

Of course, it’s still too early to call it. But certainly precedent suggests there won’t be any handstands for Cartwheel.

Instagram addiction, Twitterholism, Facebook fatigue… these are the kind of terms touted by the media in a bid to condemn the increasing amount of time we dedicate to social media – sometimes at the expense of real life.

But, as ‘social media addiction’ cements itself more firmly in our lexicon, is it something we need genuinely worry about? This tongue-in-cheek video by yourtango takes a humorous look at it from an extreme angle, on one hand taking the mickey of scaremongering media outlets, while on the other painting an uncomfortable picture of lives overwhelmed by digital demands. As Tweetsy, the Responsible Use of Social Media Bird, says: “Don’t tweet the whole day away and you’ll keep the social media fatigue at bay.” Wise words, Tweetsy!

Snapchat seems to be attracting more interest recently with more users of and more questions about the mobile sharing app which allows you to send images and text (‘Snaps’) to contacts with an ‘auto-destruct’ after a few seconds. In April, CEO Evan Spiegel announced that 150m photos were shared each day, and the app has come under investigation as to whether the images actually do auto-destruct. There is also a perception that the app is a fad among teens, and the auto-destruct nature of the communication makes it suitable for mere frippery or even for sexting.

But the rise of Snapchat is much more interesting than that; it presents a real innovation in communication tools.

Social media tools typically allow communication (in text or visually) that is then stored forever. You can get lost in a sea of your own memories and in the messages and updates for others. This can be confusing in itself – the nature of memories tends to eschew this kind of cataloguing of detail. But also it reflects more the nature of written communications - things that are logged and recorded; filed and searchable. And this is at odds with the nature of much of the things that we communicate on social media.

Much of what we want to say to contacts in social media is ‘of the moment’ – it is a greeting or a friendly hello, a piece of information or advice. It is not content that the recipient will need after they have read it, and it is certainly not content that needs to be stored, catalogued and searchable. It reflects more much of our spoken communication – passing a message on in the now. And to date social media tools have been poor at meeting this need.

What Snapchat offers is a tool for communication as ephemera – content and messaging that has a shelf-life and doesn’t need to live on after that.

So much of the way we interact as human beings is like this that I would expect to see a real rise in tools that operate in a similar way to Snapchat; tools that don’t require everything we say in social media to be forever.

Of course, there is much that is wrong with Snapchat – the concerns of bullying, sexting and whether those photos are really deleted are all real. But the essence of the app – the ephemeral nature of communication is also very real. And it has the opportunity to develop and to change the way we communicate through digital devices, and the way brands communicate with us. What would you say if you could pass on a message that genuinely lived just in the now?

An app that gives Facebook users a one in six chance of having their profiles deleted has been banned by the site.

Social Roulette – aimed at those considering a break from the digital demands of social networking, or those just game for a gamble – promises to remove Facebook photos, friends, comments and updates before deactivating the account, providing the player drew the ‘loaded chamber’ in an app game mimicking the very real and lethal game of Russian Roulette.

“Everyone thinks about deleting their account at some point, it’s a completely normal reaction to the overwhelming nature of digital culture,” states the app’s website.

However, if users spin to an empty barrel, their accounts remain unaffected except for the message: ‘I just played Social Roulette and survived’.

But just four hours after the app launched, Facebook shut it down for “violating its platform policies”.

Some observers note that this is simply responsible behaviour on Facebook’s behalf: if the user strikes out and immediately regrets the decision, who can help? The developer? Clearly it’s not up to Facebook to clean up the metaphorical mess.

But on the other hand, some are accusing Facebook of being too controlling. After all, it’s your account to do with what you will, right? Well, that’s debatable – and perhaps it’s this level of control that’s prompting people to ‘pick up the gun’ in the first place.

Foul-mouthed British chef Gordon Ramsay was at the centre of a social media meltdown this week after he walked off an American episode of Kitchen Nightmares, claiming he was unable to help the couple who restaurant he was tasked with turning around.

The show revealed that the hapless restaurateurs, Samy and Amy Bouzaglo, of Amy’s Baking Company in Arizona, had fired more than 100 employees in a year, and would routinely shout at customers that complained of poor service. One diner who asked why he had not yet been served was told: “go f**k yourself.” Now, Ramsay is not adverse to the odd fiery outburst so for him to walk away from such behaviour is a damning indictment indeed.

In any case, the episode was aired and shortly afterwards viewers took to social media in droves to lambast the couple’s shoddy business ethic. Across the restaurant’s Facebook page and over Twitter, Reddit and Yelp shocked Kitchen Nightmares fans criticised the couple, with most – for once – on Ramsay’s side.

And then the Bouzaglos did the worst thing possible: they retaliated, raining down a maelstrom of abuse at the ‘haters’:

 

The tirade continued for several days before coming to an abrupt halt with the following message:

Hmm, obviously. Call us cynical, but it does seem a tad unlikely that this excuse could really hold up. Fingers crossed the ‘FBI computer crimes unit’ can bring the real perps to justice, or that the couple at least take a crash course in social media crisis management. Or manners, for that matter.

 

It’s week three of our SMI ’13 conference ticket giveaway and what a creative lot you are. Last week’s question, ‘A world without Twitter is a world without…’ delivered a raft of smart responses. ‘Procrastination’ observed one entrant. ‘Immediacy’ said another. One person even said that a world without Twitter is a world without friendships. Aww!

This week, we want your thoughts on Facebook. If the networking giant could introduce any feature to its platform, what would you want it to be? Remember, the wittiest, most thought-provoking  or insightful responses will win a free pass to SMI’s 2013 conference, ‘360 Degrees of a Social Company‘.

To enter, tweet your response to us @socialinfluence using #SMI13Comp, post it on our Facebook page, or email our editor at Rachel@SocialMediaInfluence.com.

This week sees the release of vukee M, a new app that allows photo enthusiasts to sell their iPhone and Android pictures on a mobile marketplace at the touch of a button. But it’s not the only app that lets users (moderately) line their pockets with their smartphone habits; we round up three – including vukee M – that promise cash rewards without interfering in your life.

 

GymPact 

A nice take on the crowdfunding model, GymPact effectively guilts users into meeting their self-imposed gym attendance quota each week, or else they risk a financial penalty. Every week gym-goers set their workout schedule for the next seven days and make a pledge of between $5 and $50 for every workout missed. At the end of the week, everyone that chose the couch over the treadmill coughs up, and the total is split between those that kept their end of the bargain. The app verifies workouts with check-ins, geolocation and connectivity with running app RunKeeper.

Platform and developer: Android, iOS (by GymPact).

Final word: Clearly not a good choice for existing couch potatoes, but for gym bunnies already making exercise a big part of their lives, this app could deliver nicely, as long as you’re okay taking money on the basis of other people’s failings in life.

 

vukee M

As mentioned above, vukee M – launched this week – allows snap-happy smartphone users to upload their photos to a central marketplace, where, allegedly, their images will be seen by thousands of agencies, editors and commercial buyers. No word yet on the sums involved, but the site claims that if a purchase is made, users will “enjoy a high percentage of the selling price, which they can use to upgrade their device, pay for a trip around the world … or do anything else that they wish”. This would suggest big bucks at stake, but we suspect the real figure is probably much more nominal.

Platform and developer: Android, iOS (by vukee M).

Final word: No doubt there is a growing trend towards candid, Instagram style photographs in marketing and editorial – even in store windows. If this app proves successful, it could pioneer this emerging marketplace, and give some power back to those whose pictures end up used without permission. But bankrolling a trip around the world? Unlikely.

 

Checkpoints 

Checkpoints is a rewards app that encourages users to earn points through playing games, scanning certain items in particular stores, logging check-ins and so on. Out and about, users can fire up the app, and it’ll tell them what’s available nearby. One check-in might be worth 20 points. Scanning a product nearby might be worth 40. Every time a product is scanned, the app will give the user the chance to win extra points through in-app games or special promotions. The app also builds on social connections, encouraging and rewarding users for sharing product tips on networks, or introducing friends to the scheme. Points can be redeemed in-app for dinners, gadgets, airline miles and hotel stays.

Platform and developer: Android, iOS (by inMarket Media).

Final word: Clearly the whole thing is an exercise in product marketing, a kinda ‘we’ll reward you for looking at this but hopefully you’ll buy it anyway, or at least get your friends to’ deal. However, it’s not an intrusive app, and doesn’t require any more effort than a cursory glance when you’re already out shopping. It’ll no doubt take a while to rack up a significant number of points, but what’s a few scans here and there if it means some decent freebies down the line?

 

Last year I wrote about innovation having attended an Open University Business School event on the topic, and recently I’ve just been to another one all about leadership. Here’s a quick summary of 6 questions and answers that came out of the session:

1. What do we mean by leadership?

Professor Jean Hartley took everyone through the 5 Ps:

1. Person – personal characteristics and leadership style(s).
2. Position – e.g. a position of authority often creates access to resource pools, but equally there are many leaders who don’t hold positions of formal authority.
3. Process – i.e. between a set of stakeholders, and energising and organising others.
4. Performance – achievements and skills.
5. Projection – both in terms of the qualities the leader projects to others, and which others project onto the leader.

The advice was to consider all 5 Ps as opposed to focusing on just one area.

2. What type of leadership is best?

It depends on the context, and the type of problem the leader is encountering, e.g. Rittel and Webber’s:

• Tame problems – which although complicated are still resolvable because we’ve come across them before and know how to fix them. In these cases leadership is more about applying tried and tested approaches capably.
• Wicked problems – which we’ve never encountered before, and are typically interlinked with so many other factors and issues as to make them incredibly complex and multi-faceted. In these cases leadership is about asking the right questions, and knowing who the right stakeholders are to be involved, and how they should be managed.

3. What skills should a leader possess?

According to Professor Hartley:

• Strategic direction & scanning – what you need to do, and when, and the tenacity to stick to it. The leader really has to believe in it if it’s going to be a success.
• Building alignment & alliances – i.e.  the leader as a “connector”, and crucially demonstrating political astuteness – a skill which people accepted was important in Hartley’s research, despite the stigma and “dark arts” reputation of organisational power and politics.
• Reading people & situations – e.g. alertness to different agendas and power pockets.
• Interpersonal skills – a mixture of hard and soft skills, and crucially listening to people and properly communicating with them, as well as understanding different situations and perspectives.
• Personal skills – self-awareness and self-control, being genuinely curious about others, and taking the time to be self-reflective and learn from mistakes and feedback.

How do people learn these skills though? According to Hartley’s research, people tend to learn most through making mistakes, and the inference was that more could be done to enhance training and development activities and programmes.

4. What’s an example of these leadership skills in practice?

The FT’s Caspar de Bono gave a particularly interesting talk which highlighted the importance of strategic direction and planning through his concept of leadership as action that is purposeful, but also creative (changing the paradigm), and courageous (i.e. you are out front, leading the way). In the FT’s case it was about listening to what customers wanted, and sticking to their business knitting while still innovating (i.e. operating broadly the same business model, but through improved digital channels and technology). The key was always to keep a clear idea of the WHAT while allowing the HOW to be more emergent, and informed by stakeholder involvement and analysis.

5. What’s the best leadership style to have?

In short: a mixture, and adapted to the particular business context in question (e.g. its size, stage of development, etc. etc.). Hay Group’s Lubna Haq identified 6 leadership styles, and asserted that the most effective leaders tend to have a minimum of 3 or more dominant / preferred ones:

1. Directive – based more on control and coercion, often more prevalent during downturns.
2. Visionary – opposite of directive and is primarily about building and selling a compelling vision.
3. Affiliative – creating harmony.
4. Participative – involving others.
5. Pace-setting – accomplishing tasks to a very high standard of excellence.
6. Coaching – focusing on the long-term professional development of others.

6. What are the key things to know about leadership?

• A leader should live the cultural values of their organisation, and be visible and approachable.
• Focus on achievements and also the long-term. Keep short-term issues in context.
• You can’t please everyone – confront issues head on and make those tough decisions if necessary.
• Think consciously about your style – is it right for the context you’re in? Is your style transformative or transactional?
• Political astuteness is important – forget about its negative press.
• Optimism is key – particularly during these current difficult economic and political times.

In a case of ‘stick with what you know’, reports indicate that Facebook’s forays into the smartphone business are dead in the water.

Its ambitious app, Facebook Home –  designed to turn Android handsets into a Facebook phone without the company having to actually design a phone – has taken over a month to reach a million downloads from the Play store. What’s more, of the 16,000 reviews, over half give the app just one star.

Meanwhile, AT&T is reportedly planning to drop the Android-based HTC First, aka the ‘Facebook Phone’, after last week slashing the cost of the handset from $99 to just 99 cents – just weeks after the phone was first introduced. Sources claim fewer than 15,000 of the phones had been sold by the end of its first month.

Richard Windsor from RadioFreeMobile consultancy, told the Guardian: “With that one slash of the knife, AT&T has confirmed what everyone had already gathered; the Facebook phone is proving very unpopular.”

 

In a case of ‘stick with what you know’, reports indicate that Facebook’s forays into the smartphone business are dead in the water.

Its ambitious app, Facebook Home –  designed to turn Android handsets into a Facebook phone without the company having to actually design a phone – has taken over a month to reach a million downloads from the Play store. What’s more, of the 16,000 reviews, over half give the app just one star.

Meanwhile, AT&T is reportedly planning to drop the Android-based HTC First, aka the ‘Facebook Phone’, after last week slashing the cost of the handset from $99 to just 99 cents – just weeks after the phone was first introduced. Sources claim fewer than 15,000 of the phones had been sold by the end of its first month.

Richard Windsor from RadioFreeMobile consultancy, told the Guardian: “With that one slash of the knife, AT&T has confirmed what everyone had already gathered; the Facebook phone is proving very unpopular.”

 

While for many social media is embedded into the core of  their modern lives, it’s still a medium in its infancy. Just as a child explores, makes mistakes and develops a personality of its own, so too has social media. But it’s been a bumpy ride, and thanks to constantly shifting technological landscapes the future of social is shrouded in speculation. 

This infographic by marketing software company HubSpot takes a look at social’s journey so far, highlighting periods where things could’ve been done a little differently. But you know what they say about rose tinted spectacles!

 

A couple of months ago we ran a story outing the 25% of women who regularly fib on Facebook in a bid to make their lives sound more glamorous. It was hardly groundbreaking research though – very few ladies would readily admit to slobbing in front of the TV night after night in the same grubby sweat pants.

Now though, a new study finds that it’s not just women telling the odd social porkie. According to a report by Barclaycard bespoke offers, nearly six million Brits regularly tell ‘white lies’ and embellish stories on social media.

Nearly 40% of fibbers put their dishonesty down to feeling pressure to have a good time or sound upbeat in their updates, and more than a quarter (29%) reckon their lives are just too boring without embellishment. Hardly surprising then that 40% admit to feeling envious of others’ posts.

Interestingly, men are just as dishonest when it comes to ‘microblagging’, with their primary motivation being to maintain a ‘cool online persona’, and being twice as likely as women to want to impress their workplace colleagues (22% vs 8%). While the fellas prefer Twitter, women are more likely to ‘Fakebook’, and are more likely to doctor photos using editing software before uploading it to the site.

The research also found that offline most tall tales take place at work, with 63% of respondents over-hyping a story among colleagues. So social media really is a digital water cooler!

It’s no mean feat promoting supermarket clothing ranges, namely because coveted terms such as ‘cutting edge’ and ‘trend setting’ are already reserved for catwalks or established high street brands. However, UK supermarket Tesco has seen a fair amount of success in touting its F&F label in previous months, most notably back in February alongside British Plus Size Fashion Weekend.

Now, to welcome the long overdue summer, the label has launched a new campaign designed to get shoppers thinking about their seasonal look, while promoting both its new collection and the launch of its official Pinterest channel.

The ‘Seven Days of Summer’ initiative encourages F&F fans to upload a picture of themselves rocking one of the season’s key trends, from stripes to sixties, via Facebook; by creating a mood board on Pinterest; or by tweeting their look with the corresponding hashtag. Those taking part stand to win a £75 F&F voucher, or – in a bid to generate more content – a £500 F&F shopping spree if they enter each day.

A competition like this running across three of the top social channels makes for valuable insight into the workings of the great social hive mind – where’s most of the action happening? Of course, the competition is being pimped equally across the platforms, but while the Facebook component comes with a slick upload app and gallery function, there’s not a great deal going on in the blue and white kingdom. There are several comments and likes, but visit the gallery and you’re presented with the same entry pictures regardless of the filters selected, indicating that well, there’s not that many. It’s worth noting that in order to enter in this way, users must complete a personal information form. A barrier to engagement, no doubt.

Over on Pinterest, meanwhile, there’s a considerable amount of noise – as you’d expect for a competition encouraging mood boarding, of which Pinterest’s community is so fond. However, while F&F is asking entrants to repin their boards as means of entry, most are simply linking to their boards underneath F&F’s competition shout outs, so as to ensure organizers do see their creations. It’s rather chaotic.

It’s only on Twitter, then, that we’re seeing the hallmarks of a solid social competition. There are no barriers to entry and no potentially-complicated or confusing entry requirements. It’s also possible for users to enter via a mobile phone, tablet, laptop or desktop – something which presents problems when it comes to the Facebook component. On Twitter, users just tweet @ClothingatTesco with a picture and a hashtag and they’re done. It’s easy to enter on a whim and on the move.

While this tells us a lot about the challenges Facebook is up against nowadays, these findings do reaffirm that when it comes to engagement, convenience is most certainly key. Customers are not going to jump through hoops to populate brand campaigns and content galleries – certainly not for a £75 voucher, at least.

 

 

Tesco, the world’s third largest retailer, has launched a new site that allows customers to group together to buy wine in bulk at reduced prices.

Tesco Wine Co-buys uses Buyapowa social commerce software to connect customers wishing to purchase wine in bulk – completely legitimately – on the cheap. Shoppers register interest in products, the most popular of which is then put forward for sale. Customers then commit to a maximum price, but as more people get involved the price drops. How do others get involved? Social media, of course!

Committed shoppers are encouraged to share the deals via Facebook and Twitter, with the individual ‘recruiting’ the most buyers winning a case of wine.

The site will initially run as a 12-week trial, but already Tesco is said to be considering extending the model to further categories, which could include health and beauty, home and garden, and sports goods.

Tesco director of digital and social Tom Daniell said: “There’s a real social element to traditional shopping and there’s no reason why shopping online shouldn’t be just as fun. Family and friends love to shop together and seek out a bargain and co-buying lets customers easily share deals online and use collective buying power to get a great deal.”

This very shiny, consumer-friendly video explains it all a bit more.

In our line of work, it’s very easy to become bogged down with the whys and wherefores of social media – engagement strategies, revenue plans, influence circles, and so on. So it was refreshing to see this bunch of bright young things chat happily about what social means to them, and remember that its inherent purpose is to foster togetherness and sharing. Or, as one smiling sprite puts it, ‘Play time for big kids and grown ups.’ D’aww! 

If you don’t think your Facebook news feed is cluttered enough already, stand by for video adverts, set to roll out this July.

According to the Financial Times the strategy is likely to feature ads across news feeds a la suggested posts. And they’ll autoplay, although they’ll be automatically muted. If a user unmutes the ad, it’ll start playing again from the top.

Word on the street is that the brands likely kickstarting the platform are those making up Facebook’s client council, so the likes of Unilever, Ford, American Express and Coca Cola.

No doubt the move is designed to tie in with the growing trend for prioritising video content, thanks in part to the role it plays in securing additional revenue; the New York Times has recently freed its video content from the editorial paywall and YouTube is alleged to be implementing subscription fees.

According to the FT, video ad integration could boost Facebook’s revenue by more than $1.5 million (just under £1 million) per day. Clearly this is a revenue stream worth pursuing, but one that depends entirely on an audience willing to help the process along. Such adverts could cause those already suffering from Facebook fatigue and advert irritation to give up on the site entirely, and then those revenue figures are liable to drop considerably.

 

A new social network has launched designed to give UK students the opportunity to ‘be themselves’ online without fear of retribution from snooping parents.

Unii.com is a student-only space, where individuals can chat, make friends, share photos, leave comments – everything Facebook offers – but thanks to its tight registration system (only authorized student email addresses are permitted), they can rest easy knowing only their peers have access to their hijinks, and that dubious photo from last night isn’t going to result in an angry phone call from family members, or in the hands of potential employers.

The site was developed in response to this very concern, with Unii.com conducting a survey that found that 50% of parents with kids on Facebook had found something untoward after snooping on their offspring’s profiles. The top five worrying findings are:

1) Inappropriate comments from a friend – 32%
2) Comments and updates including swearing – 28%
3) Pictures of drunkenness – 25%
4) A drunken status update – 21%
5) Nudity – 17%

As well as keeping questionable university pastimes away from prying eyes, the site will serve as a comprehensive jobs board and internships database, ensuring users don’t completely fritter away their carefree student years.

Marco Nardone, 24-year-old CEO of Unii, said: “Most students wouldn’t invite their parents to a party, or loop them into a phone conversation, so why should they have to worry about what they might see on social networks?

“University is a place where students experiment responsibly, make new friends and find their feet, so we’ve developed a social network that allows them to do just that solely amongst their peers. What happens at uni, can now stay at uni.”

Of course, the fact that Facebook started the same way can’t be overlooked, but as social network privacy concerns grow, could the locked-down Unii.com become new social choice for young people?

Old Trafford, Manchester (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

At 09:20 this morning Sir Alex Ferguson retired after 26 years in charge of Manchester United. The club, and the manager, are respected and supported far from the city of Manchester, and reaction was quick to spread on Twitter. In many analyses of event and how Twitter reacts to them, the focus is on volume – just how many people are talking about an issue. But more interesting than this is what people are saying.

There is a hypothesis that when there is ‘breaking news’ (at least on Twitter), most of the discussions convey the same information – people either retweeting the original message or people conveying the same information to their followers that lots of others are doing at the same time. So in this case immediately after the announcement, whilst they may use different words, we would expect people to be conveying the simple message: Sir Alex Ferguson has retired.

But is this true – what did people actually discuss on Twitter in the first hour after his retirement was announced?

What we did

We captured every Tweet that clearly discussed Sir Alex Ferguson during the first hour after his retirement was announced shortly before 09:20 this morning. Using Datasift, we captured all Tweets that included the terms “Alex Ferguson” or “#fergie’ or ‘#mufc’.

In total we captured 95,312 Tweets in the first hour of discussion on Twitter – or about 26 Tweets every second.

What we found

First some basic stats about the discussions on Twitter in the first hour after the announcement:

• 68% of people discussing the retirement were male (16% were female and the remaining 16% had genders that could not be determined from Twitter)
• With 4.3% of all discussions, the news was actually discussed most in Manchester; London came second (3.8%). The global impact of the club is reflected with Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa being in the top 10 locations for discussions
• 22% of Tweets were people retweeting other people’s content; the remaining 78% were original Tweets
• The most retweeted account was the club themselves. This was followed by a number of accounts in Indonesia (UtdIndonesia and detiksport). The most mentioned UK news provider during the first hour was SkySportsNews.

With only 22% of Tweets as clear retweets, there was a lot of original Twitter content being produced. So what were people actually discussing:

• Just over one third of Tweets (34%) were simple statements that Sir Alex Ferguson had retired
• The next largest group (26% of Tweets) were reflecting on their own experiences or thoughts – memories of the club and what Sir Alex’s time there meant for them
• A further 14% of Tweets were thanking Sir Alex for what he had done for the club or indeed for their own experiences (a trend started by the club themselves in their announcement)

Some topics were less popular but noteworthy:

• 360 people (0.7% of all Tweets) were wishing Sir Alex luck in or sending their best wishes for his future
• 53 people (0.01%) were worried that Sir Alex might have died

So the first hour on Twitter was an interesting place, and the discussions were more varied than just retweeting or repeating the simple fact of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. In fact a significant proportion of Tweets were reflecting on what his role as manager had meant to them and the memories they had of his time with the club. This kind of reflection and content is altogether more interesting than mere retweets and statements of fact and shows Twitter at its best – connecting personal experiences and opinions to larger events.