Facebook prevents spoilers and generating blog buzz

This week in social media has seen Facebook release a new feature using audio recognition software that can detect music, film and TV shows, and prevent spoilers from being published on our newsfeed.  Our Viral Video of the Week shows us what could happen if our phones could “hack” the street.  Our case study touches on the success Canberra tourism has had with the launch of their latest social media campaign, the “Human Brochure”.  Selfie, hashtag and catfish are amongst a lost of social media jargon that has been added to the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.  LinkedIn’s latest feature allows us to see how we rank amongst our connections.  And our Tip of the Week has everything you need to know to create blog posts that generate buzz.

Facebook has finally harnessed the power of audio recognition software with the launch of their latest Shazam-like feature, allowing users to identify not just songs, but also films and TV shows.  The announcement, delivered Wednesday via the Facebook Newsroom, was delivered as a feature intended to help make sharing what you’re listening to/watching easier, without the hassle of having to remember how to spell Beyonce.

Here’s how it works: If you’ve turned the feature on, you’ll see an audio icon moving on the screen when you write a status update. If the feature finds a match, you can then choose to add the song, TV show or movie to your post.

The feelings/activities option added to Facebook status updates last year has seen billions of users “feeling accomplished” with the added opportunity to communicate more information, but it doesn’t stop there.  Not only does this new addition offer up a whole new level of discovery opportunities for media producers (especially lesser known or independent), the feature can also detect spoilers.  By telling Facebook what you are watching, it uses the information to prevent any posts regarding the show to ensure nothing beyond the episode you are watching is published on your newsfeed.  At last, we are safe.

The new changes are currently being rolled out in the US but unfortunately there is no word on when Australia will see the changes at this point.

Home security, temperature control, aids detection: it seems today that smart phones are capable of almost anything.  So if someone told you an app could change traffic lights and unlock ATMs, would you believe them?  In this week’s viral video, developers Ubisoft showed us that “prankvertising” still wins the views with their latest ad, Amazing Street Hack.

The ad for new game, Watch Dogs, shows unsuspecting customers of a phone repair shop being shown their phone’s newfound destructive capabilities with the unwarranted addition of a “hack” app by a cheeky repairman.  The amusement turns to horror when the hacks wreak havoc on the street.

Receiving almost 2 million views within six days, the video uses the tropes of viral “prankvertising” like a removed, third person, hyperbolic title, audience conceit and a final reveal, to rake in the hits and shares.  Released alongside the ad was a “making of” video and a fake website belonging to the repair shop owner showing “candid” videos of other duped customers.

Two other important pieces of news:

Social media jargon added to dictionary:

Hashtag, selfie and catfish are among a surprising list of social media idioms added to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary this week.  Other tech-related words including big data, gamification and crowdfunding were also added, officially cementing the (occasionally cringeworthy) characteristics of an online generation into the history books.

LinkedIn rates popularity:

LinkedIn have released their latest addition to user pages – the new “How you rank” feature.  The feature generates a number ranking out of the number of connections a user has, based on how many times your page has been viewed.  The feature has been launched as a strategy to create further interest in the who viewed me” page, and to encourage heightened activity on the site.

Tip of the Week

How to Create Blog Post Ideas Guaranteed to Generate Buzz

Writing blog posts for your business’ site is important for SEO and drawing business through traffic.  But to really benefit from having a blog page, your posts should be creating buzz – the kind of buzz that draws large amounts of traffic through social media shares.  This week’s tip will guide you through the most effective ways to blow your readers out of the water with quality, buzz-inducing content.