MAPPING HAPPY WITH THE HELP OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Researchers at the University of Vermont are looking into how social media sites could help to map happiness. Using an algorithm they have dubbed their “hedonometer”, the team has used the sentiment of over 35 million geo-tagged check-ins and tweets to analyze the effect of location on overall happiness. Focused on San Francisco Bay, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the preliminary findings showed that distance from home can greatly impact the happiness of the user.

While most are generally happy at their home-base, farther travels where one may encounter a new and novel experience often elicited the most positive of communications (“great”, “amazing”, “LOL”). Tweets from within a one-kilometer radius of home however, featured the most grumbling- likely because users were going about their boring, daily routines. Researchers expect that more in-depth studies will help to analyze specific locations (restaurants, bars, public transport stations, etc) and offer valuable insight to marketers as well.

http://bit.ly/10OzgB6

(Source: fastcocreate.com)

With 70% of app users abandoning service after the first use, Fast Company takes a look at the benefits of catering to a smaller niche of “power users”. This small but devoted population accounts for 76% of all time spent on the average app and they are often responsible for sharing a large share of site content and spreading the word to other potential users.

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The app iCoolHunt has created a community for global trendspotters with earned statuses, easy interaction and a Trenditory which tracks all of your favorite finds. iCoolHunt takes the on-the-street snaps of Instagram, tumblr, and more to the next level with “Trendboxes” that can be created, followed, and added to by in-the-know users. The flow of photos and captions are neatly categorized and allow for easy exploration.

The main thing however that differentiates the app from other media sharing sites however, is the user-generated rankings and badges. By contributing of-the-moment snaps or “Prey”, you can move your way up in the sites rankings. See below for a quick rundown of the site’s lingo and levels of coolhunting.

Rookie: New iCoolhunters who are learning the basics of distinguishing cool finds from passé artifacts and have yet to become known by the iCoolhunt community.

Observer: Up-and-coming trend spotters who are cultivating a strong portfolio of Prey, friends, and fellow iCoolhunters tracking your Prey.

Spotter: Accomplished trend spotters who have made a large number of cool discoveries and have become well-known within the iCoolhunt community.

Guru: Top iCoolhunters who define that which is cool and are highly influential.

GIFs get the Instagram treatment

Gifstory, a new app slated for release in February 2013, is looking to bring GIFs to social media in a whole new way.  Gifstory will function much like photo-sharing service Instagram as it will allow users to create basic GIFs (up to four seconds of content) with filters to customize and the option to add text. 

While the GIF has been an internet mainstay for years, the Gifstory team feels it has room for growth as the medium is richer than photos but less cumbersome to upload than video. 

Check out the future home of all of your cat-clips here

(Source: fastcocreate.com)

Bravo, the network built on plasticy housewives and millionaire everything, is now bringing its viewers social television. 

“Play Live”, an app available on desktop, mobile, and tablet devices, made its debut on “Watch What Happens Live”, the after-hours talk show of Bravo head-honcho Andy Cohen.  The app will allow Bravo lovers to weigh-in and vote live on hard hitting topics such as “Hottest Housewives” to unlock exclusive online promos and coupons. 

Viewers were given their first taste of “Play Live” earlier this week and Bravo’s VP of Digital Media Lisa Hsaio annou

(Source: psfk.com)

While Pope Benedict XVI tweeted using the Vatican’s Twitter handle this past July, he is now venturing out into the digital world on his own. 

While the official name of his Twitter handle has not been announced the 85 year-old can just log on the social networking site for some inspiration- dozen of impersonators have popped up since the move was announced.  His presence on the Vatican handle drove an increase of over 50,000 followers so it remains to be seen if his solo effort will put him into competition with Twitter heavyweights Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher, and President Obama.  The Pope’s presence along with the heavy use of Twitter on both sides of the aisle during the recent US presidential election mark the social sites continued move from the fringe into the mainstream of the world news and culture.

(Source: thenextweb.com)

Inspired by a Tweet from chef Anthony Bourdain, #EatDownTipUp has created a social media campaign aimed at getting diners to eat Downtown and tip generously at the restaurants affected by the storm. 

The website allows the restaurants to share their trials and tribulations during the storm and helps to spread awareness to eaters looking to give back.  The campaign also encourages eaters to share their bill and tips online, through Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. Click on the logo below to explore where you can dine and donate!

(Source: Mashable)

Twistock, a new site out of Russia, has come up with a way to monetize your social influence.  Similar to Klout, Twistock uses an algorithm to determine your individual social influence and from there assigns a corresponding amount of virtual cash or ‘stock’.  Using these numbers, Twistockers can buy and sell their fellow users (celebrities, politicians, and your mom all included) and ultimately redeem any trading profits for real-world items and experiences. 

The site currently has plans to expand into North America and Asia (using Twitter-clone Weibo in China) but it remains to be seen if this mix of financial and social will catch on.

(Source: psfk.com)

The question is no longer do you use social media- it’s how.  Are you a liker? an influencer? a multi-mayor?  

An infographic from Brandflakes outlines all of the various social illnesses out there and may help you find your diagnoses.

PIZZA PLACE BRINGS SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE STREETS, LITERALLY FOLLOWS THEIR FOLLOWERS

Pizza chain Mellow Mushroom has recently expanded to over 130 stores in 100 US cities.  In an effort to get closer to their customers,  the chain got physically very close with their “Follow Us and We Will Follow You” campaign.  Using family and friends as accomplices, the company stalked 20 people who had followed them on Twitter.  The best part is they chose to follow their followers wearing a giant mushroom costume. 

(Source: psfk.com)

Finance goes social with launch of eToro

The new Social Trading Index allows users to follow investors, connect with third-party brokerages, and share tips to fellow Toros.

(Source: thenextweb.com)

Oreo does social media right, posting a simple yet amusing daily treat on Facebook and Twitter to celebrate everything from the Mars Rover landing to the US gymnasts’ gold medal.

(Source: adland.tv)

A new video sharing and creation platform brought to you by Dreamworks CTO, Ed Leonard. With PTCH Users can upload photos and videos from their devices and across their social networks and their friends can remix and mash different types of media together. It sounds like a lot of work but supposedly the benefits are worth it?

More here via TechCrunch

Uniqlo takes to Pinterest as only Uniqlo can, by hacking it. The “Dry Mesh Project” was designed to “wake Pinterest users from their scrolling slumber.” The brand created 100 accounts on Pinterest and enlisted a mob of people to pin images seamlessly, in the right order, at the right time to overtake major categories. The result is the first ever branded mosaic. As you scroll down Uniqlo’s page images of the brand’s new Dry Mesh shirts fly by, essentially animating as you scroll.

Don’t take our word for it, try it out yourself: http://pinterest.com/source/uniqlo.com/

Check out the case study video to see how it was done.