social - SocialTimes

Apple, Nintendo and Microsoft — Who’s Going to Provide Us with the Social Living Room?

Neil Vidyarthi — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:45:18 +0000

As the rumors of an Apple-based television set begin to pick up credibility, there is the sense that consumers are in the midst of some sort of strategic maneuvering, with all targets set on our living rooms. The question is, who’s trying to take over our living room and what are they going to do with it? I take a look at three of the major options.

1. Nintendo Wii U

The Nintendo Wii U is Nintendo’s latest offering, which offers a tablet as the controller of the system. Including a stylus, bluetooth, motion controller and touch sensitivity, the controller is essentially an iPad with console style joysticks and buttons on the side. One of the features Nintendo is emphasizing is the fact that you can pull the video game off the TV and on to your controller. So the idea is that if you’re sitting in your family room and playing video games, and someone else wants to use the TV, you can transfer the game to your controller seamlessly and just play on your own.

Where the device gets interesting is that it offers all sorts of social features like video chat between friends, browsing the web and using social networks. You can also share a video from your device to the television so others in the room can use it. Pretty cool stuff. Take a look at the video below.

Nintendo can be argued to be some of the most creative game makers in the world. While Zynga copies existing games and Sony empowers their developers and publishers to push the genre on cinematic experiences, Nintendo has constantly changed the paradigm of gaming with an emphasis on fun. I think of an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the Mario Bros franchise, where he discussed how he took simple motions that were fun, and brought them to the world of games. I imagine Nintendo may have some cool new social experiences ready with the Wii U.

The opportunities they’ve envisioned with the Wii-U are spellbinding, but the thing is, it’s not hard to reproduce. An Apple TV plus iPad, an Xbox plus Tablet. These may all be able to accomplish the same things.

2. Apple

So what’s the big difference between an iPad and an Apple TV in your living room versus a Wii U and a Wii U tablet controller? Well first of all, the price. An iPad runs you $600 and it would surprise me if the Apple TV ran for anything less than $1200. The Wii U with one controller would never be more than $500. It likely will be closer to $400. But Apple is Apple, and people are already buying iPads. The question will be whether they want to get the hottest TV on the planet (assuming a Steve Jobs-less Apple can deliver a TV with panache) or just stick with what they’ve got. I imagine we’ll see a splitting of the consumer base based on price point.

Another key factor is Apple’s integration — Nintendo’s already planning all sorts of unique experiences such as games that use separate screens to their advantage. What will Apple have? Well, for one thing, they already have a legion of dedicated app developers who will likely pile in as soon as the TV is launched. And we can already see that Apple is playing with the idea of sharing a video to your TV — in fact I can already do this with my current Apple TV box and my iPad. Imagine if the TV was actually an Apple device. I may be able to simply browse the web on the TV using my iPad without much effort. Pretty cool stuff.

3. Microsoft

The third runner here is Microsoft. I remember years ago when I saw the Microsoft Table, a fantastic concept where we could use our hands to control the table, share videos and even have our devices analyzed. Alas, for all that research and development work, Microsoft has produced almost nothing concrete on the mobile or touch screen front — those concept videos are just guesswork. Their best work has come from the XBox team, which is somewhat insulated from the rest of Microsoft and what I imagine to be a whole lot of bureaucracy.

And that team has really done a great job. With a lot of hard work, they’ve now got 67 million XBox 360s in people’s houses, and a lot of those have voice-recognition abilities thanks to the power of Microsoft Kinect. So what does this mean for the living room? Well, if Microsoft takes Nintendo or Apple’s lead and comes up with a tablet or a new console with a tablet controller, they’ve got the advantage of the Kinect technology. The ability to wave my hands around and talk to my console seems wild, but as can be seen in this video below, there are still a lot of ideas that Microsoft has up their sleeve with the Kinect.

The key to the living room experience is barrier to entry, otherwise the system will be occupied by only hardcore gamers. I think Microsoft has got a head start on that and the Wii-U doesn’t seem to have a “Kinect” feature. That said, Nintendo always pulls through with innovative game making. Apple is the big question mark — if they get enough app developers to create hardcore content, they may steal the rug out from under the others.

Overall, it’s going to come down to a variety of factors including speed to market, quality of software and price. Who’ll come out on top for the social living room?

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Downloading Facebook Info | Tumblr’s Business Savvy | Stumbling Gets Social

Andrew Freedman — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:45:09 +0000

Click here to receive the Morning Social Media Newsfeed via email.

Facebook Allows Users to Download Expanded Archive of Their Information (Inside Facebook)
The “Download Your Information” feature now includes catalogues of friend requests a users make, IP addresses they’ve logged in from and any previous names they’ve used, among other Facebook actions. This is in addition to the copy of photos, posts, messages, chat conversations, friend lists and other information that Facebook first made available for download in 2010. The New York Times Facebook, which is preparing for an initial public stock offering, most likely in May, has been trying to accommodate government officials in Europe, where privacy laws are more stringent than in the United States. Mashable The archive still doesn’t include your friends’ photos and status updates, other users’ personal info and comments you’ve made on other people’s posts. Facebook This feature will be rolling out gradually to all users and more categories of information will be available for download in the future. continued…

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Should Employers Be Able to Ask For Your Social Media Profile? [Infographic]

Neil Vidyarthi — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:30:01 +0000

During the recruiting process, some employers will ask potential employees for access to their social media accounts to get more information about them. Nearly all applicants “agree to this voluntary review, because they need or want the job.” But is this fair? A new infographic examines the problem.

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Social vs Search: The Showdown [Infographic]

Neil Vidyarthi — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:14:46 +0000

Two of the ascendant methods of driving traffic to your business are social media and search marketing. While search was once the clear winner, social media has come a long way and is just about as big as search, and that’s why it’s apt that MDGadvertising has created an infographic envisioning social media and search as masked wrestlers. Who’ll come out on top?

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LiveJournal Launches New Social Media Publishing Group

Megan O'Neill — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:11:36 +0000

Yes, folks. LiveJournal is still alive and well and today they’ve got a big announcement. They are unveiling LJ Media, a new social publishing group that aims to turn popular LiveJournal communities into thriving media sites.
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Social’s Impact on Search – It’s All About Content

Neil Vidyarthi — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:25:17 +0000

Consumers are sharing more online every day. In fact, Facebook data reveals consumers share four billion things a day and Mark Zuckerberg predicts that every year, consumers will share twice as much as the year before. From photos and videos, to status updates and recommendations, consumer-generated content is increasingly common and incredibly powerful.

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3 Ways To Appropriately Prepare Your Client For Social Media Marketing

CJ Arlotta — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:51:04 +0000

Clients will expect you to be able to prepare them for social media marketing. By providing them with the appropriate information, you will be able to release some of their initial anxiety, while also promoting the need for your services.

Think what it would be like to be sitting on the other side of the conference table, especially if this was your first time investing in social media marketing. What type of questions would you ask, and, if the right questions were asked, what kind of answers would you be looking for? continued…

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7 Social Times Stories You May Have Missed This Week

CJ Arlotta — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:00:23 +0000

If you are an avid reader of our daily content, you may remember reading a lot of articles that were vital to your title as a social media intellect this week.

Whether we were discussing slavery of the 21st century or providing you with successful tips for your LinkedIn profile picture, each story served its purpose in one way or another.

Even if you missed our vital stories this week, we put together a list for you, so that you don’t have to go searching through our archives. Take a few minutes to read each article, absorb the important points and move on with your day.

On behalf of our staff at Social Times, we would like to thank our military members for protecting us from harm and keeping us safe. Happy Veterans Day! continued…

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Crosswa.lk Helps You Find Apps and Connect With Friends

Ellie Cachette — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:01:53 +0000

App battle is all the rage. You know, when you whip out your smartphone and race to see whose map application can find directions to the Panda Express first, or whose app finds the best reviews? Or whose app finds discounts on General Tsao’s chicken?There’s an app for almost anything except finding the right apps. App overload. Now, some mobile app makers have made it easy to find apps using Crosswa.lk. The new app available for the iPhone helps you discover apps based on your personality as well as what your friends use and like.

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New Business Service Will Give You Online Video Rooms, Phone Conferencing and Payment Systems

CJ Arlotta — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:32:31 +0000

Typically, I’m not the one to rave about a company’s product in an article of mine, but this particular product deserves my full attention. vCita, a new way to engage and meet your online audience, helps enhance your business’s online presence by providing you with various services: online video meeting rooms, phone conference services, online payment systems and more. continued…

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Social Media Marketing Boot Camp: Early Bird Rate Ends on Sept. 8

CJ Arlotta — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:00:11 +0000

Social Media Marketing Boot Camp, an online event that features major speakers and small group workshops, begins in 22 days. If you’re looking to register for the early bird rate, your last day to receive this special opportunity is September 8. Interested in learning more about one of the speakers? Meet Robert Scoble. continued…

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Hulu Now Lets You Facebook Your Favorite Moments

Megan O'Neill — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:48:19 +0000

As more and more social TV apps pop up, it has become apparent that the future of TV is social. Hulu is jumping on the social bandwagon with a big announcement this morning—they are making the Hulu experience even more social with Facebook integration.

In a blog post this morning, Hulu Product Manager Betina Chan-Martin writes, “TV has always been a social experience. We gather with friends and family to watch our favorite shows, sporting events, movies, and news. When we get to work, we meet around the water cooler and chat about Tracy Jordan’s latest stunt in the previous night’s 30 Rock. We text each other during the results of The Voice, and we blog about the latest politician skewered in John Stewart’s opening monologue.” We rush to Facebook and Twitter to find out what our friends are saying about our favorite shows and join the conversation. Now Hulu is helping to get this social conversation started with Facebook on Hulu.

There are a few new features and actions that viewers can take, thanks to Facebook integration on the site. One of the coolest is a new feature that lets viewers comment on a specific moment in time while they are watching a video on Hulu. Say, for instance, that you wanted to comment on what someone was wearing in a particular scene or a specific line of dialogue from your favorite TV show. The new feature lets you do that, and then share that exact moment with your friends on Facebook.

Now users can easily log on to Hulu using their Facebook accounts and interact with Facebook friends directly from Hulu. Your homepage is tailored to you and you can check out your friends’ favorite shows and start and join in on conversations with people who follow your favorite shows. Additionally, you and your friends can recommend new shows to one another, helping you discover new content.

Connecting to Hulu with Facebook is easy. When you go to Hulu.com you will be directed to connect through Facebook Connect and then you can visit the ‘Community’ area to see what your friends on Hulu are doing.

This is amazing news for Hulu. We have seen again and again that people love to feel engaged and to be able to socialize with their friends while consuming video content, online and off. This added benefit will give Hulu a leg up over other services, not to mention a lot more traffic via referrals when users post comments and specific moments to their Facebook profiles.

Have you checked out Hulu’s new social features yet? What do you think of Facebook on Hulu?

Megan O’Neill is the resident web video enthusiast here at Social Times. Megan covers everything from the latest viral videos to online video news and tips, and has a passion for bizarre, original and revolutionary content and ideas.

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What Does Quopons Offer That Other Daily Deals Don’t Offer?

Kenna McHugh — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:30:07 +0000

Quopons is another daily deal website that launched this week in Miami, Florida. Quopons offers consumers “Fantastic Deals” on the best food, services, goods and events. The discounts can reach as high as 90% like Groupon and Livingsocial.com. So, what is so different about Quopons?
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Why Did Evernote Need to Go Social?

Katie Kindelan — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:15:07 +0000

Need a clear sign of where Evernote, and perhaps every other Web-based tool, is headed? Check out the note-taking service’s latest Windows update.

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Tapjoy to Developers: We Will Pay You

CJ Arlotta — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:00:42 +0000

Tapjoy, a company that provides monetization and distribution services, released today that they have a new way for independent developers to evolve their games into profitable and popular titles. According to the company, they plan to invest their resources and capital into pre-launch games that have the potential to become successful. If a game is chosen, it will receive monthly marketing credits to acquire new users through Tapjoy’s network of over 100 million social gamers and 200 million mobile consumers. continued…

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