60% Of Twitter Users Quit After A Month And For Good Reason

Yesterday, The Silicon Valley Insider reported according the Nielsen 60% of Twitter users quit after the first month. While over half of Twitter users fall off after a month, social networking services such as Facebook and MySpace have much strong retention rates.

They do not seem to want to give much weight to these numbers by quoting MediaMemo’s Peter Kafka:

It’s worth noting here that Nielsen is likely overstating the churn because it is only measuring visits to the Twitter.com URL. The majority of Twitter use happens away from the site, on mobile phones and apps like Tweetdeck, and it’s theoretically possible to never visit Twitter.com after you sign up.

Skittles.com Turns Into A Social Media Hub

Mars’ Skittles has forgone a traditional website, and instead has created a seamless social media hub. If you go to the official Skittles website at www.skittles.com, the user is immediately directed to the Skittles fan page on Facebook.

Using Facebook Connect to Target Ads On Your Website

Since its inception, there have been many implementations of Facebook Connect, most notably CNN’s use of it to create a live, co-viewing experience for the inauguration. The implementations to this point have been used to socialize non-social websites, create co-viewing experiences and to increase value of a website by importing a users social network. I have not seen Facebook Connect used as a way to create hyper-targeted ads on those third-party websites utilizing Facebook Connect data portability.

Social Apps – Triviality vs. Utility

This presentation is intended to illustrate the difference between  social applications/widgets/mobile apps deemed trivial (adding no real benefit to the community or the user) versus those  deemed utility based (adding value). This is a very interesting dichotomy for advertisers to understand when creating an application for a specific platform. Do they want an application that will hopefully gain a lot of buzz and installs very quickly or do they want to invest in something long-term, providing value and utility.

My 2009 Predictions

I would be negligent as a person who consumes so much information and spends so much time engulfed in social media not to make my own predictions for 2009. So, here they are…

1. Distribution rules.
   - New media companies will establish distribution networks before they build a single destination for their content. Companies will understand the need to put their efforts to reaching an audience across the web, instead of driving them to a single destination. As I have noted in a previous post, TVLoop is a prime example of this. Instead of creating a site similar to Hulu, where all the content lives on a single destination, they first created a distribution network reaching an audience that already existed on social networking sites. Without sounding cliche, companies need to fish where the fish are instead of exerting their efforts luring them to a single trap. The most important thing is understanding how to monetize these distribution networks and create monetary value for the content. 

The Tools To Monitor Social Media and Your Online Identity

Companies need to come to the realization that their brands exist and are shaped beyond their direct influence. For as long as brands have existed, consumers have had an opinion about them. Unlike twenty years ago, when those opinions could only be shared within small face-to-face networks, they can now be shared on a constantly expanding massive scale. Services like Twitter, Facebook and blogs enable this. Below is a fairly comprehensive list of the tools needed to track your brand and your online identity. See what they are saying about you…

2009 The Year Of Mobile Social Networking

One prediction I have for 2009 and the future of social media is the development and adoption of mobile social networks. What mobile does for social networking, if done correctly, is it effectively and seamlessly connects online relationships with offline experiences. The most popular features of social networking, like Facebook events, already do just that. With mobile social networks though, this can be accomplished with a lot more immediacy. There is the argument that online social networks causes people to become isolated and relinquish their need for real human interaction, but I think it actually enhances it. Once you are able to move outside of your house with these capabilities, I think this medium will begin to reach its full potential.

eMarketer released a report yesterday claiming there is major growth in mobile social networking. Overall, the number of people who accessed social networks from their mobile devices increased by 182% from September 2007 to October 2008.

Social media in a box: The Chumby

There was no must-buy Christmas electronic gift this year. No new iPhone refresh, no tickle-me-elmo – nothing! There is a gadget out there that has been flying under the radar, and it is probably one of the coolest open-source pieces of hardware to hit the market (or at least to hit your bedroom dresser) in a long time. The Chumby is a touchscreen in a plush housing, with a built in accelerometer, some speakers and a wifi card.

TVLoop – TV Distribution To TV Destination

Watercooler’s TVLoop is a TV entertainment product, which lives as an application on users social networking profiles. The application serves as both fan content (pics, trivia, quotes) and video distribution platform. Their other product, is FanSection, which is a sports fan application that can be installed to your profile.

In October, Watercooler announced their partnership with Hulu, increasing their TV offering by 40 more shows. Earlier this month, they had another major announcement; Watercooler is going to roll up all their video under one site, TVLoop.com. The distribution network will continue to exist.

FEED: The Razorfish Consumer Experience Report

Gerd Leonhard of Media Futurist points to the 2008 Razorfish Consumer Experience Report. This is a very thorough overview of social media and how it relates to the consumer.

Some main points from the report: *denotes my commentary