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Social media platforms make changes for the future

By Karin, on September 27th, 2010

The last two weeks I told you about the changes that Digg is making. You can add RSS feeds, have followers and friends and you have your own “My News” page. All in all Digg is positioning themselves closer and closer to Facebook, with the main difference the fact that in Digg the storing of important information and the voting is central, whereas in Facebook the communication is central.

Twitter also announced some major changes. With over 160 million registered users, who send out 90 million tweets daily, they are definitely a player to watch. Guess what, they are adding significant functionality to their Twitter stream. You will easily be able to add pictures and videos into your stream. Twitter also announced that it will add the functionality of many desktop clients, such as Tweetdeck and Seesmic, to their standard layout.


In the new Twitter layout, you can click on a tweet to open up additional information about that tweet in the second panel, rather than going to a new window. You will be able to see the tweeting person’s profile without ever leaving the twitter stream.

If there are pictures and/or videos associated with the tweet, these media will show up on the right hand side also.
You will also be presented with trends, suggested people to follow, as well as your own personal profile.
In other words you can now start using Twitter as a real time news browser. You will have all the relevant information behind the tweet at your fingertips.
Two other changes that are effective in the new Twitter are the disappearance of the “more” button (you can now scroll endlessly, without ever having to hit the “more” button) and keyboard shortcuts to make navigating the site faster.

With the changes of Facebook, Twitter and Digg, they all seem to have grown much closer to each other, although I do believe that the essential characteristics of each of the sites is still in tact. Twitter continues to be the real time search engine, Facebook the true social engagement platform and Digg the gatherer of news stories within your interest sphere. With the new changes, will they come so close to one another, that the distinction becomes negligible. Will all three fight for the same traffic, or will they be able to stay separate and continue to build their own following?

To your success,



social media, Traffic   , , , ,  
  • Wendy Hewlett

    Karin,

    You are always at the forefront of changes to social media platforms. I appreciate you bringing new and relevant information to our attention! I had a preview of the new Twitter functions and it is going to be interesting. I like the new functionality in the right panel.

    Whether Twitter, Facebook and Digg become so close to each other that they compete is doubtful, in my opinion. The each have their unique traits and, hopefully, will retain their strong points.

    The future of social media as a whole is exciting. It is really still in its infancy and the potential extraordinary.

    Wendy

    • social bookmarking

      Wendy, you are hitting the nail on the head. As long as they stay true to their unique traits they will have a place. As soon as they start copying others that may change. Thanks for your insightful comment.

  • Robin van der Merwe

    Karin,
    Thanks for the preview of the new Twitter! I’m looking forward to the new layout. I love the idea of being able to preview photos, etc on the same page without having to leave the site. Do you know when the new features will be available?

    Thank you
    Robin

    • social bookmarking

      Robin, Twitter is gradually rolling out the new features. I just got them this week. You should look at the top of your Twitter page for a message that says that you can now test the new features. I have several Twitter accounts and the one that has many more followers than I am following got the message early. So, that may be how they select who gets it first. But, regardless, everybody should see this new layout over the next few weeks.

  • RafaelCantu

    Hi Karin,

    You are always providing insightful tips on how to use technology for social media. I love sharing this information, it makes me look like I am in the “know”. Thank you for helping my business and keep those awesome overviews coming.

    Always balancing,

    Rafael

    • social bookmarking

      Rafael, you ARE in the know. Reading other blog posts is like reading the news paper. You do gain knowledge, that others will not, simply because they don’t make the effort. So, good for you. I am glad you enjoy my blog.

  • Deb

    Hi Karin,

    The changes you mentioned on Twitter seem to be similar to what it’s like using “Power Twitter” – a Firefox addon that overlays on twitter. I downloaded it months ago and have used it ever since. It hangs up once in a while and sometimes slows down page load times but I like it because you get snapshots of users and links right on the page.

    IMO, Twitter, Facebook and Digg will always be distinctive because they are all used for different reasons / perspectives, though I can see your point that they are becoming more and more alike. I think everyone will always favor one over the other kind of like with ice cream, we have our favorite flavors. LOL.

    Thanks for the update!

    • http://socialnetworkvoter.com social bookmarking

      Deb, at this point I agree with you. It is hard to predict, though, what the future will bring. Fact is, they are growing closer.

  • Joseph McDevittt

    Karin, I’m sure these changes will be for the better! I really think that Twitter, Facebook, and Digg will stay seperate and continue to build their own following. They all have carved out their own little niche, and serve it well!

    Thanks for providing such valuable information Karin, and thank you for your truly awesome syndication efforts!
    ~Joseph McDevitt

    • http://timedtweeter.com social bookmarking

      Thanks Joseph. I appreciate you.

  • DeAnna Troupe

    I think all three will be able to stay separate and continue to build their own following. For example, I prefer twitter to most other social media platforms because of its simplicity. However, I maintain a presence on the other platforms because I know there are people who feel just as strongly about those platforms as I do about Twitter. Bottom line…There’s enough people for all platforms to be successful.

    • social bookmarking

      Great insight DeAnna. I agree with you. I love Facebook, Twitter and Digg for totally different reasons. I happen to use all three, but with limits. I don’t spend all day on any of these sites.

  • Tyler Texas Marketing Scott

    There are a lot of changes happening in the social media scene. Personally I don’t like the new Digg. It really messed it up for power users of the system and I feel it will just become another spam farm like twitter etc. The old way (version 3) was much better to be able to keep track of your own social networking communities etc. The new version is not nearly as personalized and it makes it harder to follow specific Diggs from specific Diggers. I think this particular tool is going down the tubes.

    • http://timedtweeter.com social bookmarking

      Tyler, thanks for your response. I know that a lot of people feel the same way you do. I feel that the new digg gives more people a chance to benefit from the platform without having to be a power user. In the end, that helps the power users also, since more people will participate.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for sharing more valuable information.I know I can always come here to stay updated. Thanks Karin.

  • http://timedtweeter.com Anonymous

    Thanks so much for sharing that information Karin. I love getting updates from all of you concerning any changes in social media, but yours are very much to the point and very relevant to what I’m looking for.

    Thanks again,

    Michael

    • social bookmarking

      Thanks Michael, I appreciate your kind words.

  • Golda Smith

    This was very informative Karin. Personally I like twitter the way that it is. Maybe some of the changes will help it be more interactive but I don’t want to see them start to look like each other. I love twitter because it’s so simple and I love facebook for everything it has to offer. Thanks again for making me aware of the changes.

    Golda Smith

    • social bookmarking

      I agree with you. I like each platform I use for what it offers. The trend is interesting though. It does show very clearly where social media is going. A sign of increasing maturity.

  • squireorg

    Things are changing so fast. I don’t think I really understand the “old” format yet. Now for the new. Oh well, I guess that is good. No “old” habits to break.

    • social bookmarking

      That is funny. You are right though. It helps not to have to break old habits. But getting in now, might not be a bad thing.

  • Rob Wilson

    With Twitter so often being over capacity as it is, do we really want them adding more things to the stream? Seems like they already can’t handle what they’ve got! Though I like the idea of keyboard shortcuts – I am always a big fan of those – anytime I don’t have to use the mouse is great. Hopefully they will all wind up taking the best from each other and morph them in ways that work best for what each service is best for – but I won’t hold my breath :)

  • Scott Pollov

    Karin. Great information. I am probably in the minority here, but I actually miss the days before social media! Glad to see Twitter making some of the changes you mentioned – should reduce reliance upon third party applications. Thanks, Scott Pollov

  • http://socialnetworkvoter.com Tommy DiPietro

    Karin,

    This is awesome information. Social media is such a great way to connect with others. Every couple of days, weeks, the social
    media sites are always making it easier to use and gives us more reasons to use them.

    I have recently put more effort into using Twitter. It is a great way to syndicate content especially if you have LOTS of followers.

    Thanks for the update on social media :)

    Tommy D.

  • Jeremiah M. Wean

    Karin,

    I’m still on Twitter Original, what where all those iterations Coke went through.. Coke, Coke Classic, Coke Clear, New Coke. With the recent changes of Twitter, they really seem to be doing everything to drive people to actually go to their site. I think I log in to Twitter maybe 1x/week. I mostly just go through Hootsuite if I’m online, or UberTwitter if mobile. The changes on Twitter look very positive especially if they can gain traction with getting the eyes to their site instead of through the variuos API’s.

  • kiaran finn

    Hi Karin – its interesting to try and predict where this whole social media thing is heading next – i have a bit of a love hate thing happening with Twitter – there are so many clogging it up with just chasing anonymous random numbers with no desire to connect or engage other than just pitch BUT its still tantalizing with a heap of potential for users who are creative with their strategies

    i do worry that if social media becomes too much more automated – it will lose its soul

    Thanks for sharing Cheers kiaran

  • Kevin M.

    I really like the new functions in the new twitter. I don’t think all three will have to fight for the same traffic. I think they are unique enough that they will remain distinct.

  • http://bookmarksandvotes.com Paulreimers

    Thanks for the post,

    I think that with the phenomenal success of Facebook, (not to mention a movie just released about it’s formation) it is causing other social networks to up their game. Thanks so much for the awesome information!

  • http://socialtrafficmastermind.com Dr. Adam Sheck

    Karin,
    Yes, I had noticed that Twitter had upgraded their screens. Thanks for clarifying a little bit of that for us. Facebook still makes more sense to me, though I’m trying to understand Digg, per your last post. And what I’m REALLY curious about is how Apple’s Ping is going to fit in, as I’ve read that Apple and Facebook are still trying to figure out how to get along. That will be interesting.
    Thanks,
    Adam

  • Steven Dean

    Yeah, I have noticed that Twitter has a newer version that I think is a beta version so far. Digg I am still tinkering with a bit but, Facebook is still easy and cut n’ dry so far at least on the basics. It seems like this is the war of the social media sites. One trying to outdo the other.

  • http://controlemotionsafterabreakup.com Clare Kelway

    Hi Karin,
    I am still working out the new lay-out works. it does confuse me, and I am not sure how to read my messages! I am so busy each day, moving my biz forward, I just don’t have time to learn all these changes. this is why your blog is so valuable because you are a resource to come to in order to quickly learn what I need to know about all these changes. Keep up the great work and I would love to have you as a guest on our BlogTalkRadio if you are open to this idea!
    regards,
    Clare

    • social bookmarking

      Hi Clare. Thanks for stopping by. Sounds like your focus is right where it should be. On your business.
      I would love to be your guest on BlogTalkRadio.

  • Ted Hunsaker

    Hi Karen,

    Thanks for keeping us up to date with all the changes going on in internet land. It looks like Twitter is making a lot of improvements. Always great to be on top of the News.

  • Ruth A McCrackin

    Yes Karin social media is the new way of connecting and building and I love it…another quick and simple tool is tweet deck. Its so user friendly and keeps you in the know with your competitors and what’s popping in your target market. Maybe you can talk about your experience with it on another article.

    Much Success,

    Ruth Mcrackin

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