2011 “Social Changes” & Predictions for 2012

2011 was filled with exciting new platforms, changes to our go-to channels, rumors of mergers, and the rollout of a new line of Apple products that saw lines around the building. Before we launch fully into 2012 at 4G speed, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on my top three fave Social Media stories from 2011.

1. Google+
One of the most anticipated releases of a social networking site in recent years was the invite-only, limited participation launch of Google+. The growing site did some things right and some things wrong. The Google+ giant quickly had over 20 million users, but interestingly enough it was a predominantly male audience. As they struggled to draw the female audience they also forgot the importance of brand integration from the beginning. To date there are more than 62 million users.

By November, Brands were finally welcomed but it felt like a “catching-up” effort. The Google+ Brand Pages were accompanied by Direct Connect to bring up Brand Pages in search results. During the wait for brands to join the platform there was a serious plunge in usage, as well as an embarrassing story that leaked about Google Execs not even using the platform.

I’m not 100% sure about the future of Google+ and think they have a lot of work left to do, but I do think that because Google has so much reach via it’s search engine and free e-mail platforms it’s only a matter of time before people come back around and start to use this platform. As Danica Kombol would say “We live in a Google-able world,” and she’s right! Google has the power! Search, stream, share and now with Google+ connect socially with users and brands.

I’m looking forward to seeing the evolution during 2012.

2. Facebook Timeline Rollout Facebook has long been the dominant Social Networking site, so news of the new Timeline had us all abuzz in Social Media We all heard about the new timeline forever ago and had to wait until it finally launched in December in New Zealand followed by right here at home. We’ve all made the switch at Everywhere and the general consensus is that it’s pretty cool. It’s not as flashy as I thought it would be, and slightly less intuitive since it places emphasis on some random posts.

Despite all the hype over Facebook Timeline, I haven’t seen very many people in my community make the switch. I wonder if it’s fear or a lack of understanding that is keeping people from jumping on the timeline feature? There were some murmurs about a week ago about the heightened ability to “stalk” someone via the new format, and even Zuckerberg wasn’t immune to privacy work arounds when his personal photos leaked recently.

Bottom line: Facebook is here to stay and they will continue to adapt and create serious buzz when challenged by other networking sites.

3. New Twitter
The “New Twitter” was a less talked about event, but we think it is one of the biggest developments in recent social history. While Twitter is not as widely adopted as Facebook and other sites, for those who use it, it’s a key piece to their social world and sometimes even an addiction! The new motto is “Twitter: Yours to Discover” and with upgrades to it’s website and mobile apps, some serious discovery time will be needed.

The other major change is Brand Pages on Twitter. Brands have been communicating with customers via Twitter for quite some time, but the new format allows for more interaction and advanced customization of their profiles- including promoted tweets within the timeline. We are going to see an interesting change in the way that brands are using this platform.

So what does it all mean?

In the world of Social Media, we’ve gotten used to the introduction of new platforms and we certainly saw that with Google+. My predication for 2012 is that we’ll begin to talk less about the new platforms and begin to see more adoption to what we already have. People are continuing to shift in how they communicate and accept that not only is social media here to stay, it’s growing up! Companies, individuals and nay-sayers alike are starting to take notice of the power of multiplatform engagement and navigating the online conversation has never been easier.

I’m guessing that in 2012, we’ll see more than 7 out of 10 large businesses actively engaging with customers on 3 or more social platforms.Personally, I’m looking forward to what the new year brings and another year of communicating Everywhere.