OCTOBER 27, 2008

Social Media Summary - 10/27/2008

Once again, here’s a brief summary of some interesting news and up-and-coming developments in social media! As always, you can also check out previous social media summaries here.

Dell has created a Facebook page that focuses on providing social media tips and strategies for small businesses looking to get started with using social media in their communications work. This is a very simple, yet valuable resource that really enhances Dell’s image as an industry leader among large companies using social media. Ever since the “Dell Hell” blogger uproar in 2005, Dell has really stepped up to the plate and implemented better blogger relations, multiple blogs, Twitter accounts, and a useful crowdsourcing site.

Plum has launched its Share Space Pro platform, which can add social networking features to a company’s website. Share Space is similar to Ning, a popular platform for creating standalone social networks, but it is more geared towards adding features to an existing website in a clean, easy process. I agree with Jeremiah Owyang’s prediction that demand for products to “socialize” a page with minimal fuss will increase in the near future– I can imagine that there is a need for products that simplify the process of tweaking software to add social networking features to a site.

Fat Muffin is a new crowdsourcing site with an interesting focus: it crowdsources ideas for advertisement campaigns. The community is semi-closed, meaning that those who want to sign up must first receive an invitation from a friend already in the community. Currently, the site has three clients: Prometheus Springs, Babyspot.com, and Ayrwolf. Although the site is still in a closed beta state, it’s a great example of how versatile crowdsourcing can be, with the right management system in place. Unlike social networks that serve to let people communicate directly with each other, these idea-focused websites need a system in place to condense and select the best ideas for serious consideration from the companies.