JULY 27, 2009

Social Media Summary - 7/27/09

Mashable writer Ben Parr took a moment recently to reflect on the future of the web as Google continues to pave the way to new and innovative developments for online activity. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that while we are refining the way we use current social networks and engaging in dialogue over its uses, developers at Google and other companies are focused on the next game changer. Parr suggests that Google’s overall strategy is to get people to spend more time online, where it earns most of its revenue. With developments like Google Wave, Chrome OS, and HTML 5 coming up, it’s clear that the most influential web company is poised to do exactly that. Google Wave will allow people to move a great deal of collaborative business work online. Google’s new operating system based on its Chrome browser will help web applications launch instantly. HTML 5 is the newest iteration of the code that structures the web - it will include changes that allow web applications to interact more seamlessly with computer desktops, which will help people share media much more easily. Of course, one of the two core spec editors for HTML 5 is Ian Hickson from Google (the other is from Microsoft). All of these developments help us get a glimpse of how, in the near future, we may be seeing our web usage (and by extension, social activities) become the central component of our computer use.

Digg got hit with a lot of negative press recently because of their decision to direct all links shortened by the Diggbar to an intermediary page on Digg.com - effectively directing a great deal of traffic to Digg.com by forcing users to first visit the Digg story page before seeing the page that was originally linked to. Complaints about this change pointed out that this severely hampered the usefulness of the Diggbar as a URL shortening service. It seemed like an attempt to inflate traffic to Digg.com, not a sincere attempt to grow the community by providing value for Diggbar users.

After the uproar from Twitter users spread, Digg published a blog post that explained how the change brings the Diggbar closer to its ultimate goal of strengthening the Digg community by allowing users to catch up on the conversations on the main site. In other words, the Diggbar is not meant to be a tool for URL shortening, but an extension of the main site. Although this reasoning seems to be made with the best interests of the site in mind, many users are still unconvinced. After all, it seems that the Diggbar’s initial URL shortening service built a lot of goodwill towards the site from users who weren’t already part of the Digg community because it provided a convenient and unobtrusive service. How can Digg’s focus on making the Diggbar a way to guide people back to Digg.com build goodwill quite as easily?

Amazon.com bought Zappos, the popular online shopping site known for its unique approach to customer service. This is an interesting move for the online retail giant, especially because Zappos is known for its relationship with customers and its appealing presence online. Seth Godin comments on this deal, saying that Amazon most likely recognizes that Zappos has the qualities that matter most in today’s market:

What you buy when you spend that kind of money is what matters now. And what matters is:

• A corporate culture that’s not the same (and where great people choose to work)
• A tight relationship with customers that give you permission to talk with them
• A business model that’s remarkable and worth talking about
• A story that spreads
• Leadership

Zappos has proven to be a leader in social media use, setting an example for other companies. Amazon may well benefit from investing in Zappos’ growth.