Top of the Blogs - Who is the top social networking user in Western Europe 2013?

The expansive net of social media stretches far and wide; and here in Europe, we are pretty dedicated to the service. But which country uses it the most? Which country is the most successful when using it? And is this reflective of who is contributing to it most. Nearing the end of the year, we find out which European country is at the top of the social networking world.

Image: http://molempire.com

eMarketer produced the below chart, and it seems this year the UK are rather low on the charts. As we can see, Germany and Spain are rather close at the top; with the rest of Western Europe not that far behind. So what does this really show?

Image: http://was-gb.wascdn.net

It shows that these countries are using more social networking, and when we think about how it is expanding and benefiting the business world, it begs the question - are we being left behind? Like most nations, we often like to think of ourselves at the forefront of most technological ventures.

Now whilst we are using social networking constantly, and advancing in the ways and means as to how, it seems maybe we are not propelling ourselves enough.

Each country may have different reasons to be using this medium and so the chart above may not be a necessarily strong basis for any assumption. To look further into what is being used we could take the following chart as an example.

 

Image: http://was-it.wascdn.net

As you can see from this, the UK are actually top of the list for Facebook users; with France and Germany in joint second. So are we focusing our attention too much on the social networking sites that aren't engineered to boost economy? Are we still in awe of online contact in our social lives? It may be time to use these new technologies and be aware of what they can do for us as a nation.

Obviously this is just speculation, and next year I am sure the results will be much different again. However we are using social networking and media, it is still very clear that we are using it a lot. As new ideas and concepts arise we will keep growing and moving online; there will be a new wave in social media again from now and it would be an economic benefit to be at the forefront of this.

Maybe we should be coming up with these ideas rather than just using them; this is a dynamic way to keep the market moving and to engineer it to our needs. We will keep monitoring the results throughout next year to see if the UK can keep up to speed with the rest of Western Europe.

What do you think about these results?

Facebook Privacy Settings and why 25% of us don't use them

Facebook privacy settings... do you use them? Do you understand them? And what exactly can they be used for? It has been recorded that approximately 25% of Facebook users don't bother with its privacy settings at all. Now, is this through ignorance or is it a personal choice? When we live in such a time where outwardly we are very open, how can you keep certain details private, and why is it important to do so?

 

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Facebook, it can be said, are seen as a respectable company on a worldwide scale. They have dominated the social media market and seem to keep up to date with the correct protocol. In short, we trust them. Arguably, a little too much. With 25% of its users not even using their Privacy Controls, it begs the question, are we too trusting online?
We use the site for fun, for interaction and communication, with our friends, family and the pages we 'like'. So when a privacy update pops up it does look like rather boring small print that we generally put off until later. But when is later? And by ignoring this, what are we leaving ourselves open to?

When first signing up to the site there are many options of what you choose, information wise, for the public to see. You would think by making your preference clear at the start it would continue throughout the whole time your signed up. I personally have found, this is not the case. When casually browsing through my settings I found a few times that the options have changed and mine have reverted to a default answer, here I feel I am probably a little to blame...after neglecting quite a few alerts telling me it had changed.

Since Facebook introduced advertising I, along with many, noticed how many adverts were popping up related to recent searches I had done online through other sites. This does seem a little spooky at first but also it is commendable, the site is engineering its ads to suit what you are looking for. Clever marketing skills and I'm sure Facebook are keeping its advertising counterparts very happy with this strategy.

We also every so often get people posting rather aggressive looking statuses banishing Facebook from using any of their personal pictures or content. Does this hold any weight to online security? From research, it seems, that it does not, and how would we know if they were abiding by our declarations anyway? There could always be a tiny loophole in their small print advising if you use their site then your information is open to anyone who wants it...but who wants to read the small print anyway?

Image: http://allfacebook.com

There are some pretty helpful sites out there for people who find the privacy pages a little overwhelming. I personally check my privacy settings as regularly as I can, to make sure they are how I want them. I also double check by searching myself online, when not logged in, although this may seem a little paranoid..but I do just want to make sure that my options are followed up.

Online fraud is an industry of its own and behind the fun side of Facebook there is a serious threat of it on there. We have so much information about ourselves, we may think its harmless but it is amazing how far fraudsters can go with just an email address, postcode, date of birth and name. Also, people posting passport photos etc, these can be easily duplicated. I know it sounds a little fantastical but there really is a danger out there.

People are not only using your information to sell on to companies - cue PPI phone calls and thousands of spam emails - but also using photos to create fake profiles etc. Facebook are not completely to blame for all the scenarios that can happen when we put our info onto their site, but I would say a more user friendly privacy page wouldn't go amiss.

Bottom line; read and be aware of what you are signing up to, take responsibility for your own information and then if it does get out - you can point the finger. In the meantime, be very careful what you upload absentmindedly and check your settings as much as possible. The 25% of people not using the privacy settings are making themselves vulnerable online so if you know someone who is on Facebook and not so au fait with it, help them out. A safe, online experience is there to be used, so use it!

How do you feel about Facebook's privacy policy?

Facebook Preparing for the Introduction of Video Ads

Facebook recently announced that it will be testing videos that play automatically on the homepage, a pre-cursor to the company introducing video ads to its site in the upcoming months. Some users will now see videos come to life and start playing automatically in the News Feed. These videos will initially play silently, and if you want you can then tap the video to play with sound in full screen mode. If you choose not to watch the video you will be able to scroll past it and it will stop.

This new video feature suggests that Facebook is moving towards more video orientated ads on the site. The announcement on the Facebook newsroom commented that “at first, this feature will be limited to videos posted by individuals, musicians, and bands. We’re doing this to make sure we create the best possible experience. Over time, we’ll continue to explore how to bring this to marketers in the future”.

The test currently only involves a small group of U.S. users, but it is expected to roll out to other users on the site soon. When it does, and when it is viewed as a successful experience on the site, it will start to be used by brands and advertisers. By introducing this feature to a small test group, Facebook will be able to ensure that the technology is up to standards. Zuckerberg was concerned that the video ads should load quickly, and has spent time with his engineers developing the technology which allows the videos to load automatically.

Facebook has also debated whether to give users the option to stop the video ads from playing automatically as this could be a sensitive issue for users on mobile phones who have limited data plans. But Facebook have commented that they do not expect the auto-play videos to have a big impact on smartphone users’ wireless data usage and monthly phone bills. Internal tests which have been carried out so far do not seem to significantly reduce battery life, as users do have the option of switching off the auto-play feature and scrolling past the adverts to stop them from playing.

According to several media reports, Facebook is planning to charge brand marketers $1 million to $2.4 million in order to show these 15-second video ads on its social network. Facebook is also experimenting with the idea of giving advertisers more than 15 seconds, this would allow them to compete better with standard television ads. Facebook will allow brands to show up to three videos in “carousels,” a feature in which users will be able to swipe from right-to-left to see two more videos from the advertiser. This move signals how Facebook is joining a growing movement of media and Internet companies who are trying to get money that the advertisers currently spend on television by persuading them to switch their media form. A research firm, eMarketer, suggests that the amount spent on online video is expected to grow by more than 40% this year.

The delay in the release of the feature is due to the fact that Facebook wants to keep its users happy enough to keep coming back to use the site. By introducing videos that play automatically on the site, they hope to slowly pave the way for video advertisements to be featured on the site.

What do you think?

How will the introduction of automatically playing videos change the way that we use Facebook? How will Facebook video ads impact upon Facebook users and the way that they use the social media network?

Facebook Graph Search

Facebook’s Graph Search has been described as the “third pillar” of the Facebook site – along with Timeline and News Feed - intended to be used as a tool to fulfil Facebook’s mission to make the world more open and more connected. The feature provides Facebook users with the ability to navigate their own personal connections, making them more useful and providing the opportunity to discover information, old and new. What value will Graph Search have to Facebook users? The latest development of this feature was announced on the 30th September, now allowing people to search posts and statuses as well as old photos, places and people. What effect will this new development have on the use of Graph Search?

Image – www.parature.com

Released earlier this year, Graph Search is already being used by a number of Facebook users, however, only those who are using the site in US English. Graph Search can be used for a number of simple searching tasks, such as finding photos a user has liked in the past, or photos which have two specific people in. It can also help in discovery of new things as well as old posts, pictures or places that people have visited. For example, if you were to visit your friend in a different city, Facebook Graph Search could help you by searching for all the people who live in that one city, whereas previously you would have to search individually through your friends to find this information out.

People do not generally think of Facebook as a discovery tool, however, this is set to change with the use of Graph Search across the platform. Finding things like friends of friends who are interested in the same things that you are is now much easier, other examples of searches Facebook have given include – “friends who live in my city”, “people from my hometown who like hiking”, “restaurants in New York liked by chefs”, “photos before 1990” and the list goes on. The latest development for Graph Search was announced last week with the search now extended to posts and status updates as well as people, photos, places and interests. Now you will be able to search for status updates, photo captions, check-ins and comments to find things shared with you – Facebook’s search engine has now become a whole lot more powerful.



However, with this power there is also the fear of what the search might bring up. Photos long ago removed from your timeline, which have not been de-tagged will be brought to the surface once more, with the ability to search through all photos which are not private. Posts which you have liked in the past, and old statuses which were long forgotten can now be brought back into view with a simple search. Does this now mean your information is available to a wider audience and your information is less private? This thought will swiftly lead a lot of people back to their activity log to make sure old content is now deleted or is set to private and cannot be dragged up through Graph Search. However, with the new roll-out of this feature some people will have the ability to search for this old content via Graph Search before others can search it for themselves, especially as this content is currently only available for US English users. Who knows what old content this might bring up? This feature appears to be making Facebook users' lives more transparent and with no opt out setting you have to be careful what information you have left open to the public.

Image - www.abcnews.go.com

However, there are a number of valuable uses that Graph Search can be put to, which include:

Job-searching:
- Job-seekers can discover companies which they might be able to apply for by searching for companies who employ people in your town, or a town or city you are moving to.
- It can help to find people who work at the companies you are interested in.
- It can help to find where your school friends are working – and you can even filter this by degree or major.
- This can also be used by recruiters in the reverse way.

A rival to dating websites:
- With the new ability to search your friends’ friends and to discover people with common interests, it could be possible for Graph Search to become a new online dating space, driving traffic away from traditional dating websites.
- One of the search fields includes “relationship status”, which means that you can specifically set it to search for “single" people.
- As the majority of young people are on Facebook nowadays, there is great potential for this to turn into a form of dating website, connecting single people based on their interests and their mutual friends. It also takes away the stigma which has become attached to online dating, and this could even be a good thing for existing online dating sites.

Journalism:

- Just as twitter updates are easily searchable and can therefore be utilised by journalists in order to crowd source or gather local information around a story, the latest Graph Search development means that the same can now be done on Facebook, making social media more useful for journalists.
- The Graph Search, which now features posts and statuses can be utilised to find out about breaking news, giving journalists an advantage for finding new witnesses for stories or eye-witness reports. There is an advantage of Facebook over Twitter in these cases as Twitter is limited to a 140 character tweet, whereas on Facebook you can put longer posts. There are also a greater number of people on Facebook compared to Twitter, which increases its potential for journalists.

These are just a few ways in which Graph Search could revolutionise Facebook use, but for now we will have to wait until the feature is rolled out to more people in order to see what its real effects are.

What do you think?

Will you use Graph Search when it is available for everyone? Are you already using Graph Search? What are you using it for?