Live Blog – Social Media News & Content – SSSS 2010

Social Media News & Content
Chris Winfield, Chris Bennett, Neal Rodriguez, Brent Csutoras moderated by Jordan Kasteler of Search & Social

Chris Winfield – 10e20:

Shiny new object syndrome:
My competition does it, my neighbor has it, I saw it on ESPN I should do it!
Chris – No, you should do what makes sense for you.

What is social news isn’t:
Digg, Reddit, Mixx, Yahoo Buzz

What social media is:
Editorially select news sites

Most sites are similar to Digg/Reddit when submitting:
-Title
-Category
-Link

Editor chooses what is valid
Community then votes

Example – Fark
Similar to Digg

How it spreads:
It gets submitted, it has a good headline it gets picked up by a site like Fark then gets picked up by other sites and forums. Forums can be great.

Fark:
Mostly items from news sources
Very satiric & humours
Titles are some of the best you will see
5% of people create 95% of the content, simply because they know what is good

Drudge Report:
The ‘orginal’ social news site
Mainly political and mjor news
Skewed to the far right
Feature article can send more traffic

Know how to write the title

I am bored.com:
Funny & humorous site
Videos and images are popular
The zanier the title, the better

Peculr.com:
Very random
Odd, strang and funny news
Catchy images help
Make sure content is image/news

Extra Mustard:
Totally fan-supported community
On sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Mainly sports and pop culture related

Slashdot:
The original tech social news site (before Kevin Rose made Digg)

Tips & Tricks to getting popular

Make it painfully easy for moderators
Sime for them to approve submissions with no changes needed. So do it!

Don’t just promote your own content, mix it up. A mod that sees your name come through everyday with the same domain will block you.

Craft flawless titles
Titles are the #1 thing that gets a mods attention
Humours, clever and “phunny” titles always perform well
Make it so compelling people have to check it out
Tie it into current events or pop culture

Brent Satores:

Tips for Promoting your social media campaign:

Be a Real User
Not a bandaid approach, not something you pay for success.
You cannot burn & churcn on social
Be a good member of the communities, there is good content. You do have to have an edge to get some visibility.

Digg:
Short URL views
Upcoming/recent>Reco>Twitter/source & – Upcoming/most > Submit URL
Stagger & Mix votes
Just because you have 50 votes doesn’t mean it’s popular. Total votes *&* views are taken into account. Send it out, Twitter & Facebook.

When promoting an article its very important to consider where you are sending viewers.
Share the link to the actual section.

Stumble Upon:
Another site where you have to be a REAL user
Spreads out shares > Vary Method
Multiple Days
SU groups/users on other sites
Look for other sites that have SU or Digg groups
Get interaction on the page
They track what happens on the page
Share on other sites
Something submitted on Stumble Upon one day might not become popular for several days, or months

Reddit:
Just get a boost
Any attempt at pushing your content may get it removed
5 votes is still pretty good
Mix up votes
Reddit keeps tabs on who votes on what. Mix up the votes and voters
Main sections/original source
Don’t send people to the Reddit URL

Kirtsy:
Title Clicks
Votes are counted when a link is clicked and the new window opens entirely
Do not have to be a membership to vote
Mainly Women Issue related
Twitter/Facebook

Delicious:
Delicious URL
Search Results Page
Promote Popular Sections

Basic Tips:
Avoid patterns, everything has an algorithm
Site features, use the features provided
Know what you’re doing, don’t do anything if you don’t know social sites. It’s okay to test it out, but don’t use it if you don’t know it.
Control your influence. Don’t game the systems.
Never pay for votes

Neal Rodriguez:
Gave a GREAT presentation. Spoke faster than I could type. Still soaking in what he said. I’ll write it up later.

*End First Session*