by Randy Bennett

Social Media: Geofeedia

Use: Search content by location across social media networks to surface interesting local stories, commentary, sources and content

Geofeedia is a Web-based application that allows media publishers to search social media activity by location across Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram and Picassa. According to Geofeedia: “Once you create a Geofeed – by simply entering an address or drawing a boundary around a location on a map – you can search, monitor and analyze all social media activity from that location.” The search can be refined with additional filters such as source, date, keyword and hashtag.

The data collected can be archived so you can track trends or tie activity to a particular past event. Journalists can use the tool to uncover and curate relevant content for a particular location. Sales executives can use the tool to pin down sentiments about a particular retailer by store location.

Geofeedia offers a 24-hour pass for $49 and special plans for events

ijnet: How newsrooms can use Geofeedia to curate social media by location

Poynter: Geofeedia helps journalists locate real-time photos, tweets where news breaks

iRevolution: Geofeedia: Next Generation Crisis Mapping Technology?

09.09.13

by Randy Bennett

Social Media: Facebook Conversations

Use: Supplement news coverage with related real-time conversations on Facebook; provide added value to advertisers with real-time brand discussions

Facebook has launched two new APIs to track and integrate conversations into news coverage. According to the AllFacebook blog, the two APIs include: “the public feed API, which displays a real-time feed of public posts for a specific word; and the keyword insights API, which tallies the total number of posts that mention a specific term during a specific time period, as well as enabling news organization to feature anonymous, aggregated results based on gender, age, and location.”

These new features are additional arsenal in Facebook’s competitive battle with Twitter. As described on Facebook’s Newsroom blog: “Over the past few months, we have rolled out a series of products aimed at surfacing the public conversations happening on Facebook including hashtags, embedded posts, and trending topics. We are committed to building features that improve the experience of discovering and participating in conversations about things happening in the world right now, including entertainment, sports, politics and news.”

The APIs currently are available to only a few media companies but Facebook says they are “beginning discussions with other media partners and preferred marketing developers (PMD’s) and will make it available to additional partners in the coming weeks.”

You can imagine that the new APIs will be mostly useful to national media organizations who are covering topics that impact a larger group of users. But a big local news item — disasters, college or professional sports teams, salacious trials — could also generate enough conversation that local publishers could meaningfully tap into.

Mashable: Facebook’s New APIs Help Media Outlets Highlight Real-Time Conversations

AllFacebook blog: Facebook Releases Two APIs That Allow News Organizations To Tap Into Its Real-Time Public Posts

PCMag: Facebook Goes After Twitter with Real-Time Conversation

07.03.13

by Randy Bennett

Data Mining: Topsy

Use: Increase engagement by surfacing relevant topics and conversations on Twitter; generate by helping ad customers target messages

Topsy is a tool that mines the full stream of Twitter tweets and, according to All Things D, “offers a set of professional analytics tools for sale, so that customers can find key data points like influential Twitter accounts, relevant content for specific time periods, even sentiment analysis around tweeted terms.” There is also a free, limited tool at topsy.com.

News organizations can use the tool to identify topics and conversations that might suggest an interesting news story or possible story sources. They can also use the tool to identify locally trending topics (e.g. “best lawn care tips”) that they can use to help local advertisers target promoted tweets.

Among the media organizations currently using Topsy are The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN, Gannett and ABC.

All Things D: Data Analytics Startup Topsy Aims for the Local

06.21.13

by Randy Bennett

Social Media: Short Videos

Facebook is taking on Twitter/Vine with a video version of Instagram. The app will allow users to create a 15-second video (compared to 6 seconds for Vine) and will support 13 custom filters. Users will also be able to edit video frames and add a photo at he beginning.

Meanwhile, according to CNET, Vine may be reworking their app to add new features. Based on videos posted by Vine’s founders, the new features may include a new design, curation capabilities, private messaging and, perhaps, the ability to build Vines from previous footage. (All based on CNET’s interpretation of the videos).

Update 8/8/13: ReadWrite: Instagram Now Lets Users—and Marketers—Post Canned Video

Update: 7/16/13: MediaPost: Honda Does Personalized Vines For Summer

Update 7/11/13: AdWeek: Instagram Debuts Video Embeds, Could Alter Publishing Habits

Update 7/04/13: All Things D: In Wake of Vid-stagram, Vine’s Latest Update Could Spur Growth

Mashable: How to Create an Instagram Video in 7 Simple Steps, 6 Reasons Instagram Video Beats Vine

Forbes: Facebook’s Video On Instagram To Challenge Twitter’s Vine

CNET: Vine videos provide clues to new design, features

TechCrunch: Vine Goes On The Offensive, Teases New Features Ahead Of Instagram Video Launch

Poynter: Instagram gives news orgs tips on using its video feature