Observing Facebook Mobile Use in the Real World

Facebook, the most popular website on the planet, still has a terrible, if not utterly awful mobile experience. Whether you are using Facebook mobile through an iOS or Android device, the experience is the same: bad. Yet, according to comScore, Facebook users spend more time accessing the social network on smartphones than on computers. The question is, why?

I won’t sit here and lecture you about the rise of mobile because we all experience it every day. We know that mobile is the future and the death of the PC may be on the horizon. The question is, why do people continue to suffer through a subpar mobile experience to check their Facebook? 

I was recently at a concert; a loud, crowded, hot (and a tad bit sweaty) venue. I look to my left and right and I see at least five people on their mobile devices checking Facebook in between acts. I also used my mobile device but Twitter is my go-to social network. I waited in line to get a drink. During the five minute wait, the three people ahead of me were on Facebook for the duration of the wait. A dude even took a little extra time because he had to show his friends a conversation he was having with a female over Facebook, but bar etiquette is for another post.

Being someone who lives in the space on a daily basis, I tend to “unplug” when not in the office. Facebook has lost its touch with me and is really only relied on for coordinating events, sharing media or responding to my aunts, uncles, parents messages. To me, and the compadres that I have spoken with, Facebook is no longer the poster child for early adopters. Yet, it is still essential to connect with the majority population. 

Recently a survey by CNBC shared that my generation believes Facebook is on the decline. Whether it be the continuous influx of apps, games and ads invading the network or simply because of the terrible mobile experience, I tend to agree. 

What us early adopters and “social media wizards/gurus/elitists” need to remember is that we do not make up the majority. Facebook will live on because of those 20 people I saw at the concert accessing it multiple times in a 3 hour window. It is still the communication tool of choice for the population.

With the purchase of Instagram, GoWalla and Glancee, it is safe to say Facbeook should be revamping their mobile experience in a very serious way. If they are succesful in doing so and revolutionize the mobile experience, I believe the early adopters will show more support for the network that started it all.

Until then, I’ll fire up Twitter to check for news and if I am feeling like checking in on my mom, I’ll turn on the ole Facebook. 

PS. The concert was awesome (photo courtesy of @evcon)

Pinterest: It’s not all about recipes and crafts

Before joining the Engauge team last week, I didn’t think twice about Pinterest. I would hear about it in conversations between two girls and the conversations usually revolved around recipes or crafts – two subjects that don’t really spark my interest. I did, however, know about Engauge’s Drew Hawkins before joining the company. I knew him and his team of contributors had created The Board of Man. When I joined the team, I became a contributor and that is when I truly discovered the whole new world of Pinterest. 

Board of Man has had explosive results mainly because of one reason: it is something that “shouldn’t be on Pinterest”. It is the counter culture and bends the lines and “rules” of what is appropriate to post on Pinterest. Using this inspiration, I dug around the platform to try and find brands that may not “belong” on Pinterest but are using it effectively. Keep in mind, Pinterest still does not have a large brand presence and the presence that is there is usually occupied by bridal magazines, cook books, artists, etc.


 

AMD

AMD was one of the first brands I searched for on Pinterest (yes, I am a nerd and a huge fan boy). I wanted to feature AMD in this blog for the sheer fact that they are a brand that you would never think would be successful on Pinterest, yet they are doing it right. AMD has boards that feature their latest products and technologies. The brand also utilizes boards to showcase their partners, developers and presence at industry events. This just gives the public another reason to choose AMD over NVIDIA, right? ;)


Case Mate

Ah, Case Mate. This brand is extremely successful in the social space and extremely creative. I wasn’t surprised that this brand was on Pinterest, but I was extremely surprised at how successful they were at utilizing the tool. Boards include new products (cases for iPhones) as well as style guides and inspirational pieces.


AARP

Nothing is as boring to Pinterest’s target demographic (young females) as AARP. However, this brand utilizes Pinterest to highlight inspirational quotes, healthy recipes and entertainment/technology for those over the age of 50. AARP doesn’t do anything mind blowing on their Pinterest and follows the trend of duplicating content from their magazine onto their boards (like most magazines do). I am, however, impressed that this brand made the jump to the tool.


GE

This could be my favorite brand on Pinterest. GE does a tremendous job utilizing Pinterest. First, GE has creative board content and names, which gives insight to their company culture. The brand has a board titled “Badass Machines”. The photos used are pulled from Instagram, filters and all. The brand also utilizes Pinterest’s search tool and comments on anything that is pinned to the site with GE in its title. Of course, a member of the GE team, personalizing the brand, signs these comments.


 HGTV

It may not be a surprise that this brand is on Pinterest. It caters directly to their content in terms of interior decorating, crafts, recipes, etc. The reason I wanted to highlight this brand is because they have public contributors on their boards. These contributors could be members of the HGTV team, but to publicize this information (none of the other brands searched did this) makes the brand much more transparent. Bravo, HGTV.


 Pinterest didn’t stick out to me in the past because of the stigma it had. What I have come to realize is the potential of this tool. Any type of content can be shared. Users and brands are both starting to realize this and Pinterest continues to grow.

You can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/chadatl/

Or visit the Board of Man here: http://pinterest.com/drewhawkins/board-of-man/

The Future of Gaming

My gaming career started in my grandpa’s basement when I was a toddler playing Mario and Zelda on the original Nintendo. Since my first experience, I have not put down the “sticks”. Video games provide entertainment, a visual escape and also displays humans’ continued digital innovation. I credit video games for shaping me into who I am today. They were an outlet for creativity, a social escape (when online gaming became big) and provided a window into technology, which fueled my passion to continue to learn and become a member of the industry in which I work today.

Developers have continued to evolve the video game space and because of these achievements, the gaming industry is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Let’s take a look at what innovations today are driving revenue and look ahead to what is in store for this ever-growing industry.

Today - COD Elite: Blending Social w/ Gaming

The top selling franchise in the gaming industry is Call of Duty. With every new release, Call of Duty breaks it’s own sales records and projections. Activision’s latest venture, Modern Warfare 3, which reached $1 billion in sales in just 16 days, gives gamers the option to join a Call of Duty social network named Call of Duty Elite. This service records and aggregates statistics for the player as well as gives them the opportunity to create/join groups, compete in tournaments and connect with other gamers on the platform. This application also allows users to upload videos and works in conjunction with the player’s Facebook and YouTube accounts.  Users now have the opportunity to share their gaming experience with their social networks in a way that never existed before, exposing the old “underworld of gaming” to the mainstream population.

http://www.callofduty.com/elite

The Future – Allowing Physical Objects to Appear in Digital Space

Virtual Reality has been a dream for gamers for decades. Since the beginning of the gaming revolution, the gamer has wanted to physically participate in the fantasy worlds that their character lives in. With the introduction of motion sensor technology, first steps have been made with Xbox’s Kinect, Playstation’s Move and Nintendo’s Wii. The next steps are being made in this direction. WowWee recently developed AppGear which allows users to interact with their action figures in a whole new way. Each action figure interacts with both iOS and Android devices to allow the user to play with their action figure in a digital space using augmented reality. Activision has also developed a title “Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure” which uses a cross-platform panel that allows users to play with their action figures in the video game.

Video games played a huge role in my life growing up and continue to develop me into a better person today. As they continue to evolve it will be interesting to see how these technologies are adopted by other industries to benefit users in all walks of life.