Fluency Media

Yahoo Buys Tumblr, Twitter Launches Two-Step Verification, and Geoguessr Robs Everyone Of Any Remaining Productivity | This Week in Social Media

by Fluency Media on May 24, 2013

Yahoo buys Tumblr; Internet weeps

Early this Monday, Yahoo announced a $1.1 billion deal for popular blogging platform Tumblr, promising “not to screw it up.” CEO and founder of the six-year-old company—26-year-old and new billionaire David Karp—said he “couldn’t be more excited” about the acquisition, reaffirming that Tumblr’s headquarters, team, and mission won’t change. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer called the deal a “game changer” for the Internet giant—but promised (in her own Tumblr post, of course) that Tumblr will be left free of any Yahoo branding. But denizens of the Internet aren’t so sure—WordPress CEO Matt Mullenwag reported more than 72,000 Tumblr posts imported to WordPress in just one hour following the news.

Twitter launches two-step verification

Hackers may have a harder time trying to break into Twitter accounts thanks to a new two-step verification process officially launched this week. As previously reported, the feature requires a user to enter their password each time they log in and THEN a verification code that is sent to their phone. The code is not generated until a user tries to log in and will change each time they do. This is likely a result of the slew of account hacks on some major brands like Jeep and Burger King. For a quick demonstration on how to activate the two-step verification click here.

Dangerously addictive geography game (no, really)

Programmer Anton Wallén found a clever new purpose for Google Maps when he created Geoguessr, an online game that places players in randomly selected locations in Street View and challenges them to identify their location based on any clues they can uncover while exploring the area virtually. The game combines old-school geographic sleuthing with advanced Google skills; you can guess your location based on the flora and fauna—like this National Geographic Cartographer—or you can narrow down your location by searching the name on a road sign or a local store you spot in the distance. Check out the notoriously addictive game for yourself—but don’t expect to do much else this weekend.

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Shop-able YouTube Videos, MySpace for Millionaires, and Social Media Meltdowns | This Week in Social Media

by Fluency Media on May 17, 2013

Google announces shop-able YouTube videos

Soon you’ll finally be able to combine two of your favorite pastimes—shopping and watching videos on the Internet—into one seamless couch-based activity. This week Google announced a new channel gadget that will allow brands to add shopping links for products featured in videos on their channel. The feature will only be available on channel pages, though, so you’ll still have to do an onerous Google search if you want to own something you see in an embedded video.

“MySpace for Millionaires” relaunches

What social network was so elite that it booted Tiger Woods and Lindsay Lohan out of the club? ASMALLWORLD. Launched in 2004, ASMALLWORLD was created to connect a community of “influential people” who are connected by three degrees. Like MySpace for millionaires. A new paid-subscription model (just $110 a year) launched this week, offering the Jay Gatsbys of the world travel and lifestyle content and deals. The site will cap users at 250,000, so rub elbows fast. Even if you’re not elite enough to join ASMALLWORLD, take heart—you can still follow them on Facebook.

Amy’s Baking Company a few muffins shy of a full tin

Social media can be a powerful tool for marketing, customer service, and public relations. But in a stunning display of what not to do, a Scottsdale, Arizona bistro took to Facebook to address controversy surrounding their recent appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. On last Friday’s episode—for the first time in the show’s history—Chef Ramsay walked away from Amy’s Baking Company owners, an eccentric couple accused of picking fights with customers and pocketing their waitstaff’s tips. As online chatter surrounding the episode continued to escalate, the owners posted a whale of a meltdown to the company’s Facebook page. Read the full story here, and when you’ve recovered, heed Forbes’ advice—they’ve addressed six seven things you should never do on social media, inspired by the kooky couple.

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AP hack hits Wall Street, Twitter tests 2-step verification, and Psy hires a cook | This Week In Social Media

by Fluency Media

AP Twitter hack causes a stock market stumble On Tuesday, hackers gained control of the Associated Press’ Twitter account and posted a false report of explosions at the White House causing injury to the President. Almost immediately, the Dow Jones Industrial Average began to fall, dropping at least 140 points in the five minutes it [...]

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