Social media changes so much in a week that it can be hard to keep up. Check back every Friday for our roundup of social media news that we think you should know about.
If you’re on Twitter and follow Denver-based accounts it’s been hard to escape Broncos fever lately. Several hashtags are brimming with playoffs excitement: #TimeToRide, #UnitedinOrange and #BroncosPride each show how the city is gearing up for this weekend’s big game!
Are you ready for the Olympics? Facebook certainly is. It just announced a partnership with NBC that will weave Facebook into coverage of the games. The collaboration will incorporate Facebook and Instagram posts into live broadcasts and reporters will answer questions directly from the social media network.
Facebook users might start noticing trending topics on the right-hand column of their news feeds in the next few weeks. It’s said that Facebook is introducing this development to keep up with Twitter (remember when Facebook introduced hashtags last year?) and to continue its growth as a news source for users.
Jelly launched this week as a mobile app that provides answers to users’ questions by crowdsourcing the Internet, but it has proven to be much more than a Q&A service for the digital world. It is also a strategic platform for brands. General Electric was one of the first companies to use Jelly when it asked followers about their favorite scientists. Jelly also emerged as a breaking news source when it uncovered the new partnership between Facebook and Branch.
The FDA just released a draft guidance document for pharmaceutical activity on social media. While the FDA applies the same regulatory standard to the Internet and social media as it does for other promotional materials, this document details reasons companies would be held responsible for information shared by third parties on social media networks.
LinkedIn launched a Volunteer Marketplace this week, which allows users to search for volunteer opportunities that match their skills. LinkedIn says it decided to offer the marketplace as a response to more than 600,000 users expressing interest in the feature. The price tag is reasonable, too: volunteer organizations may post a volunteer listing for 10 percent of the cost LinkedIn charges for a job listing, which varies based on location and reach.
Happy weekend,
@keavey