A Regular Roundup of Social Media Musings
by Anna Gerz & Mike Wilt

This month’s collection of all things Social Media takes “Liking” offline and explores that other network...

Just wave if you ‘Like’ what you see

Maybe you have heard about these “Social Network” things. Maybe you’ve even  poked around and “Liked” a few things. As social, even viral of an experience that process can be for a company, it still requires a couple hefty prerequisites. People who you want to “Like” you have to be on the same network. They must have a computer or phone with which to submit their passing display of approval. And of course that device has to have a connection of some sort.

Small stumbling blocks? Perhaps, but lowering any hurdle for customers to have a relationship with your brand can only increase interactivity. Automaker Renault blasted through all three barriers at a recent car show. By linking a customer’s Facebook account to an RFID (you know what that is right?) users were able to browse the showroom floor and simply wave their badge at the display to immediately “Like” the product in front of them.

This, of course, was no small task in terms of typical show fare. But the result was a novel way for engaged customers to interact with the brand both at the show and on a personal/social level. A reminder that technology is great, but a simple and innovative way to engage customers? I like that.

Don’t count LinkedIn out

Though we spend a lot of time in these monthly roundups covering Facebook features and promising new platforms, we want to make special note of recent LinkedIn updates. LinkedIn saw additional growth in March, as it welcomed its 100 millionth member and announced LinkedIn Today. LinkedIn Today is a curation service which aggregates the information that your connections have been engaging with online, similar to Digg or StumbleUpon. Positioned as a way to “cut through all the clutter, so you can discover the top headlines to be better informed,” this update is not groundbreaking, yet will still provide value to users.

More recently, we also saw several big brands turn to LinkedIn for marketing campaigns. American Express launched an app for Administrative Professionals Day, while Volkswagen created an app in Holland, allowing users to compete with their connections to see who has a more competitive LinkedIn profile. These recent campaigns, I’m sure, have sparked a lot of ideas and I don’t think it will be too long before we see a LinkedIn app targeted to the B2B community specifically surface.

Finally, Facebook is back on the radar, but Google refuses to be outdone

Project BobSled – Facebook and T-Mobile team up to offer calling through your Facebook account. Exciting potential, but the service hasn’t had a smooth start.

Facebook Studio – Showcasing great creative marketing work (and perhaps fanning egos) Facebook’s niche network for “marketers, creatives and fans.”

Google Deals – Not to be outdone by Groupon, LivingSocial and Facebook, Google is testing Offers in select locations.

What has caught your social-savvy eye this month?